Excavation

The property is relatively flat, excepting a four foot high hill near the rear property line running nearly perfect east to west. This south facing hill is one of the few factors that made it stand out above all of the other parcels of land I considered.

This morning I woke up to the early sun warming my tent. I am by definition, nurture and nature, a night owl. Most mornings in the mountains, when faced with a similar scene, I give pause, roll over, and catch another couple hours of sleep. This morning was different. Having a full bladder may have contributed, but I honestly couldn't wait to get on that hill to begin the excavation. The digging was slow, but rewarding. I frequently leaned on the shovels handle to take in the early morning landscape. In the middle of nowhere, before 8 a.m., dust in the air, sweating well, and I could only smile. I used to work paying jobs equally remote in location, start time, and air quality, but they never managed to bring a smile to my face like this mornings smile.

The last trip out with my brother helped todays preparedness level immensely. Brother and I took on the task of staking out the property corners with three foot long posts. The digging was moderate for the first foot and shovel resistant thereafter, resulting is permanent, but shallow markers. This mornings excavation project was made easier by comingling the shovel with a pick. The properties soil is most like unto road base with the occasional larger rock and a slight bit more dirt. My intro to geology course in college (more than a few years ago) didn't help me recall how the soil could become so compacted and hard. College clarity or not, the pick made short work of any resistance and the shovel removed much debris. I'm planning to dig down four to five feet, insert the shipping container, and then use the excavated dirt to backfill the exposed container and cover it over.