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| John, left, and Andre prove you don't have to be young to take on irrational challenges. |
Why? You might ask.
Why are two old guys — well beyond middle-aged
muscularity and well, well beyond the rapturous irrationality of adventurous
youth — pushing what appears to be a very heavy stump uphill?
The answer: A newly chopped 100-foot Douglas fir produces a lot of “rounds” — chunks of trunk that make good chopping blocks. And the woodpile where that chopping needs to be done is at the top of the hill on our Saltspring Island property.
On his own, John would have chosen a modest-sized round and wrestled it up the slope solo. But when our friend Andre, who loves nothing more than a serious physical challenge (see earlier blog), appeared on the scene, it was modest schmodest — let’s go for the gusto!
John estimates the very fine chopping block that was
chosen was 150-200 pounds, about two-thirds heavier than what he would have
attempted.
And so followed the spectacle of two white-haired men
on their knees, pushing, rolling, positioning and grunting the thing up quite a
steep slope. But it was a joyful spectacle, with Andre providing a laughing,
singing, coaxing soundtrack urging the beast along the least-awful route.
At the top, after the victory photo at the block’s new location, John added his contribution: “On second thought,” he said, “maybe we should have chosen another chunk."
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| It's a long way from the bottom of the hill to this point in the stump's journey. |
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| The route had to be chosen carefully and twigs and branches cleared out of the way. |
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| Sometimes it took pure push-power to keep it heading upwards. |
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| Andre and John declare victory at the top of the hill. |
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| Down at the bottom of the hill, I survey the wealth of choices for a new chopping block. |
