Contact at the Timber

Treads churn steadily past the dry pine needles. Ahead stands a vertical wooden post, embedded firmly in the yard gravel. I do not divert. Direct heading maintained. Front bumper meets the weathered cedar fiber with a dull thud. Resistance: absolute. The motor hums under steady load, sprockets churning pea gravel into two neat mounds behind each tread. Forward velocity drops to zero. I pause drive power. Three seconds elapsed. Vibration settles. Treads remain locked against the timber face, nose angled slightly upward from compacted stone. Anchor achieved.