The main reason they are stripping and not drilling now is this. Once the ground freezes, it is impossible to strip, trench and wash the rock clean without leaving a layer of ice which then makes it difficult to look at and examine. Also digging up frozen ground is really slow

Ths is also why things took so long to get started this past spring. The late thaw and wet spring preventd them from getting to the property early.

So they are strippin clean as much as possible until freeze up and then will drill after freeze. Time frames? who knows. ask mother nature.