Mountain Living - WR's Adventure In The Wilderness...

Looks like a fun adventure your on.
Like you said, my concern would be getting dragged and eaten out of the tent, but I'm sure your keep your eyes and ears perked.

Rock of the Ages

This thing is big, at least 1500 pounds but likely more to be 2000 pounds++.
We’d spoken often about how to tackle this beast and various ideas were thrown around.
Digging around it was obviously the starting point.
After that we had discussed:
Thermite
Black Powder
Extreme fracture scalding
Pounding it into submission / breaking it into several pieces with hammer and chisel.

By the end of day one of attacking it with pick, shovel and hoe we’d dug a fair bit around it:



A lot of earth and small stones were being produced and these went into two buckets that went into landscaping around the bunker area. Mike was a champ on this, he insisting on bearing the burden of carrying the heavy buckets, as the way down from the rock to the bunker was uneven.



Even the Oregon Kid was persuaded to lend a hand. It was his first time doing manual labour with spade and pick. I think he was burnt out a bit though as he wouldn’t pace himself and used a bad technique for spading out the dirt from among the rocks etc.

We took a break from that for a while, as MMM had other more urgent stuff to take care of.

We’d go hiking some days, not something I was always too keen on as it can take hours to recover from a hike around the mountains, but Mike would always keen a steady train of conversation.

‘The Outhouse Spurned Incident’

The Oregon Kid nearly felt the direct wrath of the Mountain Man one morning when I woke up and was outside my tent.
I saw MMM walking past, his face like thunder, with one of the spades we’d used for digging out the rock hole.
I caught some angry words from him then MMM who suddenly turned to the mountain side and hurled the spade in the air towards the mountain side.
He loped off in it’s direction.
I caught up with Mike at the earthworks area of the bunker and tried to ascertain what had happened…



I soon learned that The Oregon Kid was not interested in using the Outhouse we’d put all that effort into and was still digging ‘holes’ instead. This annoyed MMM.
This time in particular he’d taken one of the good shovels (instead of the ‘natures use’ shovel) and went walking up the mountain land. This annoyed MMM even further, who followed in hot pursuit!
Then when the Kid started moving into the fresh water springs area Mountain Mike’s understandable fear was that the Rookie lad would ‘drop trousers’ and pollute our water supply!

He followed the Kid at a distance and thankfully the OK suddenly decided to turn left and move away into the national forest area. At this point he gave Mike the slip.
A short while later the shovel showed up back at the camp area with no sign of the elusive Oregon Kid.
After hearing Mike’s account I thought it wise to intercept the Kid before MMM did and make some peacemaker moves.

I asked the OK what he was playing at not using the Outhouse.
The Kid’s answer to that was he didn’t like the Outhouse as he was afraid his squatting ‘aim’ was off, also he didn’t like the smell.
Very fishy, but then again he is straight out of a state capitol city.
I told him that Mike feared he was going to ‘dump’ at the springs area.
At this he gave a strange arm’s-aside ‘gangsta’ type response which I thought looked foolish given the wilderness we were in and not some ghetto.
He said he’d never do such a thing to Mike though and I believed his intention.
I told him that MMM actually saw him trapsing about the springs area with the shovel which is why he got worried.
“Wow that’s creepy dude, I actually wondered if he was following me and I was moving around so he wouldn’t see me ‘doing my thing’!” The Kid answered.
I told him that Mike feared he was going to crap in the Springs area, which was why he was following him to make sure he wouldn’t!
The Kid was worried now that there would be Mountain Rage from Mike and I assured him not to worry.
I wondered if MMM had rattled him into scuttling up to the springs area having taken the shovel. Also not all folks know that you shouldn’t ‘dump’ within 100 feet of a water source also, so maybe it was just his inexperience showing.

I passed on the account to MMM. He’d calmed down now but was not convinced the Oregon Kid was entirely innocent, he pointed out that the OK had only decided to head away from the springs area after he’d been spotted. Or so it appeared anyway.
Still the matter seemed to be closed until we were digging at the big rock later that day.
I noticed that the Kid was pushing himself too hard and told him to go easy, there was no rush.
He responded that he didn’t want to keep Mike waiting for dirt to be filled to which I said he wouldn’t mind.
The OK said he feared upsetting Mike and triggering his ‘Mountain Rage’.

Later that night I decided to sleep in the ‘Wolverine’ as it had been getting cold in the tent the past few nights. Were it was parked I had a view of the private road and MMM’s Tuff Shed.
The Kid had gone on his wandering and returned much later than usual, I noticed him pick up a rock, then throw it in the direction of the Tuff Shed. The rock went just to the left of it and missed but I thought it odd, perhaps the Kid was still angry at Mike for some reason?

reply to post by WatchRider


Do you have a sledge hammer? That works well on some rocks, others, not so much.

Farewell to the Oregon Kid - 23 June 2012
The next morning at sunrise MMM came to my window and he looked apprehensive.
“The Kid’s taken his tent down and all his stuff is packed! I think he’s leaving!” MMM said before loping off to see what he was up to.
The Oregon Kid had been on the land for about ten days now and his bus ticket wasn’t til the end of the month so this was unusual.
Not once had he mentioned he wanted to go home or was homesick.
The OK showed up looking a bit sheepish and said he wanted to go home.
His ‘reasons’ were:
Tiredness and he had blisters!
Those were the reasons he gave.
I’ve not felt tired since I’ve got to the mountain, indeed I usually feel invigorated with the mountain air up here!
I haven’t had a single blister on my feet either, and that’s with wearing rubbish Walmart ‘Chris’ Boots!

I pieced together that he’d gone to one of the liberal Cabineer’s the night previous and made clandestine arrangements to get a ride towards the greyhound terminal. He was certainly no prisoner and could of asked me or Mike for a ride at any time.
At about 0715 the liberal Cabineer who worked locally at a nearby town showed up in his big 4x4 truck.
It was time for a parting of the ways.
I shook hands with the Kid wishing him a safe journey and to be careful in the big city.
Then they were off and Mike and I took in the small void of the Kid’s unexpected departure.
And a void it was…

He’d left behind his new tent, his new sleeping bag, his new big pillow, his brand new boots, a spare sock with ‘O’ on it, three big boxes of cereal, about a dozen tin’s of food, the wooden spear he’d spent hours crafting, a partly-finished hobo stove I’d encouraged him to make, many toilet rolls, shampoo and shower gels.
All this he intentionally gifted to us, saying that the bus wouldn’t let him take the extra stuff.

Mike and I were glad of the extra supply’s but quite disappointed he’d not told us in advance of his intention to depart early.
I was planning on introducing him to firearms and the safe use of my shotgun (he’d never fired a gun before) in the following days, plus some other things too.
MMM was dismissive of the Kid in some ways, as was I.
If a man has blisters on his feet the last thing you do is go hiking every day. I was a bit annoyed he’d not mentioned the injury to his feet.
Blisters are not a major issue IF you administer first aid and keep your feet looked after. Indeed I not only could of treated the OK’s injury to his feet, but could of given him some spare footpowder to keep his feet dried out.
Indeed I’d even mentioned to keep his feet dry and change socks regularly to avoid blisters.
Yet, perhaps the blisters reason was just an excuse afterall and he didn’t want a confrontation?

I was impressed he’d made the effort to come all the way from Oregon at such a young age (18 yrs) and solo but not by his slack preparation (no knife, no firelighting kit, no first aid kit).
The OK had perhap’s misunderstood about MMM’s land.
It is not a bushcraft training ground for absolute beginners who have never camped before. You need the basic fieldcraft and experience first or it’s a struggle.

As the pickup rumbled away up the road I hoped that should the OK ever stray into the wilderness again he’d at least be a bit wiser to the ways of the outdoors. Hopefully he’ll get his experience up in areas that have a more gradual learning curve.

MMM and OK, are they also members here?

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by WatchRider

 

Do you have a sledge hammer? That works well on some rocks, others, not so much.

Well we tried that but partly for cabin-armouring reasons and also because the thing is very resistant it's gonna be a moving kinda deal...

Originally posted by TKDRL
MMM and OK, are they also members here?

Maybe someday, they are kinda busy as it is.

Actually I did mention ATS to the OK and he did say he was aware of it.
In fact for a 'kid' he is quite switched on to the ptb.

Yet we differ on survivalism ideology.

On the way to MMM's realm he reckoned that the ideal of heading to mountain strongholds and the like was 'running away' from the issues of the city-problems.
His mindset is to stay in the city and fight it out there.

I said if he was serious on that he'd need to obtain a firearm and learn how to use it. Because he hasn't a clue on guns as it is.

More projects, more heat! - 24 June

It’s getting hotter on the mountain and I feel like I’m back in the tropic’s!
Noticing the great slope the Wolverine was parked on I decided to make an inspection ramp!
This wasn’t easy. I had no powertools to aid me though so it meant doing it the old-fashioned way!



Firstly I sawed up several logs to an approximate size, trimmed them off, debarked them.



Next I got some wood to use as battening on either side.



I got my sizes a bit ‘off’ so used a ‘noggin’ as a spacer. This wasn’t easy as they tended to split if I used too small a size.





Once my first ‘tier’ was ready I put the job on hold.
Partly because I wanted to get some ‘C’ Clamps to make sawing easier and partly because we were due to leave the Mountain Hold for a resupply and RV soon.

Monday 25 June

This was a chilled day of resupply and a databurst to the internet at the library in the nearby mountain town.
Mike managed to obtain two big sliding glass doors from a contact. It was a free acquisition and I gave him a hand putting them into the battlebus.

I’d bought some more mosquito coils amongst other things.
I smashed two of them into confetti when they kept snapping on trying to separate them.
I later had a go at trying to take the Wolverine up a very steep, angled part of the Mountain Land. If I got it up there it would mean a flatter parking position….
I slowly crept up but couldn’t quite make it, although the SUV has low-ratio gearing it lack’s a differential lock and it was wheel spinning time. I reversed back down gingerly and decided to tackle it another day…

Tuesday 26th June 2012
Today was a busy one. Mike unleashed the chainsaw and I got busy making a passive cooling system for the solar-array set-up.
Before I could get started though MMM wanted a hand moving the glass doors from the battlebus. It was difficult putting them inside the truck yesterday and even harder getting them out again.
We managed though and had them safely stacked under cover.
Mike eventually wants both of them on his cabin which will be up a steep mountain side. I reckon we’d probably end up maimed or injured carrying them up. So I suggest a sled-system with come-alongs and ropes etc. This is for much later in the season though.
After 30 minutes of rest from that ordeal I get my mind back to the passive cooling system.

I got the ‘projects’ box open and took out the gizmo’s and my tools…



A PC cooling fan which had a DC brushless motor and wiring.
A 25 Watt soldering iron
Some Solder
Speaker Wire
Multi-tool
Quick-connect crimps (male and female).
Insulation tape.
Gaffer Tape
Small solar panel.
See-through plastic sleeve with attachment hole.
Jute Twine

About an hour later I had it done and dusted. It worked first time too!
Direct sunlight hits the dinky little solar panel, which is suspended from a tree. This then triggers the cooling fan. Not a great blast of air comes from it but it’s something at least, when it’s shady it doesn’t work but that’s ok, I only want it spinning when the heat is on anyway.

Meanwhile I hear the sound of a chainsaw starting up…
An old tree which has been collapsed and dead for many moons is finally getting some use.
Mike give’s it the chainsaw treatment and we leave it to dry for a while.
Then I gave Mike a hand moving it in two pieces up to the bunker zone.
It’s a somewhat rotten tree, but the heartwood still has some solidness.



The weather up on the mountain has been horrendously hot. So hot it’s been annoying me as I’m a cold-climate kinda guy at heart.

Canopy Kitchen

For some days now I’ve been wanting to deploy a canopy shelter over the cooking area.
As it is the blazing heat make’s meal preparation almost unbearable from mid-day onwards. Almost like nature is assaulting you.
If you wait until sun-down the ‘forest air-service’ mosquito’s take over with more direct attacks.
I also suspect rainfall is due and don’t want the cooking stuff to get soaked either.
After some mental storming for a few minutes I put my western mind of gears and wheels spinning until a few lightning erupted!

It’s late afternoon and I don’t have time to mess around.
I first try using some camouflage netting but the size is too small.



Then I spy some brown hessian under some materials nearby. It’s huge but only just big enough for the area!
After untangling it and dragging it over to the cooking area.
Mike’s wondering what I’m doing now and suggests using the nearby tree’s to suspend the hessian.

As my original plan had been to dig down and plant wooden ‘uprights’, Mike’s suggestion made it miles easier. Although I’d have to make a lot of adjustments with the twine I was using to suspend it with.

Mike made the job easier and improved again by having a middle support cord running under the center of the canopy. That meant it had a ‘ridge’ instead of being flat and susceptable to cave-in under heavy rain and snow.

After about an hour of tree-tying and scrambling about the canopy was up.
It didn’t look too bad either, I’d have to get some better cordage in Colorado as the twine tended to snap under gusts of winds.





From a distance it looked like and alive brown thing when it inflated. Mike even joked it was the wind breathing in and out, like a huge lung! LOL.
I was happy though and could finally sit under some shade while cooking and working etc.
Big day tomorrow, we’re off South to Mike’s City Retreat!
Hopefully not for too long though…

Day of Departure

Not much to say on this one, except we returned to Colorado via a different route and I shot some video along the Wy – Colorado Border.



Then we went back into the city via the backroads, passing all the farm and smallsville towns on the way...
Apart from a Sheriff waiting to catch speeding vehicles there were no drama's.

Sojorn in the City

After what seemed like a whirlwind of internet posting, shopping and waiting we were away again for another ascent into the Mountain Hold.
This time Britzen and BnB were the newcomers and possibly two others.
On the road north we saw thick haze and smoke, even at the Snowy Range it was noticeable.



Once at the Mountain Hold it was the feat of unloading gear once again.
The roof bag I’d bought was a real boon as the rear cargo area was RAMMED with stuff, much more than last time as Mike’s gear was inside too.
It felt a bit weird returning, there’s always a funny feeling that maybe someone might have been up on the land while we were away, snooping or even stealing stuff.
A careful check here and there saw all was well.
All our firearms were of course safetly stowed and on us. Mike checked the hallowed bunker and his locking mechanism was intact!

We had only two days before Britzen and BnB arrived, Mike and I added some more privacy to the Outhouse (a tin sheet so no-one could see from the high-national-forest wilderness).
I set up my backpacker tent again, just in case when they arrived it was dark and too awkward to set their own tent up.

The Tree and the Survivalists

On the day of their arrival Mike had, with Survivalist Humour, mentioned a comedy moment in a Robin William’s movie where he pushes a tree down in front of an approaching vehicle to cause it to brake.
He suggested we do the same to Britzen and BnB as a big prank partly in homage and also partly with Survivalist Humour in mind!
I readily agreed to the bold move.
Although at the back of my mind I knew a smashed in vehicle, injured occupants and murderous intentions toward us could be on the cards, should it go terribly wrong!!
As added spice Mike suggested I hide in the tree’s, ready to spring out and surprise the started pair in full camo and armed with an AR-clone rifle!
My mind worked through the feasibility of doing it, together with filming it at the same time!
The hour approached and we set up the gambit!
Mike had the dead, upright tree set up on the old logging road that runs above and to the left of the main approach road. When it fell, it would not quite fall onto the road, but would tumble and possibly slide down. It was a tall tree too, at least 30 feet high and just big enough for Mike to manhandle. I at first suggested he move it right to the edge and free of the upper branches of the tree it was leaning against.
Then seeing how awkward and cumbersome it was to get near the edge without dropping it prematurely I changed my mind, saying his way was best (which even afterwards I think was).

After changing position’s twice in order to get the best angle of both the vehicle approaching and the falling tree I waited on the lower approach road…
I wasn’t going to step out until the tree fell, out of the risk of being run over.
I was also well aware of the fact that either Britzen or BnB could well be armed so would of course play it only casually serious for prankster value. I’d not aim the rifle I had slung at them, but would instead pretend to be doing a vehicle checkpoint and demand papers or something to that effect etc.
The AR I had was unloaded and if either of the startled survivalists drew shooting iron’s I’d dive deep back into the foliage I’d appear from.

Happy with my plan I waited in the leafy shadows of approaching evening.

Originally posted by jacobe001
Looks like a fun adventure your on.
Like you said, my concern would be getting dragged and eaten out of the tent, but I'm sure your keep your eyes and ears perked.

Good point.

I have two firearms loaded for use in my cabin tent.

One is a shotgun, the other a Mossberg .22 tactical.

I've had to rack a round twice in about 6 weeks so far due to night creatures probing about my tent.
They get the message usually, plus I don't want to shred my tent unless I have to.

Been a long-time observer of the forum and I must say this is one of the best posts I've read. Great description via text, pictures, and video (all personally yours which makes it even better).

You guys seem to have quite the complex, even though we've only seen probably 5% of it. I dream to acquire one of my own sometime within the next few months. At least a space big enough for my firearms, BOV, and my obedient dog.

I hope the States have treated you fairly well at the least and exceptionally well at the best.

Happy travels,

SmoothRhythm

reply to post by WatchRider


All I can say is...the Discovery Channel has been hiring the wrong people.

Thank you for this most informative, and entertaining adventure.....

Thank You for taking the time to think of us, sitting here reading your thread, and having some hope, that...yes, we can do it too, if our lives depend on it.

Bless Ya...Des

Well before long Mike called down that he could see their vehicle approaching and I started rolling the camera. Surely this would cause a cool buzz on fickle youtube??

Mike pushed and twisted the tree.

Nothing.
He pushed and heaved and PUSHED again yet it would not fall!
The damned thing was tangled up against the tree it was leaning on.
By now the window of opportunity had passed and and SUV rumbled past unawares of the fuss that was going on.
“Mike you blew it!” I called out in despair.

A mountain bellow from him rang back and I was glad to be out of tree range as make emphasised how stuck it was.
By now the SUV had gone slightly past the fyord and I waved my arm’s and attracted their attention.
I still found it funny though, although the prank had failed, there was still a comedy of error’s factor to the whole thing.
I shook hands first with BnB and told him of what he’d missed and he laughed, saying (joking I hope) maybe it was for the best as his Glock 31 was in the glovebox!!

BnB’s A tall bearish kinda guy with a friendly demeanour but with a way that told you he’d only be pushed so far!
Then out came Britzen.
Finnish, formidable and finally at the Mountain Hold!
Dressed in shorts (good god the mosquito’s will have a field day!) she certain dressed casual for the mountain realms yet seemed to be less bothered than most when it came to the mosquito onslaught…

Mike had had dozen’s of people who said they would come to his realm, yet I was the third and now numbers five and six were here!
A seventh was their friendly black dog Absinthe who was surely a pooch none could fault.



They brought all sorts of stuff with them, cooking pots called dutch oven’s (there are two types), a solar oven, fresh vegetables from their own land and other rustic foods.
There’s no doubt in my mind that these two are the masters of food supply! They must surely have settlement level’s of food at their fingertip’s over in Idaho!

This is the Britzen and her cooking panoply in 'action'...



The next day Mike suggested a trip to the nearby landmark of the CDT and some other camping grounds. There was a grave at one and it was of a person who’d died young in 1929.
Two beings of the forest service drove to the camping ground while we where there in a pale green pickup.
We were all palavering at the back of the SUV and noticed them.
They drove in through the entrance then slowed down, looking at us, while we looked back.
I was in my trusty camo-smock and MMM was in his trademark combat jacket.
Perhaps we cut a survivalist note to the arrival of ‘authority’.
Yet the passenger of the pick-up, a swarthy faced fellow nodded at me in a sort of friendly way as the driver swung the vehicle around and they went away as they’d arrived. Perhap’s I should of waved or made a friendly gesture back instead of being impassive?

On that day BnB, a fire and rescue operative of some note, viewed the rock of the ages with a discerning eye.
Where I like to instinctually gauge and weigh up thing’s by gut feeling BnB use’s the power of logic and calculation!
Both method’s are winner’s of course but he made a better estimate of the rock’s mass than I did.
I reckoned just over 2000 pounds.
BnB, using the estimation of one cubic foot of the stone as 166 pounds came to the figure of 1992 pounds.
As this strange meeting of minds went forth BnB reminded me, in no uncertain terms, that he’d over 28 years experience in fire and rescue!
With my six years or so I could not argue, especially when he mentioned the arcane ways of ‘Cribbing’ something unknown to me until that day.

We set up the job some thick rope I’d bought from a hardware store anchored to a big tree nearby. With a re-woven figure of 8 knot anchored to it I made a figure of 9 knot to anchor the come-along in place.
Then I got some chain to make up the distance and ran out the come-along and rigged it all up.
BnB was a great help, while I am knowledgeable of lifting stops, lifting machine’s and the like, come-along’s of the type I’d bought were not the same as the British ones I’d used at work.
Additionally I’d never worked with heavy chain before, BnB gave me some helpful pointers here too.

After some digging about the rock I made some overture’s to make a test-pull on the top-most part.
After a few minutes of putting the wire, rope and chain’s through their paces we gave up on turning it. At least until it was dug out a bit more!
My knee’s ached from all the chain’s I’d hauled up the hill and the heat was heavy so we all called it a day and settled down.

Britzen cooked up a rustic, hearty meal in a dutch oven of bacon, peppers, millet, some lettuce-type vegetables and another white edible thing chopped up. Around it, wrapped in foil, were multiple beets that slowly cooked amid the hot charcoals.
After we'd eaten BnB showed us some of the 'new' digital camo in service. Both he, I and MMM were not impressed:

After we'd looked that over, in the spirit of the 4th of the July that some gunplay was in order.
I asked Mike if it was ok.
In his enigmatic way he whispered away into the wilderness, then came back bringing a swing target I’d set up earlier. He’d mentioned that the old position it was in was in another’s land and would be better up the mountain way, shooting onto national forest.
Getting into the spirit of things BnB got out the glock 31, while I brought out the faithful Benelli M1.
Then it was time for some rip-roaring, boomsticking, gun play.
I even tried out one of the slugs I’d bought.



The target was small, but I managed to clout it through the outer ring at about 25 yards.
With a bead sight and stood up that’s not too bad.
I finished off with three blasts of No 4 birdshot and all three clouted home, the third one sending the entire target spinning up in the air

Then it was BnB’s turn.



He too hit home. His third shot missed, just going high, but with the ways of experience he explained that the third was a headshot.

Then, about an hour later two of the Cabineer’s showed up on ATV’s. One of them ‘Randy’ had a real power-house of a machine. It had heated grips, power-steering and even a front-mounted winch.
He generously let both BnB and myself have a ride on it.
I took the machine up to about 30 mph before backing it down and turning around. No need to Ozzy Osbourne the thing and end up in a heap.
One of them was the one who’d given the Oregon Kid a lift to the bus-station and we asked him about it briefly.
Either he wasn’t in a talking mood, or maybe he wanted to stay out of any other reason’s of the Kid’s sudden departure as he was very evasive and totally stand-offish.

After some friendly talk about this and that, including how Randy had gone ATVing at 0130 hrs to the top of a mountain (possibly with some ‘heavy fuel’ powering him!) and ended up duelling dogs and sheep, they roared away to their cabin’s.

5 July

Today was the day of the rock! Mike started on digging around it at about 0600hrs, while I was in the land of fey dreams I awoke to noises of shovel on dirt and activity.
I joined him an hour or so later and I resumed the ordeal of come-along work. I had no luck and the morning ended with Mountain Mike losing his cool, in spectacular fashion, partly due to my ryder ideas clashing with his own mountain ones it must be said.
I heard a few seconds of distant clashing of metal on metal as MMM worked out his mountain rage. Better out than in I say.



This was did not set a bad vibe, as it’s a tough project, even with BnB’s assistance. If we are to build Mike’s Gulch there would be conflab’s like this from time to time.

The heat of the day crept in and Mike tackled the rock alone, like a determined automaton relentless in his mission.
In time’s like that I could tell it was time to let MMM attack the rock single-handed and he did.

He joined a second come-along onto the first and managed to move the entire rock over twelve inches.
Then, like an exhausted Trojan he retired to his tent to regenerate for more work with the coming dawn.

I too was busy on another project, inside the cabin-tent I had my ad-hoc gunsmithing table set up.



I decided to tear down and rebuilding the Mossberg .22 repeater. As it was fresh out of the factory it had thick a grease-like substance resembling Vaseline on the bolt carrier assembly areas which needed removing and replacing with gun oil. Otherwise it would be prone to jamming.

It took me over 2 hours and nearly had me at the doorway to insanity. Many screws to contend with, plus two nightmare pins to remove with only my multi-tool to do it. Thankfully I had some allen key attachments which also were required.
The trigger mechanism removal to access the Bolt carrier assembly was such a fiddly and peculiar design I was almost resigned to calling out to BnB for help.
On re-assembly the trigger mech once again confounded me as I accidently bent the firing pin spring slightly which had me near incandesant with mountain rage.
I was tempted to hurl the entire weapon, spring and all to the four winds outside.
I managed to gather my way and, after another hour, had the entire weapon assembled and ready for test-firing later…

Later that afternoon we all tackled the rock once more!



This time we dug out a deep depression in front of the rock, that way it wouldn’t dig in.
After a few hours it was nearly ready for a log rolling frame to be put underneath…

Then I put the Mossberg through it’s paces on the range.



It didn’t jam once! Something I’d feared it may do due to the spring incident.
Mountain Mike had a go blasted off some rapid fire shooting, as did BnB.



Britzen cooked up a dish of delight for dinner just afterwards. This was a tasty thing, shepard’s pie with freshly baked bread from her solar oven no less.
Just as she was dishing up though, the heaven’s opened and the entire Mountain Hold soon got a thorough soaking!

Most of my gear was under shelter but some towels and gloves got wet. Worryingly the cabin-tent has a leak in the worst possible spot, above my air-mattress bed!
Thankfully the drip leak only shows when the rain get’s heavy. In fact it maybe sealed itself or something as in the later weeks it never leaked again in that area!