CONFESSIONS
OF A CLAN OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOOSHINERS !!
Well suh, it all started out at bout lunchin
time. Whilst we wuz a-whackin and a-sawin firewood chores, somebody brung up
the stone-crock jug from the spring fulla cold Rocky Mt Moonshine (Relax Maw,
only mint tea!) Without missin a stroke
each of us hooks in his thumb, slings the jug over shoulder, and ...”Gluggg
glugg...” Right Powful! Yassuh! But work had to keep a-goin. We sawed logs and
cracked jokes over the stove lengths comin off like sausage links. Then had
another slug... Continued to saw jokes and crack stove lengths over the logs.
And another snort from the jug...Back to work: Cracked the stove sawing
sausages over joking logs – Well anyway, lunch..... and off to cut our first
live standing trees. (Hic!) A Self appointed “Idiot Committee” arranged itself
on the mountainside around Laughing (new addition to his total Medicine
Name because of his hilarious, gleesome squeal) Stalking Hunter Zachary
while he axed down a huge tree with double-bladed Ivan. Severest criticism for sake of safety.
Timmmmmberrrrr! Squirrel Tibbits too. And Falcon Pryor. And Shivering Tall Timber
Hammett. And Muscle Back. Sounded night onto like a bowling alley.
Worst part came when these here high
spirited mountaineers hooked each tree under arm and started driving them back
to Base Camp along no trails. Even the
Porkypines was giggling. Such sillies!
Instead of getting lesser, the humorous
party-party mood got worser and worser. And it was Chili out! Tea in a few hats, too. The log flames clumbered high in the sky.
Singin. Joshin. Finally the dyin embers. Falcon & Hunter crawled up to
their lean-to striking matches a-feared to meet Grumpy Bear in the dark.
Shivering Timber crawled into his sack not to come-to until half the next day
was over.
And a good time was bleary-eyed recounted by
all at next morning’s cocktail hour.
** **
** ** **
** **
Mountain
Men Getting Tougher of both Mind & Muscle
1 – After breakfast discussion about
experiences with and
objective evaluations of “Teachers”, and that rare
breed of dedicated “Educator”.
2 – Planning to take a Bunyan-sized hike:
start in A.M.,
lunch in Utah California
our milk cool.
“
“ “ “ “ “
FORMAL
BALLET POSITIONS USED IN AXING TIMBER
SECOND
POSITION: Legs spread wide in safety stance when chopping
horizontal log.
FOURTH
POSITION: When cutting live trees on steep terraine,
downhill leg braces against falling
backward,
toes pointed at right angle to slope; uphill
leg (farthest away from swing-thru of axe)
toes point
uphill.
Axe
work can be and should be an ART, as esthetic to behold as dancing or mime. In
addition, when done with flowing grace & timing, it conserves energy and
gets a larger percentage of work done than jerky, inefficient motion.
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“A
Mountain Man, up in the ills or down in the flatlands, is only as good as his
LIBRARY! Show me a man’s Library and I’ll give you a pretty good educated guess
as to what that man is like inside!!”
George
Bernard Shaw
Shaking
out his sleeping bag by the spring
....................
Graham
Crackers and apples go good up here.
Hawk
armada sailing in.
Hunter
and Timber squabble like they wuz married er somthin!
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