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| A wonderfully flat, albeit slashy, planting block. (We're not gonna get to this kind of stuff until the next post.) |
The small, rickety plane from Calgary to Cranbrook is the first sign of heading back into the world of wilderness and hippies. The plane fits a total of 24 people, two rows of people with an isle in between – everyone gets a window seat. We can hear the rumble of the engine as we soar so close over the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies. This is it – I’m back.
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| Flying over the Rockies |
Cathy greets me at the Cranbrook airport with a smile and a hug. Outside, the smell of fresh, chilly air hits me with a strong scent of evergreen trees. Is it cedar? Pine? Probably both. Either way – I’m back. Cathy tells me that I’m arriving just in time for the last shift in Canal Flats, a tiny town where we’ve set up camp in an RV park. Definitely a different feel from our regular set-ups out in the middle of nowhere.
“And you get to see Canal Flats in its true glory!” she laughs, “They’re having a party at the RV park tonight with lawnmower-racing, a chili cook-off, and a live cowboy singer.”
It’s so wonderful to see everyone again (as expected). The tree planting community is a true home away from home that I miss every time I leave. The first evening I’m there is a collage of hugs and greetings. Here is a short catch-up on the lovely folks that have shown up in previous blogs, and a couple new ones:
Cathy and Rainer – camp owners. Pretty darn great.
Molly – my fantastically spunky and kick-ass crew boss. Owner of two loveable and massive dogs, Harley and Tula. (Read this post for a much better introduction).
Max – the checker last year. Molly’s lover. Only here for one more shift before going onto another job. Probably gives better hugs than you do.
Uncle Jim – known as “Stryker” in camp. Dedicated, hardworking, and incredibly kind-hearted legend of this camp. Also a bit of an old grump. My uncle.
Nina – best camp cook on the planet. Tiny and full of energy, which is remarkable considering the amount of work involved.
Bee – Nina’s assistant. A lovely soul. Owner of a stunning wooden flute.
Sophia – the lovely planter slightly older than me who’s on her seventh year of planting. I once described her as being “almost like an older and more mature version of myself”. The OH+S person this year, taking it over from Sparky.
Francois – Older French highballer always on my uncle’s crew. He’s become something of another uncle by now.
Candace – sweet and perfect-hair-owning frequent member of my uncle’s crew. She and I were greeners together.
Vincent – the sweetest, most open and smiling crew boss. Also obsessed with mushrooms.
William – the crew boss who looks like a Prince Charming but eats his own boogers, thus stripping him of any Prince Charming status.
Chad – the highballer who looks like a cross between a fisherman and a football player. On my uncle’s crew this year – we’ll see how long that lasts.
Damian – a greener on our crew this year. Filled with fascinating facts about random things that he likes to share with astonishing vigour at the end of the day.
Here are the ones that we’ll miss this year:
Jazzy – a wild and outspoken planter from Nelson.
Kendall – a quiet, incredibly kind-hearted, and free spirited girl who I was lucky enough to be on the same crew with last year. Also known for twisting the head off a dead hawk.
Caedon – Molly’s older brother. He is not spoken of.
Sparky – the energetic OH+S person whose laugh brings dead swans back to life. He’s spending the year in JAPAN!
Gwen – also owner of perfect-looking hair. Kind of reminds me of my sister, only more clever. Planting at Marty’s camp this year L
And the food! Homemade falafels, pakoras, schnitzel, the best banana pancakes ever tasted, themed meal nights, fresh dessert every night, etc. There’s always something new and fresh.
That one shift in Canal Flats ends pretty quickly though, and we are on the move to Line Creek, a place we’ve set up in multiple times before. This is “the real” planting camp environment – no buildings, cell service, internet, or people. Just tents, trees, and tree planters.
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| One side of camp is straight mountains, the other side is this freezing cold river |
While not originally signed up to help with camp setup, I ride in with Uncle Jim. He inevitably helps with camp setup, so I do as well.
“Camp set up starts at seven o’clock,” Uncle Jim says. Naturally, that means everyone rolls in to help set up around nine or ten.
Rainer’s bought a new tent this year, and its shiny white canvas nearly blinds us in the sun. We fit poles together, secure tarps overtop, hoist them up, carry in furniture, set up wood stoves, haul out the waterline and hook it up, and everything else required of camp setup. At some point, the generator is set up as well. The whole debacle takes around a day.
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| Dry tent, shower tent, and mess tent in the back |
At one point, Rainer and Molly are determining how wide to cut the squat holes in the plywood for the toilets (aka "shitters"). Rainer talks about how it needs to be narrow but long, because people often misjudge how far or how close they need to stand, resulting in either misdirected shit on the rear end of the hole or piss on the front end of the hole. It clearly amuses him to talk about this and he adds: “Everyone should know where their butthole is.” Molly still takes extra care to create likely the most efficient and good-looking shitters that camp has ever had, including fancy moon-shapes cut into the rear wall.
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| Some fancy freakin' shitters |
--> Quote of the week: “Everyone should know where their butthole is.” - Rainer
PS - don't forget about the Palestine delegation in which I am participating this August! Around $200 has been raised so far - lots more to go! To donate, go to http://cpt.org/donate and follow the steps to donate. Toward the end of the process, there will be a box that says "donation inspired by". Be sure to enter my name in this section to ensure that the donation goes to this delegation.
Peace and love, friends!
