Scared?

Catherine · Post by **Catherine** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:39 pm

Why is there 4 to 7 + year old "inland" highballers that never attempt BC coastal/island work? Is the money easier inland, on the long run, even though you get paid less per tree? Can't teach old dogs new tricks or something? I thought it would be easier on the wrists, etc. Maybe people don't want to be rookies again? They are just comfortable at what they are good at and don't want change?

I have no clue.. let me know if you know. I don't think I met a coast-experienced planter before.

krahn · Post by **krahn** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:20 am

honestly i haven't met many vets with that many years experience that haven't at least tried it, half of alberta vets in that category have, i was surprised that some of them never planted in BC.

i only tried it for a month and a half many years ago until i hurt my knees, if you grow up on the prairies the climbing aspect is pretty rough. mostly though i think you hit the nail on the head with the not-wanting-to-be-rookies-again aspect, even if it is better in the long run to at least do it once for perspective.

i'm actually going back soon for the first time in a while, if i pull something again at least i get to see the awesome scenery once again.

daleks · Post by **daleks** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:51 am

the number of contractors bidding the coast is smaller than the interior. the coastal planting is a little more technical. coastal planting contracts cost more per planter to implement and run.unless a spot opens up, perhaps two, on a crew of perhaps 20-25 planters, a contractor does not want to get involved with a whole bunch of rookies. coastal planters tend to stay with the same contractor(s) for long periods of time.coastal contracts generally take place when the typical interior planter is still in school.

Catherine · Post by **Catherine** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:00 pm

interesting...

makes sense since most of the treeplanters I planted with were in post secondary education and that's probably definitely/generally why they didn't coastal plant.

good luck krahn, alberta and inland bc is better for your knees i think. planting like your climbing stairs wouldn't be good.. i cycled 800 km last year in the rockies to get into shape... i became in shape but couldn't even climb up or down a step after

i went treeplanting anyway and it hurt for a while but didnt get worst and went away.

hope it works out, chiropractors can give you knee exercises to do to strengthen and help you in different areas. You can do it!

i wish there were treeplanting video games, and i wish there were national geographic movies on it too. It would be like documenting native tribes in the amazon, just as scenic and strange anyway. personal planting videos just don't cut it

Tupperfan · Post by **Tupperfan** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:52 pm

Hahahaha, I imagined a planting video with a friend just for kicks. It would involve many treeplanting trades, as you'd progress as a treeplanter. Some would be more "action" oriented, as planting and delivery is, others more practical, like checking or supervising a camp, with potential for emergencies, adversity and all the shitshows planters face.

Could even be cooking minigames or something...

But it would bomb at sales...The great thing about treplanters is that we are the only ones obessed with our job! Nobody else cares!

RedBaron · Post by **RedBaron** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:48 pm

Coastal planting is a different animal then inland. My experience with it has been always starting in Feb and planting until April I haven’t done a fall plant on the coast but I hear they run until November. Planters are all vets and average age around 35? Great atmosphere amazing planters and awesome scenery! Lots of Rain and Slash though LOL.. Hers some pics, for a mental image. Coach and his monkey calls, Im sure many people know about this haha.

Try and find the planter, two little white dots are his bags.

This pic isnt mine but really demonstrats what it can get like.

RedBaron · Post by **RedBaron** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:19 pm

I guess I should also add that each tree on the coast is normally not planed alone, things like coning, caging and socking are done to prevent animals from eating them and on allot of contracts tea bags (fertilizer) are planted beside every tree in a separate hole.

There is interior style planting on the coast as well.

salbrecher · Post by **salbrecher** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm

Last year Wagner started up Jan 6th in nanaimo and went till mid june in Gold River so it does start earlier and go later some years. rainer are those pics from Holeberg? I think i was on that contract with you 3 years ago. The "interior" style planting on the coast is almost all second growth blocks and is (if it's not change companies) usually 19-22 cents and can be quite fast.

Bostock · Post by **Bostock** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:12 pm

Catherine wrote:i cycled 800 km last year in the rockies to get into shape... i became in shape but couldn't even climb up or down a step after i went treeplanting anyway and it hurt for a while but didnt get worst and went away.

road riding is a strange one. well it gives you a good endurance base, the musles you work are all wrong for walking. hell most roadies couldn't jump an inch off the ground. on the flip side though I find planting is good cross training for mountain biking. even with the august burn out, you've still got it to put the hurt down when the bros tie into a large chunk of ride meat that may or may not involve packing a 40 pound bike up a few thousand feet.

ski touring, now there's some kick ass coastal cross training. but if you start planting in feb or march and plan on working through july, you want be thinking about macro cycles and not peaking too early in the season. so no million foot touring seasons between nov and feb. bacon and beer for breakfast. ha ha.

planting is planting is planting. the reason some groups plant one place and other people dont comes down to avalibility of options. as you get older though, putting in 3-4k a day may not be physically possable, even if the same person is able to make 2k in the shnarb look like a walk in the park

RedBaron · Post by **RedBaron** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:12 pm

salbrecher haha yah that was in Holberg I would have been planting with you. I still have fond memories of that place good old E-Bunk Haha. Parties at the hotel, Darts at the Iabus (spelling)?

Bostock I must agree Skitourning is the ultimate way to stay in shape for planting. Although I have been shy of 1 million vertical in the last couple years it defiantly builds the power and endurance you need for planting. Greg Hill is going for a million vertical this year and any one thats planting near him will truly understand what touring can do for your conditioning haha.

Catherine · Post by **Catherine** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:39 pm

Bostock wrote: road riding is a strange one. well it gives you a good endurance base, the musles you work are all wrong for walking. hell most roadies couldn't jump an inch off the ground.

I do loaded touring- it's a little more intense over distance then road bicycling can be- fully equipped with tent, out of season/ winter equipement on 1.25 wheels- much more road resistance then a road cyclist.

I think its good for:

Endurance
General muscle toning: arms, legs, back...
Core body strength/ Abdominals: good for balance, slash tripping, centering the weight of 400 trees around your waist, etc.

though i wouldn't go out of my way to train like this if i didnt already have my bike and equipment. i think do whatever is accesible to you, and do it to the point that you think you can't do it any longer, and then until you know you can't, and then until you can't, every day, 2-4 weeks before treeplanting (swim laps, run blocks, weight lift potatoe sacks etc) and you'll be ready, just don't hurt yourself

Captain Slashpile · Post by **Captain Slashpile** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:27 am

Im going into 7th season....2nd coastal....No doubt its kinda intimidating to start fresh somewhere......Especially with the amount of years these people have in.....Nice pics ! I start on monday on sunshine coast....I fell about 60 beetle trees in my lot and turned em tto piles of firewood.....I think im ready.....I am.....here I go again

krahn · Post by **krahn** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:21 am

that slashy hill pic is great, i'll show that to rookies who think that the interior is hell.

btw if anyone knows of a coastal contract starting this coming week that would also have wireless access in the hotel, please give me a shout. i don't even care if the prices aren't the best i just want to have internet access over the next month for certain musical projects.

summitpb · Post by **summitpb** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:12 pm

hey reiner.....I've got many of that pretty much that exact pic.That was a great day planting.... I explain the events of that day when people ask me how planting is on the coast....might be slightly misleading ....haha

RedBaron · Post by **RedBaron** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 4:45 pm

Haha did you plant in Holberg 2 years ago? That was defiantly one of the more challenging blocks in the area, I remember a few tougher ones. I think my most technical in Holberg was a block a buddy and I SP’ed, we were sent above a huge cliff, they told us before we planted it that we were to only to go as close as we were comfortable with and there would be no quality checks. Of course we were planting right on the edge looking down the big 60-70 foot drop. When we finished that block we planted super creamy burns and then went and joined the rest of the crew on a big block with road builders blowing up dynamite like 200 meters away LOL. I just remember huge booms every now and then. One guy said a chunk of rock landed on his piece but I never seen any shrapnel.

Had a couple blocks with 7 species in the bags, each planted with a tea bag and in different soil, beside a different plant at a different elevation.
They gave us cards to bring with us to remember what kind of microsite to look for with each species.

I think it went

Red Cedar
Yellow Cedar
Fur
Spruce
Balsam
Hemlock
White Pine

Thank god only one day of that piece haha,.

Funny how one remembers all the challenging stuff!

daleks · Post by **daleks** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:34 am

ibis....scarlet ibis.....the name of the pub.....also the name of a coastal wading saltwater bird........mmmmm....if you don't know where you've been drinking/playing pool, how can you meet your buddies there, or call a cab to get home, or even get there in the first place......unless you're a befuddled alcoholic tree-planter....there, that's it, a befuddled tree-planter can just sniff out the beer.....scarlet ibis, i still owe them about 100 bucks from 16 years ago when coast range was there and didn't give advances and we charged everything, including (mostly) the beer......ahhhh, the scarlet ibis....

summitpb · Post by **summitpb** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:48 pm

Ya I sure did Mr. Baron.....and I gotta say, your probably the most dedicated planter I've ever meet. Running back to the cache..wow I'm at the bottom right of the photo up top and I was the guy who got promoted up to the hotel from ebunk right at the start...sweet.... That was a tough block and what made it even tougher was that the crew that was on it previous to us...creamed out the easy slopes at the top..I was about 100 meters from the blasts...you know I ran for cover...thought it was ww3 for about 2 minutes. They were blowing up stumps that were in the way of the road they were building. Gives you an idea how big they were 2-3 meters.. My most was 5 species...I wish we could only plant fir ..o sweet fir......kinda silly that it was one price across the board. I think if I ever head out to plant the coast again, it'll be minus the tea bags....momentum killer and probably toxic ....

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Scared?

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