Seasonal Changes

Summer, as it is, will be with us for a few more weeks.  In the north east we have not experienced the kind of debilitating heat and humidity that we encountered last year and fall is rapidly approaching. The phoebes have long fledged as the neon green of the canopy has faded.  A change of season means a change in activity.

In cool weather I hike through the woods observing changes in terrain I haven't seen since the late winter of the previous year - a downed hickory, an ancient walnut standing dead riddled with cavities created by piliated woodpeckers and the ongoing progression of European barberry as it marches across the forest floor.  This is the season of wood.

The smell of burning hard woods is ubiquitous in the Catskills as the temperatures fall and the days shorten.  Felling, limbing, bucking and splitting wood are ritualistic events that everyone should try.  Processing BTUs is an avocation that is as old as our connection with fire itself and it is great exercise.

Chain saws are dangerous requiring skill, experience, focus and safety equipment, so I will not discuss them in this blog (as much as I love to talk about my Stihl 390 Farm Boss and my little Echo) but in order to split wood you must procure it from a source and that requires a saw or a saw buck.  I have never purchased wood because I am fortunate to live in an area forested by oak (red, white, chestnut and others), ash, maple, walnut, hickory and birch, so there is always wood to be had.  Once the wood has been bucked the splitting begins.

This is an activity everyone can enjoy.  Even if you can't split you can haul and stack but splitting is an intense workout that requires judgement, power, focus and accuracy.  I have never played golf but I imagine there is some crossover of skills between these two endeavors (except the former saves you money).  Mauls are cheap and most hard woods are satisfying to split (exception: all elms).  Ash is the easiest.  It sounds like glass is being cut when it splits and it smells clean and astringent - like witch hazel.  Oak is heartier (burns longer and doesn't burn as hot as ash) and also has a distinctive sour and peppery scent that is instantly recognizable.

I am always seeking sensory experiences in my workouts and there is none better than chopping wood.  If you like the Olympic lifts you will like splitting wood (think reverse snatch).  Timing is crucial in firing the hips shoulders and arms to achieve the maximum force required to cleave a big log.  And you must be aware of the size, age (is the wood green or has it been seasoned?), and type of wood you are addressing.  You don't clobber every piece of wood, you look for checking or fissures in the grain that indicate a weakness.  Once you assess the size, age and type of log you plan your attack.  Target the check in the grain, set your stance, keep a tight core, take aim and let fly.  There are few sounds more satisfying then the crack of wood on a cool day (unless it is the sound of your maul's ash handle splitting due to over-striking the log).  Once you have broken the log take a minute to smell the inside of the wood and study its grain - this is one of life's simple pleasures that never loses its visceral appeal.

You will warm up quickly, so dress in comfortable layers, don safety glasses and a pair of work gloves and keep a glass of local fresh apple cider, beer or an oaky chardonnay close at hand because you will get thirsty.

This is the way exercise should be: outdoors, functional, thoughtful, aerobic, anaerobic, aesthetically pleasing, and fun.  For many I am preaching to the choir but for the rest who have always wondered what it would be like - try it!  Let me know if you have questions and if you like these posts please tell a friend.  Thank you