Alberta Winds

2am, half sleeping with my tent flaps bashing against my head. I had been silently praying that my tent would hold up for the night...

Then snap, the tent collapsed on me as not one, but three of the four poles all snapped.

I resorted to pulling my mat out and sleeping outside, where I actually got more sleep as the rubble of my tent and my friend's remaining tent protected me from the 50km winds.

That morning, our mess tent was destroyed as well as a few other tents that were flattened. Thankfully a crew member of mine set up a refugee tent where four of us are currently sleeping.

Due to the winds, we haven't been able to plant trees. In a way, its nice to have a little break, but I came out here to make money, and not planting means not making money. I know it can't be helped, since safety is key, but its still rather disappointing.

We have been having fun though! We have been staying in the town of Edson in a motel. We went swimming at the pool which had a hot tub as well! It was exactly what I needed! We also went bowling then hung out at a bar where I danced my heart out for awhile. I then came back to the hotel and fully enjoyed the comforts of a warm room and a bed!

Once these crazy winds settle down we should have three more days of planting, then we move off to another camp. Never a dull moment tree planting!

Trees....and more Trees!

Cold mornings, hot afternoons, cold nights! Overheating, freezing, repeat!

Take a step, dig a hole, plant a tree, close hole, repeat!

Get scratched, laugh, learn to accept pain, treasure good moments, repeat!

Work hard, feel satisfied, eat lots, bond with crew members, be positive, enjoy the view, and the result of all of this so far has made me a very satisfied individual! I am so happy I decided to go tree planting!

Its been a great experience so far tree planting in Alberta! I am a week and a half in and on day four of planting I planted 1085 trees!!! Looking forward to increasing that number! I am on an amazing crew and have a stellar crew boss! I feel incredibly blessed! Will keep you all updated on the adventure!

Back to Nomading

My eight months of school are over! I remember at the beginning of the year wondering if I could last staying in one place for so long! Haha, I actually really enjoyed my eight months of being static, and I learned so much in that span of time! 

However, I am on the move again! I'm heading off to Northern Alberta for three months to tree plant with Summit Reforestation! I've never done it before, but am super excited about the adventure! Tree planting is really rough, so I've been told. You plant six days a week from early morning to late afternoon. Its back breaking, you are out in the elements, and the terrain is rough. However, there is a lot of money to be made as you get paid per tree you plant! They have also increased the price they pay you per tree, which they haven't done in a while. I am hoping to make enough that I can pay off school, since I don't like being in debt. I also hope to be able to support my three children in Uganda a little more, and focus on jiu jitsu a lot more when I return! 

Speaking of which!

Yah, my blue belt was a total surprise, but I am so excited for the learning opportunities it will bring! I realised while in school that jiu jitsu really is my greatest passion right now. I had to really push myself to prioritise school over it! I will probably continue working at Absolute Equestrian when I return from tree planting and then train jiu jitsu in the evenings. There might be some room for travelling as well though! The cool thing about tree planting is the harder you work, the more you make! I like that concept! 

Mom is also taking off for a tree planting camp as an assistant chef in B.C. We are working for the same company just in different locations

Emma and I testing out camping gear

I'll be pretty remote, and camping the whole time I'm there. However, on days off I will try to write short blog posts and fill them with awesome pics! Rock on everyone!