Welcome to this blog.

Hi!

This blog is being created mainly for myself. I want to tighten up my knowledge of this stunning land I live on and I think cataloguing using the Instagram page and this blog will be a huge help. As well as very useful for later reference.

I will be including any scientific information, traditional knowledge and information from the magical realms which I can find. I am an animist and I do not see the scientific and spirit worlds as separate nor contradictory.

My grandparents were a huge influence on me growing up; they always encouraged my massive love for the natural world and we spent a lot of time in nature together. My grandfather worked for Parks Canada in places such as Ontario, Manitoba and in British Columbia. In the 1970's and into the 80s, he ran a crew working on the West Coast Trail to make it suitable for hiking. Originally the Dominion Lifesaving Trail, it had been built in 1907 due to the treacherous 'Graveyard of the Pacific' in order to help rescue survivors of shipwrecks.

I spent summers in Ucluelet at this time while my grandfather was working on the trail and through the 80s, when my grandfather became the superintendent of Fort Rodd Hill, my grandparents would frequently take me (and my brother or cousins as well) up the island camping.

My grandfather knew the land like the back of his hand. He knew the trees and the plants, the animals; he knew so much about boating, even in treacherous water. His life has always inspired me, and there is much more to say but that is for another blog.

I'm an amateur naturalist and have volunteered as a naturalist for a several years though I don't at this moment. I am also under a mentorship in obeah, a West African spiritual practice that travelled to the West Indies. In obeah, knowing the land and the plants that grow is an important part of the practice. And that is much what inspires me to work harder and learn more about each and every plant and tree that grows here. Wildlife and trees have always been my favourite, so my knowledge of local plants is what needs the most work. I find the practice of obeah to be a natural one to this land and something that meshes very well with Indigenous spirit and knowledge as well.

These are some of their slides from the West Coast Trail.