32M on land in redwood forest, seeking F partner

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.

So a friend saw my post and thought my photo was too serious looking and wrote: "You are a fun guy to be around. Your potential sweety should know that." and he sent me the last photo above that he took of me in which I'm laughing.  :p   I would agree with him.

It's been a year and a half since I posted so a little update.  I've gotten more captivated with playing the fiddle which has been wonderful, I'm about to go to a week long traditional/folk music camp tomorrow which I'm excited for.  I found a couple to co-caretake the place with me which has been good, I don't imagine they'll stay forever so I expect I'll be looking for co-caretakers again at some point.  And I've been traveling a lot, I spent a couple months in Arizona this spring helping with the effort to protect Oak Flat, and a few months last year out east staying with my brother and his family, since I now have a 2 yr old nephew there and I'm loving being his uncle.  After five years of rarely leaving this land it's been good to get out and be other places.  I feel open to the possibility of moving from here, mainly to be closer to more community if the right situation calls, and, I also really love it here and might never leave.  I've learned to be at peace with this uncertainty for now, practicing being present with what I'm doing wherever it is.

Hi there.
Still looking?

Dang some guy have all the luck/connections. How in heck can I get 600 acres of woods?

I bet it's tax free. Oh snap you get paid to live there?

A fiddler?? Sold. Redwoods? I'm jackie. I'm at thirdclementine@gmail.com

Another year mostly well spent.  

My focus has been on music, family and community, and improving my health and habits.  I'm loving playing the fiddle more than ever - the early stages of learning fiddle aren't so pleasant to listen to but at this point I and others enjoy hearing my playing.  I've spent a few months each in Arizona at oak flat, in upstate NY with family, at home in california, and in Ireland where I am now.  I'll be back in CA in August.

I'd be ready to find a partner and settle down somewhere.  Meanwhile being single with few obligations it's been a good time to learn music and migrate about and give energy to the different things I care about.

Health wise I've had several big things.  First, I seem to have healed my lifelong sleep apnea.  I put a separate post about it here:    https://permies.com/t/281830.  Second, I seem to have healed a knee injury - I think I had tore a ligament in my knee, it had gotten a lot better but still bothered me two years after.  Three months of diligently doing the "knees over toes" exercises (basically stretching and strengthening the ankles and legs) and I have had no more pain - and am back to being able to hike a long way with a heavy pack and also run more.  I also made some changes to my phone to make it impossible to see those stupid short videos that are everywhere on the phones now, and in general built habits to reduce time on the phone/internet.

Through everything I've seen this past year it's strengthened my resolve to give myself to what I care about - community, family, the land, creating beauty (music etc) and being present, and to having good humor ;).  As the world we see on the internet will probably keep getting crazier and it's better to live our days in the real world.

As my photos here are a couple years old here's a current one - we just made a big pile of charcoal for a garden.