A couple of days ago, a buddy of mine and me got out and scrounged up about a half cord of ponderosa pine. It was down timber, wet and heavy, but it's 2020 firewood so should be dry by then. And there's another down tree about 75 feet away for next time! It was a good day to cut, cool and overcast. It rained all day yesterday.
I won't be back until Tuesday, it'll probably still be there. Even if someone else gets it there's lots of down pine on this mesa.
Yep, lots of down pine and some doug fir. Also lots of wood cutters out this time of year. I see at least a dozen pickups a day loaded w/ wood, some pull loaded low boy trailers. Gettin' it before the logging roads get snowed in.
It is a very nice place. The mesa where we cut had quite a few native ruins - locals call them pit houses. They are anywhere from 1000 to 2000 years old. Quite crude, just flat stones piled into walls, and most are just piles of flat rocks. I read that the mortar was just mud coated with adobe. All of the ruins are marked by the forest service by 3 white rings painted on the closest tree. At 8500 feet elevation, more or less.
A bit of gods country in my estimation. Guessing, zero skeeters, zero undergrowth, zero poison ivy, tree is lying there in wait... Wow. And I am huge pine burning fan
Not much Doug fir at this spot, but plenty elsewhere in this forest. I've been hitting this spot because it's close to home and the road is good shape. The Doug fir stop is twice the distance from home.
Some parts of the forest have some undergrowth (mule deer browse), just not where I cut this load. I have not seen any poison ivy or oak, and no bugs were out. It was nice. Thanks. My back loves the dolly! Close is 20 to 30 miles round trip, but there's almost no traffic or noise, the scenery is great, and I can take all day if I want.
Yea Something about being out in the woods with nobody around . Just feels good If anybody is around , we run them out with chainsaw noise ..... LOL
Thanks for sharing, longshot. We northerners tend to think we have a monopoly on the cold and snow, so it's neat to see someone in a high spot in the southwest doing the same work. another thing that makes FHC The best. The old ruins you mention sound very interesting, sure wouldn't mind seeing a few pics if you bump into them while you're out in the bush!
very cool pics. I really like the scenery in the woods there is nothing like that near chicago. thanks for sharing.
Here it is! I had help from my next door neighbor, so we split the haul, 20 rounds apiece. Tree was about 16 " DBH.
Got a few shots today. Take that pile of flat rocks and multiply it by 200-300. Some of the ruins are large pits, appox. 25-30 feet in diameter. These were probably kivas, communal gathering places. These ruins are not restricted, there are hundreds of archaeological sites just in these local mountains.
