A Remarkable Place

What is a remarkable place and why does such a title hang on a location? 

Remarkable is defined as “worthy of being or likely to be noticed especially as being uncommon or extraordinary” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Remarkable, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Before you read on, take a moment to define remarkable for yourself, because your definition is based on your experiences and will differ from mine.

To me, a remarkable place has held onto its wildness, it is raw, unaltered; a magnificent display of the power of the Earth and its processes. How do our definitions compare? 

Were you thinking of an amazing landscape that you once experienced, that you spent hours or days journeying there? Was that spot the intention of your trip or did you somehow, miraculously, end up in that remarkable spot? 

Katmai National Park on the Alaskan Peninsula is remarkable. It is a place of undeniable beauty, raw landscapes and utter disbelief. It is a spot I often think back to, parts of me long to return. 

Katmai NP, AK.

I was fortunate to call Katmai National Park my place of business for the summer of 2018, and not just a place of business, but as a tour guide. I was a tour guide for Andrew Airways based out of Kodiak Alaska and we would fly clients over the Shelikof Strait in float planes to the Park. 

Lunch at the beach, Katmai, NP.

Glaciers hang on rugged peaks, volcanic fumaroles spew sulphuric scents, the tides must be known, and bears out number people. Remarkable. 

Katmai NP.

There is something special about feeling unremarkable in remarkable places. I’m not sure if I would call it an experience of awe, but it could be. A feeling that nothing else in the world matters but is what is happening here and now, completely absorbed in the moment. It is not a deep sense of flow state where your body can effortlessly maneuver without thought for the activity at hand. I feel at ease, on edge, alert and absorbed. What is that feeling called? 

To be in a position that is not the top, to be in an environment where we, as humans, are no longer the dominant species, we are in another's home. This is an opportunity to experience yourself and surroundings unlike any other. 

Confrontation of the curious, Katmai NP.

I enjoy being reminded that, in the grand scheme of the world, that I and what I am experiencing is unremarkable. The stress I experience about unemployment is only within me, it is not affecting the world. The ego that is concerned with others’ perspectives of me, is only within me. My problems are only within me and by allowing myself to feel that feeling of unremarkableness I am reminded that my problems do not exist in remarkable places. 

Moments before he had walked within 2 meters of me. Katmai, NP.

I was never within 10 meters of a bear and thought “I need to pay my bills”. I have never stood in a glaciated valley and said “I need to change my oil”. There has not been a time while crossing a mountain pass where the woes of my job were heavier than my pack. 

Flying over a glacier, Katmai NP.

To be in remarkable places makes us feel unremarkable, where our egos can rest, and we can experience the world in the present. We are goofy, strong, enduring, our honest self. 

Notes from my latest outing on the subject of remarkable places

“If a place is remarkable, when I am experiencing that place, I feel small and unremarkable. Perhaps it is in these places where one can grasp the briefness of life. The Grand Picture. My worries, concerns, negativities in my mind melt away. There is no use to think of them here, for they are pointless, non-existent, except in my mind. When I am here, I can let it all go. The only thing that matters is surrounding me.”

Holt Lake, BC.

I Am An Expert

These are words that I have never considered saying. 

What would I be an expert at? I am not the best, but does being an expert make you the best?

A job application asked me what I was an expert at. At first I was put off by the question because I had never considered myself an expert, perhaps because I had never defined Expert.

After much ruminating on the statement “Tell us what you're an expert at, and then explain how to do it” I have decided that I am an expert in the identification of tree species in the Pacific Northwest, especially the eastern slopes of where I was raised and attended university. 

Without an eye for trees, they may all look the same to an inexperienced viewer, while some trees are incredibly unique to the seasoned eye. Most people lay somewhere in the middle of the road for tree identification. 

Putting the pieces together: an old cut from a springboard historically used by fellers to cut above the buttress of larger trees.

In order to be an expert it requires time, practice and retention. Time to get outside and admire the trees, practice using the tools of tree identification and retention of the techniques to be able to identify trees without them. 

I began the practice of identifying trees in high school when I was felling trees and selling the firewood for a summer job. Knowing the species of trees when selling firewood can make hundreds of dollars of difference per cord of wood. Ponderosa Pine, Oregon Oak, Big Leaf Maple. My journey had begun. 

In university I studied fire ecology and management where trees are unique in their adaptations and their responses to fires, thus, I learned to identify more trees. It was in my third year dendrology course where I realized I had an aptitude for tree identification. Not only did I excel at tree identification, I could explain to other students how and why I came to a conclusion. By the end of the semester I was able to identify over 100 species of trees and shrubs while boasting a grade over 100% in the class. 

Tree core sample; used to determine a trees age.

During summers I was a wildland firefighter and able to travel to several National Forests, some of which, I was unfamiliar with the local species. It was not long before I had my own tree identification book that I would pack around with me and share my knowledge with the others on my crew. One of my crews gave me a gift, “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” by Pojar and Mackinnon, within the front cover they wrote “To Tyler, Whose passion for learning inspires us all” - Bravo Squad. 

Being an expert not only requires time, practice and retention, but passion. A passion to learn outside the classroom, on your own. A passion to teach others and by doing so, learning weaknesses within your knowledge. You must then reassess your knowledge, continue reading, continue practicing, and continue teaching.  

I am Tyler Garwood, and I am a Pacific Northwest Tree Identification Expert. 

LIFE IN 216 GALLONS (982 Litres)

PICTURE YOUR LIFE, YOUR POSSESSIONS. IF YOU HAD TO MOVE, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? A U-HAUL? YOUR FRIEND'S PICKUP? SEVERAL TRIPS IN YOUR CAR? 

As a seasonal employee, this question crosses my mind at least twice a year. For most of the previous decade I have picked up and moved at least twice a year.  I’m employed in the summer and winter and transition between the two places during the shoulder seasons, spring and fall. The cycle continues.

What a hassle it becomes when you accumulate more possessions, knick-knacks and tid-bits. As I have grown more wise, I have learned that the less I have, the more time I have. Hmmmm...what a discovery! Since this epiphany was realized, my life possessions have dwindled (this is good). I have shaved off clothes, unnecessary posters, shoes, furniture, the works. 

216 gallons. 

Packed to the top!

The volume of space where I will store, not only mine, but my wife’s possessions as well. We are moving, yet again. Our life possessions have been limited to the necessities of our life, the things that keep us happy, entertained, and healthy. 

Imagine 108 milk jugs stacked five rows deep, five across and four jugs high...then throw on eight more (that’s a lot of milk!). This is the metaphorical space I have to stash my goods during our next move. Solange having the equivalent.

(Our trusty boxes, 27 milk jugs, soon to be filled)

Fortunately for us, during a road trip in my younger times, I had become frustrated with my moving arrangement. In order to reach my clothes, I needed to remove a cooler, guitar, boots, and a few boxes. At this point I decided that investing in a Thule roof cargo box would be extremely beneficial. And that’s exactly what I did. In the midst of the desert, in Salt Lake City, I found that box. The box still resides with me to this day, the stickers are faded and peeling, the scratches on the top act as a remembrance of the low parking garages that were left unvisited. 

Simplicity. This is a mantra that revolves around my life, for if not for simplicity, I don’t believe I’d be able to pick up and leave as I have done so many times. The ability to leave within a week's notice to a place totally unfamiliar, it’s all part of the adventure! With simplicity comes another quality I emphasize in my life, utilitarianism. Due to my limited space, I need to own possessions that are few, multifaceted and reliable. Bringing me to my third motto, quality over quantity. Why have several items that are not all that great, when you can have one item that is dependable without second guessing it. 

A take away of my three important values:

• Simplicity

• Utilitarianism

• Quality over quantity

Where in the world is Tyler (and Solange) heading this time? A standard question to surface. 

And the answer, North. Canada, to the land of toques, maple syrup, flannels and healthcare. 

The time has come where Solange will no longer be able to remain in the US, her six months are quickly wrapping up. We will now be performing some sort of Freaky Friday-esque act, but rather than switching bodies, we are switching countries. I will now be the unemployed visitor and she will be the employed resident. This is all very new to the both of us. 

Navigating the legalities, visas and the COVID-19 restrictions between the two countries has been, to say the least, a headache. We applied for my Canadian visa mid September and have just recently received verification that the immigration office has received it, a nail-biting 180 days later. Although I cannot legally work in Canada yet, I am able to travel there because Solange is Canadian and she is my spouse. 

We’re betting heavily that my visa will be processed during the time we are in Canada, which is why we are bringing our 216 gallons worth of life along with us. If our bet is lost, then we will find ourselves in the same situation we are in now and heading south, like the birds, for the winter. So cross your fingers and hope that the powers that be (Canadian Immigration) get to process those visas that have been in limbo during the pandemic. 

Every nook, crack and cranny will be filled with our things. The 2000 Subaru outback, although a loyal vehicle, can only hold so much. And not only do our belongings need to be packed, they also need to be accessible for the three days we live out of the car on our way to the border. 

But, in the end….We made it, the journey keeps going!