After we introduced ourselves, we headed out to see the morning's clear views from the hilltop near the warehouse. We saw the Yooper Dome, Hog'sback Ridge, and even a bald eagle which was perched on a nesting platform by the Dead River.
We got to work creating agreements for a safe workshop, including how to signal each other, and use safety equipment and then assembled sawhorses as part of our tool training.
Builders gathered ideas for the week's BIG project, which is to build the ultimate swim raft. We also had to come up with a way of moving the raft from the warehouse to the put-in on the Dead River.
After the idea was proposed that we would use the flotation barrels as rollers to move the raft down to the riverside, we walked the route looking for obstacles. We also wanted to make sure the swim-raft would fit on the trail.
A (very quick) Garter snake was captured on the walk. It didn't musk, so that was good.
The site looked good, and we felt we had a solid working plan for getting the swimming raft to the river after it was built.
We used milk crated to lay out a floor plan for the raft and try to better understand where we would place the floats. We also had to consider how to construct the deck and keep the floats secure.
Work was also started on some amenities including a box to hold the anchor, and a bench with storage in the shape of an ant.
Time for a trip to the rope swing to cool off.
We got so much building done today, we decided to go for another quick outing to the power station to skip rocks and catch crayfish.
Freshwater fleas.
For several kids, it was their first time learning how to pick up a crayfish. Wow, so many firsts today!