Back in the thick of it all
I will keep this update brief, because my time in town is limited, and the internet in camp is a bad flashback to the dial-up days of yore.
It's been a rough adjustment coming into the bush from my cozy lifestyle in the city. My fingers are chapped and sore, my back is strong, and I'm slightly more grizzled than usual. I'm living like a vagabond hippy, wearing dirty plaid and strumming along to Neil Young tunes by the campfire. My home is a tent city in a gravel pit snuggled between a river, the town dump, and some mountains in the distance. The sky is speckled with stars and whispy clouds colliding into nimbus gumdrops. The scenery is pleasant enough to distract me from the daily wear and tear.. not to mention the countless bug nibbles. My appetite is gluttonous enough for seconds and thirds at dinner time, and the cooks Jeremy and Shane are wizards at the art of deliciousness.
Our camp is boisterously social; there's a myriad of different personalities that compliment one another, each with different backgrounds and interesting stories to tell. Our crew is starting to feel like a family... of dirty gypsies riding around in beat up trucks. There's a talented bunch of musicians that I've had the privilege of jamming with. I've also managed to coax together a couple emergency dance parties with some outdoor laptop/bass amp dj action.
As for the work, my shovel feels like another gangly limb.. that I somehow have managed to retrieve and use properly after two years away from planting. The land has been muddy and rocky, but worst of all - grassy. We've literally been planting in the backyards of farmer's land.. and we are required to plant near obstacles like fallen logs and stumps, so cattle won't walk all over our trees. Speaking of wild life, I've seen a moose, a couple bald eagles, a fox, some rodents, angry birds, and slew of interesting insects. No bears as of yet.. thankfully.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.. my luggage was delayed from Air Canada for three days.. so I had to work/sleep in the same t-shirt and shorts for three days. It was pretty brutal. Nevertheless, my duffel bags arrived on the night off, and I have set up my dilapidated tent once again. It's pretty nice. I like sleeping on the ground, reading philosophical books in the refracted tent sunlight.. life is simple and quaint.
We had a snow storm in our second shift.. and it's May. It was bitterly cold in the mornings, and then all of a sudden, the weather did a complete 180 and it's now sunny, hot and dry outside. The bugs and blisters are just emerging, but the Western sunshine is nothing to scoff at. I could definitely live out here someday.
Our camp will be en route to White Court, Alberta next month. The land is supposedly faster and creamier, with even more redneck locals in town. It's the type of community with a liquor store, pub, and library right next to eachother.. all the essentials.
Anyway, life is hard but good. I'm more eager than ever to travel and start making some real music. Until then, I have trees to plant.
Over and out,
James.
It's been a rough adjustment coming into the bush from my cozy lifestyle in the city. My fingers are chapped and sore, my back is strong, and I'm slightly more grizzled than usual. I'm living like a vagabond hippy, wearing dirty plaid and strumming along to Neil Young tunes by the campfire. My home is a tent city in a gravel pit snuggled between a river, the town dump, and some mountains in the distance. The sky is speckled with stars and whispy clouds colliding into nimbus gumdrops. The scenery is pleasant enough to distract me from the daily wear and tear.. not to mention the countless bug nibbles. My appetite is gluttonous enough for seconds and thirds at dinner time, and the cooks Jeremy and Shane are wizards at the art of deliciousness.
Our camp is boisterously social; there's a myriad of different personalities that compliment one another, each with different backgrounds and interesting stories to tell. Our crew is starting to feel like a family... of dirty gypsies riding around in beat up trucks. There's a talented bunch of musicians that I've had the privilege of jamming with. I've also managed to coax together a couple emergency dance parties with some outdoor laptop/bass amp dj action.
As for the work, my shovel feels like another gangly limb.. that I somehow have managed to retrieve and use properly after two years away from planting. The land has been muddy and rocky, but worst of all - grassy. We've literally been planting in the backyards of farmer's land.. and we are required to plant near obstacles like fallen logs and stumps, so cattle won't walk all over our trees. Speaking of wild life, I've seen a moose, a couple bald eagles, a fox, some rodents, angry birds, and slew of interesting insects. No bears as of yet.. thankfully.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.. my luggage was delayed from Air Canada for three days.. so I had to work/sleep in the same t-shirt and shorts for three days. It was pretty brutal. Nevertheless, my duffel bags arrived on the night off, and I have set up my dilapidated tent once again. It's pretty nice. I like sleeping on the ground, reading philosophical books in the refracted tent sunlight.. life is simple and quaint.
We had a snow storm in our second shift.. and it's May. It was bitterly cold in the mornings, and then all of a sudden, the weather did a complete 180 and it's now sunny, hot and dry outside. The bugs and blisters are just emerging, but the Western sunshine is nothing to scoff at. I could definitely live out here someday.
Our camp will be en route to White Court, Alberta next month. The land is supposedly faster and creamier, with even more redneck locals in town. It's the type of community with a liquor store, pub, and library right next to eachother.. all the essentials.
Anyway, life is hard but good. I'm more eager than ever to travel and start making some real music. Until then, I have trees to plant.
Over and out,
James.
posted by J-kash at 3:39 PM
0 comments
