I'll throw in a change. This was a beautiful moment
I am now cutting on one of the most beautiful areas of the Appalachians. This unit is maybe at about 3600' in a range where 6000' is tops. So far its all gravy. Off today, a little snow, and a little warm, with only 2-3 days left on the unit there is no reason to muck the hell out of it.
Yesterday.
Arrived to the site before light.
Dropped off the day's gear on the side of haul road, above my morning strip.
Parked the truck out of the way and walked back, dropped in, and meandered over to my first tree. Gray light and all the stems are black, but you can see now. Sunrise is straight out the hill, pink glow on the horizon and purple pink clouds layered in the distance.
East facing slope, 34" or so red oak butt, cutting it sidehill, faced to the south. I cut a deep conventional face in it to help pull it sidehill, veneer tree. I had to bore this stem due to lean, and being veneer.
Since the butt was too big to bore through with my 32" bar, I cut the offside by boring through my face and out the offside.
I bored in the face, I got down low and watched my work, pearing deep,into the dark face, bar punched out the offside. I eased her forward to establish my triangle post hinge for my offside and then began cutting toward the back to get all the offside I wouldn't be able to reach from the good side.
I was watching this progres through the face and once I'd cut a few inches out of the back and the sawdust poofed clear of the kerf in front, shear beauty shone through. I swear to the almighty that dark face I was pearing into all of a sudden was glowing full of the dawn pink purple light pouring through my bored face offside cut kerf, I paused, the silver chain glinted the light. I thought holy #### that was beautiful, paused, then hammered on.
That was boring.
Moments like that is why I love my job.
Not to mention the 14,000mbf/acre flat ground poplar patch I was cutting in at the end of the day!!!
Im itching now. . .