Here we are in sunny Grand Prairie region. The land is vastly different from that of the mines, in particular, there is now slash. What is slash? You may be asking yourself. It is the leftover residue from when the loggers come in and remove the forest. In all of my years treeplanting, I feel that this land is the worst I've planted in....wait! Let me rephrase. Slash-wise, it is the worst to plant in....the ground, when you can get to it, is actually pretty good. but the amount of clambering one has to do in order to get anywhere is quite the feat.
The main difference with this contract is that we live in a camp out in the woods. This changes the dynamics of work, as now a community is formed, as opposed to staying in a motel, where one can easily hide in their room, and slip out of reality, into the television. Now, we live in tents, share meals together and talk about our days. Typically, I like to avoid conversation about work, more so because I have lived it for the past 10.5 hours and my brain is ready for something more exciting. This can often be a challenge at the end of the day however, as fatigue has set in....needless to say a lot of jibberish comes flying out, and to those in the real world, can seem bizarre but out here, all makes sense, and much laughter is spilled because of it!I can tell that I am getting worn out, as yesterday I could have sworn there was a house cat watching me plant, perched on a log, eyes squinting in the sunlight. (for the record....it was a black and white cat) Then today, again perched on a log, appeared to be a little brown owl, winking its little eyes. Now an owl makes more sense in this landscape, but a house cat? Or what about the giant elk hiding in the thistles? That one turned out to be a really funky looking overturned stump. Or the cut tree trunks that always are mistaken for a pair of boots. Endless trickery to the eyes and mind. Sometimes I wonder if I am actually seeing these things that hide as soon as I try and take a real look. Or maybe it is too much sunshine?
On our second day of planting this shift, I was planting my first row along the treeline. This is a common area where one may encounter a bear, something that is always at the back of most every treeplanters mind. I think it has something to do with not wanting a surprise....and what a surprise that would be. Here I go, planting along getting lost in thought, when I hear a rustle. As I look out of the corner of my eye, I see something brown move. My heart begins to thump and pound, mind racing trying to recall what to do in a situation where you are face to face with a grizzly. Alas, nothing comes to mind at that time....but starting to wonder whether the fight or flight will spill forth at the last minute. I turn towards my fate, take a huge gulp, and look. A small brown squirrel leaps onto the branch of a tree at eye level and then disappears up the trunk. Yes. A squirrel. Now the word 'microbear' has taken on a whole new meaning. If a squirrel can instill that much fear into a person, I don't think I dare wonder what would have happened if it was a bear.
Tomorrow is our first day off with this contract....for some anyway. There are a few, myself included, who have opted for working. All day, I muddled over this notion. To work or not to work. What if it is raining, will I still want to work? Am I really doing this to myself? Is it worth it? Shouldn't I rest? What is rest? Endless questions, which made it really hard to find a rhythm for the day. At last I had to stop, have a short pep talk with myself about being committed to working, and to move on with my thoughts. So for the rest of the day, what do I decide to focus on? Awesome costume combinations. This actually ended up being a great thing to focus on, as planting and all the grunts slipped from thought, as the day drifted along with more ease.
Three days remain for me up here. It is incredible how quickly time has flown, even with long days in the land, panic comes around 1pm in the afternoon, as the day feels nearly over (even if if ends at 6pm). It's been an interesting experience returning to the planting world. The work itself feels like I have never left. A little rocky at first, now comes easily once again. What has been challenging is maintaining a consistent rhythm throughout the day. There are some beautiful hours where I feel connected with the land, gliding through, with no thoughts. Just me and the trees and the land all one. Other days or hours even where every step is a struggle, there every place I try to plant a tree is impossible. This creates great frustration and is exhausting both mentally and physically. Tapping here, there, opening a hole only to have it be filled with water, or to be an open air pocket sans soil. These are the times when it is vital to figure out how to have fun, otherwise moods can spiral out quickly, and then you are just left fighting with the land, and angry. A deadly combination. So today, with challenges at hand, I had an impromptu dance party at my cache (area where my food, water and tree resupply are kept). In all honesty, it was the highlight of my day! Might just have another little dance party tomorrow even! Maybe everyday from now on...
Ahh right. Lastly. The title of this piece. CanFor is the company we're working for. They are very particular with their contract. Again probably the most picky I have experienced yet, as there is very little leeway especially when it comes to density. For this contract, we are required to plant a density of 6 trees per plot. A plot is a 13ft cord. In that 13ft, you have to have 6 trees. On day one, I began with rather high density (8's) so began to space it out accordingly. I was pretty proud of how well I had adjusted to the wider spacing. As I was closing up my first section, our tree checker, Morgan, came up behind me. I asked him if my trees were ok. He looked at me, sighed and said no. He had taken over four plots in my land, each time coming up with the same number: 3. What did this entail? Going back through my land and peppering in more trees to increase density. At the end of the day, word had spread that I was an excellent 3 plot planter....with many jokes to follow over the coming days! I continue to struggle with sixes. I can do fours and sevens real well, but that magic number six is elusive.
Then again, spatial awareness has never been my strong suit.
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