Crew Spirit and Bear Fun!

There really is no telling what the day will bring while tree planting. Most of the time it's the same repetitive action of opening a hole, putting the tree in the ground, closing the hole, taking a step.

But some days it can become rather exciting!

This shift we had a visit from a very curious brown bear. I should probably say we paid him a visit since he was very clear the block we were planting on was his territory!

We tried to scare him away since normally that works with brown/black bears. He only sat and stared at us as if we were acting silly. He then proceeded to politely bluff charge to make us back up a bit. He was a small bear, but when he stood on his two feet he didn't look so small anymore!

We left the block that day then returned the next day to try again. My foreman brought a gun to try and scare the bear with but it wasn't the least bit scared. I had an armed sentry for forty minutes while I planted as my foreman kept an eye on the bear for me. My foreman left after that time saying he saw the bear leave the block. After five minutes I turned to glance around and who was right behind me? Our bear friend Curious George!

He was heading towards my two planting friends who were planting right towards him. I blew my whistle and shouted at them till they saw him too. At first, our bear was following them. However, when he got closer to their cache he smelt their food. Long story short, we left him to enjoy their food and rip apart their bags and decided that we were going to leave him in peace on his territory and not come back!

This shift was a good show of team work and  bonding as a crew! We were there for each other when the bear was near and followed the proper safety measures to muster when the whistle blew.

Chilling with the crew dog during one of the musters

Despite losing money due to lost hours with the bear action, we were all supporting each other and overall it was a memorable shift. To end, we celebrated Bushmass! Had an awesome Christmas dinner, did a gift exchange, and a Christmas tree decorating competition! We tied with another crew to win Starbucks for our Christmas tree creation!

Once again, I don't think I could be on a better crew! During moments like last night I almost wish the season would never end...

Almost, lol. It's truly a blessing this job lasts only for three months or my body would be destroyed!

Isolation while Planting

As with everything, COVID has made all fields of existing work adjust to new protocols and procedures.

For tree planters this basically means we are unable to go into towns/cities/communities in an attempt to keep our camps isolated and COVID free.

The good news is this has proven very effective! From what I know there haven't been any cases of COVID in tree planting camps this season so far and we are all currently healthy.

It has its negatives though, particularly with mental health. Myself, and some others have expressed that we feel lonelier then in passed seasons. Bush craziness is settling faster then it did last year.

Thankfully, Summit has provided us with ways to keep ourselves occupied and enjoying ourselves on off days which has been a huge help!

Pac Man has been a huge hit with many planters who try hard to be the one with the legendary high score

CATAN is one of my favorite activities. Currently we tend to play
With the travelers edition.

Ping pong

First time ever we have a water proof pole table! Big favorite at camp!

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Occasionally we have big bonfires where we burn our planting boxes.


On top of these Summit provided activities, I also do a lot of art and crafts to keep myself occupied. 

I also have been working on editing several of my novels and a whole lot of journaling! Tree planting is so repetitive and so it provides you a lot of time to meditate and contemplate on things.

The people here also make a huge difference this season! I'm so happy to be isolated from the world with the fantastic crew I'm on!

 The season is over half done; Very happy that it happened at all!