Brothers M. started as a way for Joseph and Matthew to earn their way to the Scouts National Jamboree.  Both boys are still in Scouts and this summer we did family project for a merit badge, creating a walkway over a creek along our hiking trail.

A tree had fallen across our ‘sledding hill’ which is also part of the hiking trail and was directly uphill from the creek crossing.  Cutting logs and rolling them down the hill was a perfect opportunity to make a bridge.

Of course we picked the hottest day in September to start on it.  Wanting get out of the heat, dad tried to cut come corners with the chainsaw and ended up getting the saw stuck.  This necessitated having to chop off 3 6-8″ limbs with an axe; so much for not getting overheated.

Joseph coordinated placing the logs, cutting planks, and nailing them down.  Knots made the walkway more uneven than was desired, but then again, it’s a hiking trail.

A side result was that we cleared enough of the fallen tree to make the sledding hill trail serviceable again.  We’ll will wait until cooler weather to finish cutting the firewood though.