I caretake a 600-acre redwood forest reserve on the north coast of California. I’ve been here 5 years now and might never leave. It's an off grid homestead in a rich forest ecosystem of redwood, tanoak, madrone, and douglas fir. My purpose here is to tend this
land and its surrounding community. In many ways I am living my dream, and, I don't need quite so much solitude. I'm the only human living here full time and I'm looking for a partner to join me in loving this place.
The land is rich with diverse wild food: acorns and other nuts,
mushrooms, berries, greens and herbs,
deer, etc. I also have a big garden with fruit, tomatoes, squash, greens, herbs, etc etc. This is already a paradise which we humans can enrich, for example by improving
water retention (healing erosion spots and building soil),
gardening in the meadows and forest, tending the tanoak groves, and many other ways to improve the habitat for all that live here.
I’m 32, and from Western NY originally where I was homeschooled and still have family. I'm a kind, patient, strong, tender, honest, hardworking man with a keen sense of humor. I live very clean and am healthy. I have strong values and ideals and I'm very practical and down to earth. I value life (i.e. all that is alive), beauty, connection, warmth, laughter, genuineness. I'm financially secure and respected by those who know me, and I'm not pursuing riches or fame.
I feel a kind of intimacy with this forest, like with a lover: I want to know the land deeply. I want to know everything they and their creatures do in each season: all the different beautiful and fascinating sides of them. What they like and don't like in the way that I and others are toward them. Everything from where and how I walk each day, to how they wish to be tended, to how I can protect them from being hurt, etc.
I am looking for a partner who will call me on my bullshit, challenge me, and help me stay oriented toward what really matters. A woman of solid character with similar values and drive to act on them. I look for integrity, wisdom, wit, backbone, compassion, kindness, emotional intelligence, courage, hard work, and a love for the living world.
I love this place and feel belonging here and it would be hard to leave. If you're a wonderful person but are deeply rooted where you are, I'd still enjoy talking. Nothing forces me to stay here aside from a calling and belonging, which could change.
I've written in more detail about myself and the land here with some more photos:
https://sites.google.com/view/philip-mcgarvey-profile (because I wanted to post it in multiple places and permies doesn't allow editing)
If you're interested, email me at
pipmcgarvey@gmail.com or send me a PM here.