Island Adventures - Part 1

I decided that a little vacation was needed after three months working hard in the Bush. Off to Tofino, it was!

I met up with some tree planting friends there and stayed at a very cheap campsite called Pools Land. The first night I came into Tofino at 10pm. It was windy and pouring rain so my friend let me sleep in her car. I'm getting pretty used to sleeping in vehicles!lol.

Tonquin Beach

Tofino is beautiful! Amazing coffee shops with gluten-free options, the smell of the sea everywhere, friendly people, and of course what it is most famous for.....

Surfing! 

Pretty much the number one reasons I came to Tofino was to surf. Its been on my bucket list since I was a young child, and now I finally had the opportunity to do it! Surfing is harder then it looks! I took a lesson with Tofino Surf School; They get a five-star rating from me! The instructors were very friendly, and engaging. The lesson gave me the confidence and knowledge to feel safe when I went surfing for the rest of my time with friends. 

Chesterman Beach at sunset

The first wave I caught and stood up, I began to think I was a natural! However, the ocean proved that wrong and threw me into what felt like a laundry machine at least ten more times before I stood up again. I still caught at least a couple dozen waves during my time in Tofino. No crazy tricks I could do, but just riding the wave to the shore was exhilarating enough for my first time!

Cox Beach surfing 

On our way back to Nanaimo, my friend and I stopped in Port Alberni. I learned while there that this little seaside town had a Tsunami in the 1950s. 

We also stopped at Morningstar farm in Parksville where my friend and I did some quick wine tasting and hung out with a bunch of animals. 

We stopped at a little down called Coombs, where a popular attraction is goats living on the roof. 

After our little adventure, my friend dropped me off in Nanaimo and she headed off to Vancouver. Part 2 = my solo adventure in Nanaimo! 

B.C Road Trip Adventures

After our tree planting season ended, another crewmate and I road tripped from Red Deer Alberta to Smithers through the Rockies.

I then spent four days camping along the Bulkley River in Smithers. The view from my tent was amazing! You could see the mountains, the river, and the gentle glow of the campfire. Every day we would go for a swim in the cool glacier water and one time even rode on a log down the river.

Summit Reforestation paid for some of us to drive company vehicles down to Vancouver, so I got a free ride! We didn't have to be in Vancouver till the Friday so we took a route through Whistler and Squamish.

In Vancouver, I said goodbye to my remaining tree planting friends and got a ride down to Surrey to visit my Godparents.  It was the first time in three months I had set foot into a house, and I felt very dirty and very out of place. After a shower, and a clean pair of clothes though I felt a bit better. My uncle and aunt were very welcoming and it was great reconnecting with them. Two days later my brother and Dad showed up! They had decided to road trip down to B.C so the timing worked out perfectly.

Godparents have honey bees!

After exploring and visiting family down in the mainland, we headed off to Vancouver Island!

There I met up with my two road-tripping tree planting friends!

There are other people like me who impulsively climb things, lol

If you come to Courtney B.C check out the Mud Shark cafe. They have really good coffee! 

Blackberries grow everywhere here!

Being right by the Pacific Ocean is amazing! 

And now for the bittersweet news! I have decided to stay in B.C till the next tree planting season. It's for many reasons.....I think the biggest one though is that I was born out here, and I always felt like I had just been stranded in Ontario. I love the people and experiences I have had in Ontario. I am going to miss everyone a lot, but being out here I finally feel like I made my way home, and I am happy here!

I plan to go back to Ontario for Christmas though, and I will make a great effort to see you all then! Next destination is a little vacation in Tofino B.C with - you guessed it?! More tree planting friends!

Survived!!!

Tree planting season 2019 is over!

It's kind of hard to believe! The last three months of my life revolved around the task of putting a couple thousand trees in the ground every day. Now, I don't have to do that for another eight months, I'm not sure what to do with my life anymore! Lol

Tree planting was physically, mentally, and spiritually hard. My fingers developed this condition called trigger finger; They don't open normally anymore. I ended up with painful bruises on my hip bones from the planting bags, and my muscles are very stiff.

Mentally,  it was kind of numbing, boring, at moments extremely frustrating! After talking to several of the planters who stuck it out, they said that the mental aspect of it was definitely the hardest.

Spiritually, I was unable to make it to church being so remote. There were few practicing Christians at the camp, and occasionally my views would be challenged.  However, the opposite reality of my tree planting life to my religious one made me focus on my beliefs even more. God works in mysterious ways.

Overall though, it was a great experience! I feel stronger in many ways, and I've made amazing friends! Adventure and money was what I was looking for when I signed up for tree planting and I got both!

There was something rhythmic and epic at moments  for me near the end while planting. The flagging tape would rip between my fingers flawlessly, I could spot the micro sites better, and climbing over logs became smoother. The day became a rhythm and I started to actually enjoy it.

So I guess the standing question is, will I come back to this next year?

Hell yeah!