A very nice day here in western Montana. Was the weather good enough for me to get into the Beta Site without the SxS? Well , here is last week:

And here’s the same thing today:

So, I’m gonna call that a yes.

First thing I gotta say is – getting the Milwaukee M18 chainsaw was not the worst idea I’ve ever had. Does it do everything a gas saw does? Probably not. But where it absolutely shines is for ‘touch ups’ and quick jobs. The situations where you’re driving along, turn a corner, and theres a lodgepole pine crossing the road. Hop out, grab the Milwaukee, zip zip zip, and youre done. Lightweight, no fuels to mix, no muss, no fuss. It’s just handy. And even though it has a grip safety of sorts, I like that I can pull the battery when Im done and the thing becomes absolutely harmless unless you drop it on someone.

After cutting a buncha downed timber, I had put down the saw and was moving the cut pieces when I slipped and took a backwards tumble. And somehow, in the tumble, without even being aware it happened, my glasses got snagged off my face. Trying to find your glasses, when youre not wearing your glasses, is a major pain the posterior. I had a set of prescription sunglasses in the truck, but was I in the truck? No. I was well away from the truck. After about fifteen minutes they were found. So, since the Beta Site likes to teach me lessons here’s the two I learned that day: first, the dorky safety strap for the glasses is going to have to become a thing. Second, I need to keep a spare pair in the pack that I’m carrying around when I’m off doing this sort of stuff.

While I was up there I also moved the Monovault that I left up there a few weeks ago. Since I could get in with the truck, I tossed the Monovault in the back and took it further into the property and relocated it. In a few weeks, I’ll be burying one of these and that’ll serve as my hidden stash until I get things built.

Another thing I did while up there was to grab some water samples from the creek. Be nice to see whats in the water up there before I make any plans around it.

And, finally, I am in discussions with a surveyor to get the place pinned and marked so i know exactly where I can and should not be doing stuff. Good fences make good neighbors and all that jazz. I have no intention of putting up any fencing at the moment, but I very much want a definitive answer to where the borders are so I don’t inadvertently violate someone elses property. It ain’t gonna be a cheap process but its gonna be a buttload cheaper than fixing an encroachment problem at a later date. And, most importantly, I want to know exactly how much of that creek is on my side of things.

All in all, a good trip. I found out the most important thing I needed to know: that the conditions now are such that I can get the truck into the property. This means that I can now start shifting a goodly amount of material to the Beta Site…supplies, tools, etc. Also, Im thinking that maybe next week I’ll bring the camping gear, which needs to get stashed out there anyway, and stay out there for the weekend. Explore the property at my leisure, say hi to the  bears, that sorta thing.