3,500 miles on the Jeep
110 pegs driven
11 nights "sleeping" in the tent
4.5 pounds of beef jerky eaten
2 great friends
1.7 miles to the pit toilet
1 very supportive family
After months of working late, missing family events, and essentially forcing Sherry to live as a single parent the timbers were complete and ready for transport to Montana. Finishing the timbers was not harder than I thought but it definitely required more time then I had anticipated. I have to admit a transgression - I did start to use a circular saw to make end cuts and relief cuts. I am glad I used hand tools for the majority of the project but next time the power tools will come out earlier.
The trucker arrived a day early then expected. We were able to scramble though and with help from John we had him loaded and tarped in less than two hours time. John - I wish I would have received your text. We would have loved to have you out West with us. Maybe next year?
We rented a small U-Haul trailer to transport the tools and camping supplies. With the Jeep packed we took off early on Saturday morning arriving in Wolf Creek late on Sunday.
Arriving in Montana on Sunday it was apparent the area was enjoying a very wet spring making for much greener valleys and meadows. As we approached Wolf Creek we were informed that the driver did not feel comfortable driving the timbers to the building site. In fact he barely made it off the main road. So when we arrived Dan, Dawn, and Jasmine were already unloading the timbers. Not the start I had planned but the family and timbers had arrived.
The Camping/Building Site
As mentioned with the increase rain the lower meadow was just beautiful. Yellow asters, blue lupine, and pink colored bitter root were just exploding in the meadow.
Montana's State flower and my new favorite flower is the dainty yet rugged Bitter Root (Lewisia Rediviva). The genus name is in honor of Merriweather Lewis and rediviva means rebirth.
In Lewis's journal the bitter root was mentioned several times. From the Discovering Lewis & Clark website Bitter Root was first mentioned with this simple entry. (lewis-clark.org)
"I met with a singular plant today in blume
of which I preserved a specemine."
Lewis; June 1, 1806, near the Clearwater River.
The website continues telling that an elderly Flathead Indian woman sat weeping on the bank of the In-schu-te-schu, or Red Willow River, in the shadow of the Chi-quil-quil-kane, or Red Mountains, singing a death song for her starving sons. The rising sun heard her plaint, and sent a red spirit-bird to comfort her. The bird promised that from each of her falling tears a new flower would grow, tinted with the rose of his feathers and the white of her hair, and springing from a root as bitter as her sorrow but as nourishing as her love. The prophecy came true, and her people called the plant spetlem--"bitter."
Each blossom is unique, for so is each petal. Day by sun-started day the color fades, until the petals dry up and blow away, leaving a tiny parasol-shaped capsule of jet-black seeds, soon to be sown by the wind. By early July all visible traces of the plant have disappeared, like tears, into the gravelly soil, awaiting another spring for its rebirth. Even if the root is pulled up, dried, and kept for months, it can find rebirth--rediviva--when replanted.
In honor of the flower we plan on naming our little piece of Montana - Camp Bitter Root.
Other than a little heat when we first arrived the weather was perfect. We did get some rain and heavy winds a few nights but during the day the weather was excellent. It did get colder than expected (low 40s) a few nights so all efforts were made to stay cozy (notice Sherry's sexy nite cap).
The camp site was also visited by the marauding bear family. A sow and two cubs have been providing Dan with plenty of photo opportunities (see pictures below) as they attempt to thwart his attempts at keeping them out of their bird feeders.
On our second morning I awoke to the sound of something sniffing the tent wall followed by grunting as they retreated just past the cabin due to me unzipping the tent window. After investigating the direction of their flight we did confirm the age old question about bears and defecation.
The cinnamon cub was spotted a few more times during the week but always alone. Making us think he may have been kicked out of the clan due to the cub's size and timing of the upcoming breeding season.Supplies Run/Tree Felling/Pier Moving
Dan and I set off to Helena for a lumber store and rental run. Although the tin and rough pine/Douglas fir were to be delivered their was still supplies and rental scaffolding to acquire. It was in the 90s that day and all of the timbers had to be hauled to the building site. As it turned out upon our return Dan and I only had to carry a couple of the 20 footers as Sherry and the kids had already hauled the rest of the timbers themselves to the building site.
A big thank you has to go out to Sherry and the kids as they not only were supportive before the trip, were great helpers when we arrived, but have been good sports throughout the whole process.
Thank you guys!!!
The Mountain Pine Beetle
The infestation has definitely reached our building site. The beetle has devastated numerous hillsides in the Holter Lake/Helena area. The attached map indicates the widespread nature of this natural disaster.
The following and numerous pictures later will indicate the number of trees that will need to be dropped. We are lucky though compared to some areas in that we have a better tree diversity, as it is mainly attacking ponderosa pines, insuring adequate tree coverage should remain. A few dead trees needed to be dropped before be could even start with the cabin. Later during this trip I was able to clear and drop a few more trees, not in an attempt to stop the infestation but more to reduce the fire hazard caused by standing dead trees so close to the cabin. A side benefit will be a much clearer view off the ridge to the West and a more open meadow area to the back of the cabin for improved wildlife viewing. It is just sickening though driving towards Helena with the amount of brown on some hillsides.
With that simple task complete the 6x6 sill timbers were staged on the piers we had completed last year. Unfortunately their alignment and levelness was not as expected and (3) piers had to be dug up, moved, and releveled. A process that was not only unplanned, wasted too much time, but greatly tested my patience. 
Floor Joists and Subflooring
With piers moved and releveled the sill plates were treated with Lifetime Wood Treatment; a non-toxic, natural wood treatment that I have read good things about and apparently the National Parks System uses it for many of their signs and outdoor buildings. We simply mixed the dry powder with water and Bronte brushed the amber solution on the sill beams and floor joists.
Then the assembly of the sill and floor joists could begin. Clayton found it necessary to use the "persuader".
Everyone was excited to finally get going so the kids jumped in and the assembly and pegging of the floor rafters went rather quick.
Assembly Bents and Place Plates
Next we assemblied and pegged the bents. Since the "crew" was small we didn't get a lot of pictures of the actual bent raising. Dan, Clayton, and I raised the bents while Sherry and Bronte guided the lower tenons into their respective pockets. For the most part the bents went together just as planned.
The next step of adding the 6x6x20 foot header plates was something that I had been concerned about for sometime. First I was worried about the method of lifting the beams and aligning the multiple tenons of the post and angle braces. The second concern was would the "top and bottom" of the cabin fit together. I didn't have an extra 20 foot 6x6 laying around if I screwed up. Dan had a great plan using the two sets of scaffolding and actually lifting the plates into place was rather easy (considering we didn't have any help since Sherry and the kids were making a Helena run). One plate did have a considerable amount of twist in it towards one end that greatly complicated the placing of the plate but the opposite side slipped right into place.
Pegging and Raising the Roof Rafters
With plates in place next we placed the roof rafters. The two ends and the middle trusses had collar ties and were assemblied and pegged first on the deck. With Dan and I on the scaffolding and Sherry assited with a 2x4 tied at the peak, we lifted each pair into place, pegged them to the plates, and screwed 10" log screws in to the plates to secure. Once in place temporary 2x4 bracing were attached and used on the rest of the rafters. The rest of the rafter pairs were lifted and pegged in the air. Since I am scared of heights Dan placed narrowly spaced 2x4 bracing through the collar ties to give me the security I needed. With the "Bob bracing" in place we worked our way down the cabin lifting, placing, pegging the peaks, and screwing the rafter pairs.
Click on the picture to enlarge - notice Dan taking great pleasure in my struggles.
A timber framing tradition is to take a young sappling or pine bough and tie it to the peak of the framed structure when complete. They say it is to honor the origin of the timbers. The timber frame protion was complete! With only our small crew, wood pegs and mallets, four days of hard labor, some patience and creativity; the result was a cabin frame that has only been a dream for over a year now. For the most part it went together as well as I had hoped it would. Seeing it standing against the blue Montana sky was a very special feeling. It was time for a cold IPA!
Nailing the Roof Boards
It was now Saturday the 3rd of July and Jasmine was able to join the crew. Jasmine is not only a great worker but I am sure, like me, she would much rather be doing this then any real job. I decided on 1x4 rough cut pine for the interior roof boards. In keeping with the pine beetle theme I got "blue" pine. Blue pine has some great blue/gray color tones that are present in attacked timber. Not only was it appropriate for the site it gave great color contrast. Sherry selected the boards by color and handed them up and the three of us nailed them in place. It made for quick work until we got to the top as the scaffolding height and my chickeness limited me from doing the very peak. This is where Dan the monkey man jumped into action.
DAN,
Now is as good of a time as any to say thank you for all of your help. You were there every step of the way and it is safe to say I could not have done it with out you.
I truely appreciate your help and friendship.
4th of July Holiday
In the morning we took time to walk the property and enjoy ourselves. Russ, Payton, Bruce, and Mike arrived late the night before so they joined us on the hike. We then took a ride to Lincoln to watch a real local rodeo. The youth barrel riding and the Ring of Fire were our favorite events. We also discovered Hi-Country Jerky our 3rd food group for the balance of the trip.
Finishing Roof Boards and Roofing
We continued with the other half of the roof boards, placed the OSB plywood, synthetic underlayment, and finally the tin itself. I wasn't much good after a certain height and then Dan and Russ finished the rest.
I was very grateful for Russ coming out to see the area and helping. Him and Dan pretty much did all of the OSB and tin work. Thanks also to Payton, Mike, and Bruce for all of their help.
I did feel bad I had to rely on the guys so much to complete the roof. With Dan and Russ strapped to make-shift harnesses. I wasn't about to let anyone other than me be responsible if they fell. I'm was very glad when the tin was complete as I may have been more nervous than them during this phase.
With the tin on and the roof complete we posed for a group picture and none too soon. Not twenty minutes later, we had a brief rain storm with small hail. A great leak test for the new roof.
Douglas Fir and House Wrap
With just a day and half left and the team back to the original size we finished nailing up the douglas fir 1x8 boards. Next year we plan to apply a light stain to create greater contrast with the pine timbers. The tin ridge was damaged so replacement pieces were ordered and not delivered until the last day. The house wrap, a breathable synthetic underlayment, was nailed in place followed by OSB over the door openings. A temporary door was quickly built with scrap lumber to allow periodically critter inspection by Dan.
The last night we were able to finally sleep in the cabin. It was nice to sleep on level ground and it was warmer than the tent. Before heading home the next morning we cleaned up the work site, packed the trailer, and took some final pictures from the inside.
Months of preparation and hundreds of joints all came together with the support of my family and the help of a few friends.
Thank you everyone for your help and support to help make Camp Bitter Root a reality.
The last picture says it all for me.
