Two supervisors with two separate philosophies and views has made life interesting in camp. While it does not affect us very much, it has made me realize the disconnect between the decision makers and those actually planting. The smallest choice of say a day off or dinner schedule can impact our moral and work in great ways.
The second day of our 5 day shift was cold. My piece(“block” is the clear cut we are planting and “piece” is the divided section each planter gets) was up a long hill and the very top left me alone in such a serene environment. I found myself in front of a snow covered road beside a forest of spruce. The view behind me was that of a lake and an endless valley. I kept thinking about my old babysitter who used to take my brother and I to the arboretum in St Anne De Bellevue. In the winter we would walk and feed the birds from our hands.
The downfall to working in a valley or amongst mountains is that the weather can take drastic turns for the worse. The upside is that from our vantage point, we can view the weather systems approaching and know to prepare for a storm. One day saw 3 storms move in; anything from light hail, to a short blizzard. When we returned to camp, a new system brought a huge blizzard that left our tents covered in snow.
Day 3 of our second shift started with heavy snowfall in the morning. When we got to our block, the snow made it impossible to plant. So we made a giant fire on the logging road and hung out till it melted at 10am. Apart from the morning, it was a terrible and hard day. I yelled a few times and threw my shovel in order to vent throughout. I always appreciate leaving the relative warmth of a Montreal spring for the Canadian north. Our campsite faces a beautiful lake and for our first week it was frozen over with a thin layer of ice. Snow still lines most of the logging roads we drive through.