Chapter Six–The Winter Shelter

            Frank looked at his wife and smiled, then he walked over to a rather large log and called to Bobby who had wandered off a distance, “Help me carry this log, son, it’s pretty heavy.”

            The logs they needed for their barrier had to be at least six inches in diameter and at least twelve feet long. Despite the fact that this one had been weathered for some time, Frank and Bobby struggled to transport it to the other side of the meadow. Sarah and Greg looked around and found a much smaller log, that would be perfect for a campfire and they trailed behind them.

            At first, the boys thought this was a fun job. But, after a rather short distance, they changed their minds. By the time they reached the campsite with the first load everyone was ready to quit! As they started back for more wood, Bobby and Greg both wanted to know if they had to work all day. Frank looked up at the sun and replied, “Well, we’ll work until we get tired.”

            “Gee, dad, we wanted to start searching for our fort today,” they both complained.

            “You boys can play after we get our shelter done, this is our number one priority,” their father explained.

            The longer they carried logs, the more they felt like they weighed two tons! They stopped and rested frequently along the way frequently, but his was work that they weren’t used to. After some time, Frank and Sarah decided that the remainder of the afternoon would be better spent completing the inner posts to secure there shelter wall. Frank began digging the postholes, while Bobby took the hatchet and stripped the small branches from the trunks that they had selected. Sarah and Greg began picking up and stacking the kindling from his scraps, and picked a good spot for their campfire. They made a circle with large stones that they’d found nearby, to keep the fire contained.

            By the end of that first workday, the two inner posts had been planted securely, and they had a good supply of wood gathered for their campfires. The boys both moaned with relief when they heard their father say it was time to head back to the boat.