Phase 1

The First Carving of the Land

Phase 1 isn’t glamorous. It isn’t aesthetic. It is pure necessary infrastructure, the bones and breath that let everything else come alive later. This is the stage where the land shifts from wild potential to functional sanctuary. Not a campground. Not a retreat. Just the early, sacred work of making the land usable.

1. Carving Out the Landing Zone (Parking + Entry Space)

Before tents, before domes, before glamping platforms — the first essential act is simply creating a place where humans and Mi-Shell can exist without wrestling the underbrush.

This includes:

• Clearing a comfortable, safe parking area

• Leveling enough ground for several vehicles

• Making a simple walking corridor from parking to the central camp area

• Removing hazards without disturbing the mossy underlayer

• Leaving native plants around the edges for privacy and habitat

This is the first “hello” to the land, a respectful carve, not a conquest.

This zone becomes the beating heart of Phase 1 operations:
where people arrive, stretch their legs, breathe cedar-saturated air, and unload gear for the Basecamp’s birth.

🚽 2. The Toilet Shed: The First True Structure

The earliest functional building, long before glamping tents or kitchens or cabins, is the toilet shed with a composting toilet.

This is essential for:

• Environmental protection

• Hygiene

• Comfort for friends and volunteers

• Keeping the land wild and clean

• Will allow a small amount of secure storage 

Phase 1 includes:

• Selecting the best site (good drainage, privacy, distance from water flow)

• Constructing a simple weatherproof shed (non-plumbed, code-friendly, and low-impact)

• Installing the composting toilet

• Setting up sawdust/cover material system

• Creating a responsible waste management routine

It is the first symbolic offering to the land:
“We will be here, but we will tread lightly.”

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🔥 3. Fire Ring & Communal Ground

Next, the land needs its first gathering place: a simple fire ring where people can warm up after cold tide pool mornings and talk slug business under the stars. 

Phase 1 includes:

• Choosing a safe and code-appropriate site

• Stone placement

• Clear zone around it

• A modest wood storage area

• Fire safety tools

• Chopping and storing cleared trees that were left on the land

This becomes the emotional center of the early camp. The storytelling circle. The decision-making node. The place you’ll gather after a night tide where your headlamp still feels glued to your skull.

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🌧️ 4. Simple Rain Catchment (Nothing Fancy Yet)

This will handle:

• Basic dish cleaning

• Hand washing

• Fire safety

• Tool rinsing

• Early camp operations

We’re talking angled tarps, raised barrels, or catchment from the toilet shed roof. Practical and immediate.

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🧭 5. Land Familiarization 

Getting to know the property by walking it

• Observing drainage

• Learning where the wind comes from

• Seeing where the soil holds water

• Identifying ideal sites for future pads, domes, or research shelter

• Letting the land reveal itself instead of forcing your will on it

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🌀 6. Soft Launch Community Call

Once Phase 1 is underway, I’ll begin quietly gathering the first wave of helpers.

Not a public announcement a whispered call into your community, inviting:

• Builders

• Off-grid thinkers

• Problem solvers

• Tide poolers

• People who aren't afraid to be uncomfortable in pursuit of a goal

These early hands are the first constellation of the Basecamp.

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