tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72116915429991630632012-01-17T08:33:13.203-08:00I live in Manhattan and go to Canadian forests in the summer.Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-91794904370593622142010-05-24T20:12:00.000-07:002010-05-24T20:27:35.261-07:00

"The world has many wretched jobs awaiting the young, the idealistic and the gullible."this is from a coffee table book called "souvenirs of Canada 2"the book is shit - I bought it for this description, and this description is shitAlso in Generation X there is a character who leaves a job in a cliche "office environment" to do all kinds of weird jobs, including planting, which he calls "cult

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-81844788056722008642010-01-22T11:09:00.000-08:002010-01-22T11:26:14.984-08:00

“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea — cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-55093480341114988662009-11-05T10:13:00.001-08:002009-11-05T10:13:23.440-08:00

enigmatic half asian planter girlheard she was like 27she was by far the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in a planting campwhenever I was in camp I was aware of where she was, or was looking for hersometimes she would walk over this hill in the evenings, mysteriouslyit seemed to meI was fired and later found out she was gay

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-89896508653995720232009-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:002009-07-12T17:48:49.543-07:00

I found this when I was doing some research today.Lots of them were still using Polaski like things. This was just when the D-Handle revolution was beginning.I am coming to grips with having planted for a while now - well past college. Past an MA degree, even. Past moving to New York. I am trying to make a film about Franz Otto, who is a planting legend, and who I have spent some time with over

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-49011110197204739652009-06-19T09:43:00.000-07:002009-07-12T17:22:17.977-07:00

I am done as a planter, until the fall, when I might go to the coast.I planted 36 days and earned an average of "enough to buy a camera and travel around in my new (self appointed) role as 'nomadic documentarian' for the next month or so."My other blog.

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-68774265351626453022009-06-14T12:22:00.000-07:002009-06-14T12:32:58.356-07:00

This season has been pretty comfortable. I have not been in a bush camp. As a result, I feel, the planters have been less 'wild.'What I mean: in my land the other day I was thinking "I have not seen anybody going to the bathroom nor have I seen anybody elses' penis on my crew." I attribute this to people showering and living where there is concrete.Will hopefully never go to a bush camp again.

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-58658510018593375542009-06-09T12:50:00.000-07:002009-06-09T12:55:47.843-07:00

Brent is an older planter.He isn't really forthright about his age - just says things like he has been 'doing this for a while.'I asked him some questions last night. We went to a strip bar and one of the girls danced to 'I'm on a boat.' Another girl had narrow hips and visibly strong abdominals. I gave her ten dollars just to be nice, I guess.'Do you feel rootless, like, a vagabond?''Yes.''Do

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-2733213602155786902009-05-30T16:32:00.000-07:002009-05-30T17:08:31.156-07:00

I think about the kind of people who become tree planters.There are a few groups.1. People from Prince George or any town like Prince George to whom working in forestry is one of very few options2. Ecotourists from all over the world3. Educated, or in the process of becoming educated, Experientialists4. Older planters who become, like, "planters" as a master status-these people usually know many

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-23057898599234976822009-05-25T10:32:00.000-07:002009-05-25T10:36:24.895-07:00

Breakfast:Shreddies with milk and (sometimes) hemp heartsLunch:two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with hemp hearts inside thema granola barsome nutssome jujubesDinner:Something from the slow cookerMaybe a foot long sub with a meal option (Jalapeno chips)

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-29442757977237789172009-05-20T09:53:00.001-07:002009-05-20T09:53:44.873-07:00

Woke up this morning for a 6:30 leave time and looked out the window; snow was falling. I maneuvered onto my left hand to see if I could get a view of the top of a truck outside, and felt pain. I winced. The snow was sticking. The alarm went off, Ben got up and said “Shit.” I asked him to draw the blinds. My shoulder and elbow are fucked feeling.I put some hemp hearts on top of my Shreddies and

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-31337651024668169292009-05-17T15:43:00.000-07:002009-05-17T15:49:43.454-07:00

I knew rhino was around town but I had been ducking them, thinking they would be offended that I went with another company.I wondered if Cam would want to punch me. I saw him. He was in a truck. We spoke. I saw Chris Montagner, who is making more money than I am, apparently. Chris and I were competitive last year, by which I mean that he would defeat me occasionally in BC, and I would defeat him

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-47613576717371971322009-05-09T09:24:00.000-07:002009-05-09T09:31:19.548-07:00

I am in 100 Mile House at a cafe called "the Chartreuse Moose." The coffee is excellent. Planted about 8000 trees last week.My body is adjusting to: 10 hours of physical labor performed on 4 consecutive days; a 5000 calorie per day diet consisting of great quantities of nuts and sugars; shitting in the woods.My crew boss is Matthew Bock, and as a planter I think he was 'hot shit.' I think he is

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-34699757345752136672009-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:002009-05-04T13:02:06.769-07:00

Planted into his late forties maybe 50'sNominated more times than any other person for the tree planting hall of fameRan a company called "Puck" which failedHas been referred to publicly as "legend" and "ubermensch"Things I've heardHe is a badassHe is an alcoholicHe pulls stumps out of the ground with his bare hands in order to build bridges across waterbarsHe has had his shoulder replacedHe has

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-78464061800064755532009-04-27T16:23:00.000-07:002009-04-27T16:25:55.733-07:00

I think it was game 2 vs. blues

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-4281834500140447902009-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:002009-04-21T08:57:39.544-07:00

I have an idea for a film I think. A film about planting.I just got back from a run. The words "half assed fitzcarraldo" kept repeating in my mind.A film set between new york and the cut blocks of BC. A calm film about working. A kuntslerroman, kind of, too. A film about sacrificing and alienation, about the origins of art. A film about planting paid for by planting.I anticipate this film could

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-25370382592439210592009-04-14T09:29:00.001-07:002009-04-14T09:37:30.076-07:00

I'm going to go, I bought a ticket. Gave my two weeks.I have taken a Sudafed and am going to go for a run now. I am not as fit as I should be.Reading the start of Moby Dick where he talks about how he gets a little crazy right before deciding to go to sea.It's a drizzly November in his soul, and he has to prevent himself from knocking the hats off of passersby on the street.Lately I have been

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-83565352461338243442009-03-31T11:05:00.001-07:002009-03-31T20:41:33.359-07:00

Spring summer seasons are starting in late April early May.I am experiencing strong feelings of wanting out of my current state. Living in New York and working part time at a store.I don't need the money, really. But I'm bored and want to feel like I felt at the end of summer last year. I want to be able to go to Paris for a month in September and meet my girlfriend at Premier Vision.I want to be

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-64161061944541864832008-08-22T12:51:00.000-07:002008-08-22T12:52:24.723-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-92214753449657287622008-08-21T12:26:00.000-07:002008-08-29T09:32:27.492-07:00

Most people become tree planters because they don’t want to work in restaurants while putting themselves through college. Those who last in the bush, whether they had a good time or not, tend to see planting as an ‘amazing life experience,’ on par with, say, a trip through Kenya. These people will move on, eventually forced by higher expectations of career and purpose, by their desire to live in

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-41080209702106542072008-08-15T16:51:00.000-07:002008-08-15T16:53:20.223-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-16863802966561883102008-08-15T10:50:00.000-07:002008-08-29T09:33:14.010-07:00

Prince George is in some rolling hill type mountains, spreading flat and shapeless to my eye in the airplane above and approaching from South-South West, and I arrived there at 10 in the morning on the seventh of August. I was instructed to be at the Rhino HQ at around 11, and was the last to arrive, in a large 15 passenger 'airporter' van driven by an obese and friendly native of the city. He

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-22010324932916443082008-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:002008-08-07T19:14:21.888-07:00

View Larger Map

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Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-43836302016183677402008-08-06T10:50:00.000-07:002009-11-05T09:19:25.658-08:00

The Sun Pines trees near Nordegg went in quickly, partly due to greed and the knowledge that this would be the last chance to make money for quite a while, and also because all of the weaker planters in camp had long since been replaced by veteran pounders from other companies. At the end, the competition bared its teeth unashamedly. Planters 'creamed' each other out, argued over land, and

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-77835380821613271262008-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:002008-08-06T13:37:07.866-07:00

Jennifer Foster 27Jen was a high-production foreman at Celtic Reforestation, whose season was cut short by their inability to acquire a summer contract; who had to make the transition to planter at Rhino. She is unbelievably driven on the block, never allowing herself a cache break, and setting an uncomfortably fast pace for the rest of us to follow. She lives in Edmonton, and has probably

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-54176546222438211482008-07-26T14:38:00.000-07:002008-07-26T14:41:04.435-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-54358016231184121832008-07-26T14:08:00.000-07:002009-11-05T09:17:42.309-08:00

Kathi had become a problem. She liked living in camp, sure, with all of the young people around and the social scene - but she didn`t like planting trees. She had often taken days off, in bad moods, claiming injuries. She would pretend to be working harder than she was, even faking vomit one day on the block, perfectly coordinated to when Cam drove by on his quad. She was vain and self centered,

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-77925903723238091832008-07-26T13:31:00.000-07:002008-07-26T14:08:30.572-07:00

View Larger MapThe final days of the Williams Lake contract were gruesome. We were waking at 5am and driving over two hours to a massive, slashy, difficult block, ending our days at six, getting back to our motel at 8pm, and cooking our own dinners using ramshackle instruments atop bedside tables. We were happy to finish there, and went up to Prince George to spend a night before traversing the

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-36224680393410962062008-07-20T20:11:00.000-07:002008-07-20T20:12:22.157-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-37350560208383206162008-07-20T20:10:00.000-07:002008-07-20T20:11:42.196-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-79681755471742293742008-07-20T19:11:00.000-07:002009-11-06T06:50:34.234-08:00

I am at the Overlander Pub in Williams Lake and it is Julien`s last night out here. The locals are out and dancing, this being a very busy saturday, and Julien`s kind of belowing. He is holding two bottles of beer in one hand, telling people how much he is going to miss them. He is a great big guy.He first saw Jessica around two months ago coming out of a van with all of her stuff. She was late

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-13634206537771464852008-07-11T09:38:00.000-07:002008-07-11T09:45:46.809-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-75212683827161913292008-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:002008-07-11T09:36:50.653-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-11352246934778021222008-07-11T09:12:00.000-07:002008-07-11T09:20:16.212-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-79713504098875595072008-07-11T08:25:00.000-07:002009-11-05T09:10:25.639-08:00

View Larger MapMy crew has been pulled from the Alberta contract, where the trees are dissapearing quickly, and moved back to the Williams Lake area for 800,000 summer trees with Tolko. We are now a camp of about twenty, headed by two crew bosses, living in Cabins and cooking for ourselves.We are staying at the Crooked Lake Resort, a small fishing getaway far from everything. It is owned by a

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-39555265279882264472008-07-11T08:22:00.000-07:002008-07-11T08:24:55.963-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-6171012129925388342008-07-10T11:03:00.001-07:002009-11-05T09:08:24.425-08:00

Yossef is gone.The last time I saw him was over lunch in Edson, directly after the confession. He was playing it off that he was taking the fall for whoever stashed the trees. He said that he knew the person would not openly admit to it, and that he would have the easiest time getting another job. He didn't want everybody to get fired. He didn't want to see Rhino's reputation suffer for someone

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-19290563568959734402008-06-25T12:00:00.000-07:002009-11-05T09:06:47.779-08:00

I wake up on the day off with the worst hangover I have had all year. Yossef is asleep beside me, breathing deeply with the covers wrapped around him with his bandana and hat on. The phone rings and it is Cam, and he wants to talk to Yossef. I wake him, pack my bags and put in my laundry downstairs.I locate and head to the library to type this out and it pours out of me and it feels good. I get

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-36050617676165931752008-06-24T09:57:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:52:37.719-08:00

DAY 46:00 am - wake up, it is sunny, make food.7:00 am - walk to foreman's truck, can't find foreman's truck, oh yeah, it broke down in the rainstorm yesterday.7:10 am - find foreman, ask him what truck to go in7:25 to 9:45 am - long drive to the block, listen to new Weezer album a few times, sucks.9:45 am to 3:00 pm - planting , swampy trenches, heavy stock, having a hard time making money3:10

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-51940241123037968122008-06-19T10:58:00.002-07:002008-07-10T12:43:34.087-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-41350403533054930432008-06-19T10:58:00.001-07:002008-07-10T12:28:06.971-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-58525522544855224922008-06-19T09:57:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:42:33.245-08:00

View Larger MapAt the BCMI inn, where I am staying, there are no cars in the parking lot. There are large white trucks with company decals on the sides, and big tires; splatter coatings of grey clay around their base grow thinner up their sides, acquired on the many dirt and gravel roads that divide the green foothills between Drayton Valley and Edson. Roads that lead to wells, massive thrusting

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-17029741650173493262008-06-19T09:52:00.000-07:002008-06-19T09:57:39.718-07:00

Mark Large, BassRiley, Drums

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-26343441242595236152008-06-13T19:27:00.000-07:002008-07-10T13:59:23.369-07:00

Morning:Evening:

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-58132328825646150272008-06-13T18:44:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:32:15.500-08:00

He talks about being from Spain, and having a Muslim father. Apparently he lived in New York for a while, before taking temporary residence in Montreal. I am not sure of the timeline. By the look of him, he must be in his mid to late thirties. He wears a doo-rag underneath a baseball cap that he does not take off even when he sleeps. He smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, and plants more trees

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-62886677024952987672008-06-13T18:40:00.000-07:002008-06-13T18:57:01.539-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-68357106554499117622008-06-08T16:30:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:29:39.955-08:00

After finishing the Williams Lake contract on a five day shift, we had one day to move to Fort St. James and set up camp before starting in on the 500,000 or so Ministry of Forests (government) trees we are currently chipping away at. The haste made for a dearth of downtime that prevented me from adding to this page. Today is my first real day off in ten days. In Fort St. James the prices are

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-8818930354018506232008-06-03T09:04:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:26:15.830-08:00

Today is moving day, meaning that our entire company is packing up and moving from Williams Lake to a new camp just outside of Fort St. James. In the morning, my crew was responsible for tearing down the mess tent before we went off to the block. We planted until 6:00, and drove back hurriedly, hoping to make it all the way to Prince George by that evening. We collected all of our personal

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-83812596542723438662008-05-28T14:01:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:24:51.864-08:00

People often talk about getting into shape as being a positive by-product of planting trees. It is true that you build muscle and lose weight - it is a natural process. We are working ten hour days, hiking with weight around our hips, prying open holes in hard ground and bending over thousands of times a day. After a while of doing this you become extremely fit - and after that you begin to

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-38196074319514626082008-05-28T12:38:00.001-07:002009-11-04T15:23:56.176-08:00

I have worked for Rhino for six days, and am still unfamiliar with most of the staff. Those that I have met thus far know me as the guy who used to work at Dynamic, across the way; most of the conversations I have had concern the differences between the two companies. The Rhino planters are curious about the tree prices and quality specs. They wonder if they would be better off, if they would

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-90191655404655617292008-05-28T12:37:00.001-07:002008-07-10T13:42:44.849-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-40913804210402313152008-05-28T12:08:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:22:25.818-08:00

The day after I was fired, I went to the library in Williams Lake. I wrote a few emails, and by noon the day of my termination I had four job offers. I could have gone south, west, or east into Alberta, or I could go with a new company called Rhino who was working out of the same camp-ground as my old camp. I weighed a number of factors. I didn’t want to have any more quality problems. I wanted

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-27959826226652572192008-05-28T12:03:00.000-07:002008-07-10T13:57:38.024-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-42103638218317388452008-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:002008-05-28T12:05:18.797-07:00

I asked him for a job, then pulled out a couple of times. First to go with Dynamic, and then again, to go to Rhino.Here's what he just wrote me:"This is the second time you ask for a job with us a bail. Please stop wasting my time. If you'd come and plant with us in the first place you wouldn't be jumping from shit show to shit show."I wrote back to apologize and agree.

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-36644087756428709032008-05-28T11:44:00.000-07:002008-07-10T14:00:05.096-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-90743588761178476372008-05-23T13:49:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:20:24.377-08:00

I have a new job, with a new company, camped in the same campsite as the old company. Today is our day off, and it is also my old camp's day off, and there are a lot of planters in town.

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-57025423923768199592008-05-20T16:27:00.001-07:002009-11-04T15:19:21.571-08:00

And it was a surprise. But it makes sense. I had become a problem. On the surface, my trees were the problem. I have replanted far too often over the first three weeks of the season. This frustrates me, it frustrates Kayla, and it hurts both of our incomes. It can be attributable to my learning to plant in Alberta, where the tree quality is less important. It can be attributable to my attitude

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-6017214261659053892008-05-20T16:07:00.001-07:002008-07-10T14:16:05.336-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-32972214873330614562008-05-18T12:56:00.000-07:002008-07-10T14:10:34.807-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-35532274873650210262008-05-18T12:37:00.000-07:002008-08-28T08:26:17.009-07:00

In piece work, it is said, you eat what you kill. You work hard, you earn more. It is all up to you. The best rise above the rest and enjoy a special status: the highballer - the person who plants the greatest numbers and earns the most. When presented with grievances about money from lesser planters, management will quickly point to the highballer: as Kayla did in conversation with me the other

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-13808211992889290892008-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:36:20.372-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-89419235751982049062008-05-14T13:34:00.001-07:002008-07-10T15:37:50.570-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-33376606275519802792008-05-14T12:23:00.001-07:002009-11-04T15:11:37.634-08:00

A six pack. Five planters and a crew boss (Kayla). We commute together in a Ford F350 diesel truck, listening to music and joking with one another. We also plant off of the same caches, and eat at the same table. We are together all day. This is what I know of them so far.BENSON 20He is from Kelowna, though he was born in West Vancouver. His father has a PHD in Political Science and owns a

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-62149236849925664722008-05-09T13:28:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:38:55.453-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-90987770322491578622008-05-09T11:44:00.001-07:002009-11-04T15:09:11.488-08:00

My last shift started good. I started to get things back, my technique and shape, and began to feel good about it. I felt a competition growing in me. My quads were starting to fill out my pants. The weight of the trees around my hips seemed less overbearing. My hands were hurting, but getting harder. The first two days of the shift saw me steadily improving, numbers wise.On the third day of the

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-19366623110673133722008-05-04T14:19:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:40:40.361-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-26758721270124526552008-05-04T14:18:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:41:45.793-07:00

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-51067333093282987302008-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:002009-11-04T15:01:45.452-08:00

I arrived in Williams Lake at a tiny airport. I was waiting for someone I had never seen before, and that made me nervous. I looked at everyone long enough to see if they were looking back, looking for me. There were few people in the airport. I walked to the glass door at the front where you could see the cars come in, driving in a big loop towards the front. It was too cold to wait outside. The

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-20004332158482517682008-04-28T11:01:00.000-07:002009-11-04T14:58:22.050-08:00

A few years ago my father bought a Marmot tent with a yellow rain fly that he gladly lent me for my firs two seasons. It is purple on the interior, made of a thin gore-tex material, and held up quite well if I remember correctly. It is small: just big enough for one person and his things, provided that person is comfortable changing while laying down.This particular tent had seen active duty

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-80140905786956105322008-04-26T10:12:00.000-07:002008-08-26T12:11:08.856-07:00

I am staying with my father on the North Shore, and the air here is fresh and cool and clean. I have little to do but make sure all of my stuff is in order. I have hiking boots - expensive things from a mountaineering store in Manhattan. I have a tent, which I should really inspect for holes. I have a small inflatable mattress, a sleeping bag, some warm clothes, some outdoorsy hiking things from

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-58253001025516527952008-04-24T08:29:00.000-07:002008-04-26T11:08:43.508-07:00

Here are a bunch of youtube videos that planters have posted, with my comments below them. This first one captures the vibe pretty well: This kid is really flying, here, but you can tell he's pushing extra hard for the camera. And he's "creaming" out the road, which allows him to go extra fast. Who kicks that hard? The Frenchman is very smooth. His style is graceful and effortless. The person

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211691542999163063.post-65694772593434843582008-04-24T06:56:00.000-07:002009-11-04T14:44:04.792-08:00

I don’t want to go tree planting. Hence the title of this blog, which is to serve as a record, a kind of experiential journalism. Tree planting is a very hard job. I know this, because I have done it before. I planted for two years while I was still in college. I thought my last year would be my last year: that was in 2005.Since, I moved to New York City to study – practically as far from the

Adam Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.com0