We hoped for 100 volunteers to strip the bark off saplings for the Eastern Woodlands Longhouse we’re building. We got over 250 folks that came and worked.

I worried that volunteers would get frustrated with getting the bark off the hickory trees, particularly the many shagbark hickories. We were told every bit of bark would need to be cut off with a drawknife. We found a stripping secret that allowed the workers to peel the bark off in large sections. In fact, some of the folks managed to peel an entire tree and deliver only big piece of bark. These folks (see the man below in a blue hat) got inducted into the “Strippers Hall of Fame”.

We had a great time. Native Americas walked the site with a smudge pot burning cedar and sage, cleansing our spirits and bringing us peace. Dereck Hench and the Bottomline Contracting crew did a great job showing the volunteers how to get started stripping the various species of trees. Their expertise kept the volunteers from getting frustrated. In fact, most of the volunteers seemed to love the feeling of successfully peeling the bark off a sapling and going for another.

By the end of the day, we got all the main saplings stripped. We didn’t expect to get half of them done.

Tomorrow we start putting the steel pipes in the ground, concreted to prevent uplift and stoned to aid in drainage. It’s such a fun project.