Now that you have an idea roughly where you want to plant your next tree, you want to get there with the most efficient movement. For this I like to imagine myself like a native American/First Nations Person who glides and slithers through the brush with the least amount of resistance or confrontation. A rookie, in their aspiration to make as much money as possible, will often plough through every obstacle in a hectic frenzy. But as explained in other sections, this job is already demanding enough and such aggressive movements will only add unnecessary strain to your body and joints, eventually leading to other possible problems. The key is to move with maximum efficiency and minimum strain. Do not spend more energy than you have to. Think of yourself as a marathon runner who has to pace themself over the next couple of hours. But you are not running for only two hours, but at least 8, while carrying a heavy load and moving every part of your body. Day in and day out for three or more months in a row.
The fastest planters always make it look easy, precisely because they focus on maximum energy conservation, sparing their bodies, and combine movements. Try to plant your way around every obstacle. If line planting, your line does not have to be perfectly straight – you can straighten it out the next time you get to that “bump” in the line. Bend your way around branches and do not lunge into them aggressively. I like to respect nature and work WITH it, not aggressively against it. If you let yourself get angry, with branches scratching at your eye, it will only frustrate and probably slow you down. Think Ninja; think like a Native American.
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We are a family operation managing private custom boat tours in the beautiful Palawan area, and are happy to help travelers with their plans through the country, having traveled a lot of it ourselves and planning to visit it all. The pages in this section concern when I was treeplanting in Canada over eight summers.