#116 10 Days of Archaeology: Day 8+1

[I got so relaxed during my six days off I forgot to post this!  Here it is...]

That day after the session is different for everyone.  The traveling field tech might stay in town or go camping nearby to save money.  Crew chiefs are likely headed back to the home office to take care of paper work and clean up the session.  Others, like myself, are back at home and are settling in for six days off.

Ideally, I should clean up my gear, wash my clothes, and prepare my things for next session.  If we were camping I’d have even more things to do such as set up and clean my tent and clean the rest of my camping gear.  That’s not always what happens, though.

I did put away my gear and wash my clothes.  However, my other plans sort of fell through.  I’d planned to do some yard work and, well, write this post.  After a morning at a coffee shop I went home and watched some of my video podcasts.  Just some techy stuff to keep me on my game.  Later, I unpacked my box from the field and did some laundry.  After dinner with my wife and a nice evening with some wine we went to bed.

So that’s it.  This is the last entry in the series.  Was I accurate?  Is this your experience?  I’m sure it’s not.  Everyone has different and unique experiences before, during, and after the session.  Tell me how you wind down from a session in the comments.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#115 Women in Archaeology

A response to the Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast titled, “Digging Up Women Archaeologists”

Before you read this it would be helpful if you went and listened to the podcast first.  I’m only going to address the comments made at the end of the show.  The hosts asked whether there were any archaeologists listening and what experiences they’ve had as, or with, women archaeologists.  I’m willing to bet they don’t have a lot of listeners that are in CRM archaeology so I thought I’d write a blog post about it.

Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of women archaeologists.  In fact, I started with women archaeologists since every professor in the anthropology department at the school where I got my BA was a women.  I can’t think of a single project I’ve been on where there wasn’t at least one women.  Part of the reason for that is that up until last fall I’ve been on every project with my wife.  Now, I’ve been on plenty of all-male crews before but there has always been a women on the project.

Let me first get the “strength” issue out of the way.  I’ve never worked with a woman that didn’t give 100% and that didn’t pull her weight.  They all work just as hard as the guys do and they do a great job at it.  There are only very few instances where significant strength is even required in archaeology and there are plenty of guys that would have an issue with some of those tasks as well.

Wait, that's no woman...Also, let’s talk about getting dirty.  I think women archaeologists enjoy getting dirty more than the guys do.  Some seem to seek it out.  It’s fun to watch women and men get stupid dirty throughout the day and then clean up like normal citizens and go out at night.  I worked on a project in downtown Miami several years ago where we were pumping water out of the excavation 24 hours a day.  The water was used to water-screen every bucket of mud we pulled out of there.  Everyone was filthy at the end of the day and I never heard anyone complain.  And, most of the crew was female.  The only complaint I ever heard, and still do, was from my wife (before we started dating) when I tossed her in a mud hole.  What?  She got me muddy first!  That’s a story for another day.

What do women bring to the table?  First, perspective.  I think it helps to have points of views from all ages and genders when it comes to archaeological site interpretation.  Ten people will have ten different opinions on certain site functions and to exclude an entire gender would be silly and scientifically irresponsible.  Everyone, regardless of gender, has a valid opinion that should be considered.

Sometimes, women bring a bit of civility to a crew as well.  There are some guys that will tone down their rude comments and jokes when there is a women on the crew.  After a little while, though, everyone seems to come down to the same level of crudeness and all sense of civility is gone.  It’s inevitable.  I’ve known some women that can put anyone to shame with their sense of humor and sarcasm too.  You know who you are.

So, I guess my conclusion is that we need more women archaeologists.  There is no issue with strength, motivation, or social skills since we all know that you can teach just about anyone to survey.  The idea that we have a job that is “suitable for only men” is outdated and down right incorrect.  We need to abolish the idea of Indiana Jones and embrace Indiana Jane.  Or Lara Croft.  Or, hey, how about Gertrude Caton-Thompson, Mary Leakey, or Margaret Mead?

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#114 10 Days of Archaeology: Day 8

Today is the last day of the session.  For some projects this means a drive day home.  For others it’s a partial day of work and then a drive home.  Since we work ten-hour days and our drive is under four hours we decided to work from 7 am to 12:30, have lunch, then drive home.

The crews split a bit differently this morning because one of our crew members had to leave the session early.  So, It was just me and one other person this morning that were sent to clean up a small area of survey.  Of course, in the Great Basin, nothing is predictable.

For most of the session it’s been in the mid-90s (F) and a bit windy in the afternoon.  This morning we woke up to upper 30s and snow on the mountain peaks.  During our survey it snowed annoying little ice pellets for several hours, off and on.  I know that the weather here can be crazy but I still didn’t expect to be wearing a jacket and gloves in the beginning of June.

That brings up something I should have mentioned in the first post: clothing options.  I almost always have my light, Under Armor gloves in my pack.  They are light and don’t take up much space.  I also usually have a light jacket in the hotel room that I can grab if the forecast suggest that it might cool off.  Usually it doesn’t.  Today, however, was a jacket day and I’d have been in pretty bad shape if I didn’t have it.  Out here, you have to be prepared for anything.  A good, light, rain jacket works well as a wind breaker too.  Luckily for me, the jacket I had was good enough.  The weather out here will certainly keep you on your toes!

Anyway, back to the survey.  We only had a small portion to do and had plenty of time to do it.  When we started our last transect back to the truck we were on course to finish the area by 10:45 or so and be back to the meeting spot about an hour early.  We were looking forward to a hot cup of coffee and a respite from the wind.  So, all you archaeologists out there know what happens next, right?  We found a site!  Of course.  Not a single site in that entire area and we find one on our last pass.  So, we spent about 45 minutes recording it and got to the rendezvous point ten minutes late.  So much for hot coffee.  It was a so-so site for the area and easy to record, at least.

Good bye, old friends.

Today marked the last day for my boots too.  I didn't have them long but they were very good to me.  I've hiked a lot of miles in those boots both on and off the clock.  The boots are light hikers from Keen (I didn't even know Keen made hiking boots before I bought these) and they cost about $200.  Most people get some sort of leather boots for hiking in and I used to as well.  The boots I've had in the past (quality, expensive, boots) were all great for most days.  However, when days started reaching nine or more miles my feet would hurt and sometimes I'd get blisters.  Maybe it's my fat and wide feet.  Who knows.  I never once had a blister from these boots.  They are super comfortable for every mile of every day.  They just don't last too long when you are walking on abrasive rock and are crashing through sagebrush and shadscale all day.  However, my feet are what helps me earn a living so if I have to spend $200-$300 a year on them, it's worth it.

The drive home was windy and we experienced periodic heavy rain and mixed rain/snow.  We also saw another semi-truck accident (see the first post in this series).  Just shows that anything can happen any time.

At the end of a session with this company there is always something to do back at the office.  Some companies do their hours differently and dismiss the field techs in the field.  As a tech you are free to pursue your weekend activities at that point.  As a crew chief or regular employee you usually have to deal with cleaning the trucks, filing paperwork, and putting gear away.  For this company the entire crew usually leaves from, and returns to, the office.  That means there are plenty of people to help clean up at the end of the session and we can all go home a little earlier.

I ended the session by having sushi with my wife at our favorite place in Reno, Ijji 2.  We often have sushi at the end of the session which is about every two weeks.  I like to do that because, well, the sushi is amazing there, and, it’s such a different atmosphere and experience from the field.  When we go to that sushi place it’s almost like my mindset is altered from being in the field to being a member of society again.  You can get caught up in the “field way of life” while you’re out there and forget what everyone else in the world is doing.  In the field you learn to wear dirty clothes day after day and eat food that my be somewhat questionable to others.  You walk for miles in the desert, dodging rabbits, finding thousands of years old projectile points, and abandoned mine shafts with miles of tunnels beneath them and think, “doesn’t everyone do this for a living?”  No, they don’t.  Going to sushi (or your restaurant of choice) is my way of changing my perspective.  In six days everything flips and the cycle begins again.

Come back tomorrow for the final installment in this series.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#113 10 Days of Archaeology: Day 7

This was the last full day of survey and it was challenging.  We started the day with a nearly 1000 foot elevation gain in less than half a mile.  It only got worse from there.  We had to contour around several large hills for most of the day.

The weather kept us on our toes today.  In typical Great Basin fashion it went from the low 60s to the low 90s to the low 50s.  Tomorrow should be about 30-35 degrees F when we start work.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the cold!  I would much rather survey while freezing my ass off rather than be super hot and trudging up hills.

Enough about the weather...My crew is pretty great.  I’ve got one of our project managers on my crew and another kid who’s been doing this for about a year but learns quickly.  We don’t even really need to discuss what to do when we get to a site.  Everyone knows their responsibilities and they just go to work.  The same thing happens when we record a feature.  We all just do our jobs and move on.  I’ve been so impressed with the crew this rotation that I treated them to slushies at the gas station on the way back to the hotel today.  It’s not much but it’s still a small token of appreciation.  We’d have gone out for beers but everyone was pretty wiped out.

Since we are leaving tomorrow to go home, tonight was spent packing.  I usually remove all the little plastic signs, the coffee maker, the phone, and the ice bucket and put them out of the way when I get to a hotel.  I also unplug and move the alarm clock.  The set up has to be to my liking or I won’t feel at “home” as much as that is possible.  I feel that it’s only courteous to the staff that I put all that back when I’m ready to leave.  The only thing I don’t put back is the comforter sitting in the corner of the room.  I touch that as little as possible.

I tried out a new piece of gear this session and now I’m ready to talk about it.  When we are camping we typically don’t get regular showers.  As a consequence, your sleeping bag can get a bit nasty.  Since sleeping bags are difficult to wash properly I searched around for a solution and I think I’ve found it.  The gear I bought at REI was a Cocoon Cool-Max Travel Sheet.  It’s in the sleeping bag liner section and cost about $45.  There are many types and price points for this type of gear and I went with something simple to start.

On the packaging for the “travel sheet” it suggested using it in hotel rooms so you don’t have to break out the black light on your sheets.  I tried it and loved it.  It’s very stretchy, thin, and warm all at the same time.  I didn’t even use the hotel blankets.  I think this is going to work really well in my sleeping bag, too.  I might just use the travel sheet instead of a sleeping bag when it gets really warm.  Of course, nights in the high desert are typically cold no matter what time of year it is.

So, onto the packing.  It’s been a great session.  I’ve had a good time with my awesome crew and we recorded many features and sites.

Come back tomorrow for Day 8, the half day and drive home.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#112 CRMArch People on Instagram

I saw a request for a list of CRM Archaeologists on Instagram the other day and thought it would be a great idea!  Unfortunately, Instagram for the iPhone won’t let me save the pics so I can show an example of each one.  I may just have to include a link or something.  So, the following is a list of CRM archaeologists that enjoy their jobs and love telling people about it.  Follow them, re-tweet them, “like” their photos, and respect them for their willingness to share science.

If you don’t have Instagram, It’s available on the iPhone and Android phones.

CRM Archaeologists that I follow on Instagram in alphabetical order:

• Amanda Rasmussen (@amanda_rasmussen)
• Cristlaro (@cristlaro)
• Gretchen (@eggiwoman)
• Jeff Homesweetsplitlevel (@sobayli)
• John Lowe (@archaeocore)
• Kristen (@blindarcade)
• Laracrofty1 (@laracrofty1)
• Irox_anne (@Irox_anne)
• Margdeguzman (@margdeguzman)
• Matt (@anthroprobably)
• Matt R (@rawluk)
• Pammy (@pammywham)
• Robyn (@robynlatham)
• Sarah (@shbastet)
• Vanillachinchilla (@vanillachinchilla)

Last but not least, me!

Archeowebby (@archeowebby)

There are other archaeologists on Twitter but these are the ones I think are CRM archaeologists.  When you get on Instagram, just search the hashtags #archaeology and #crmarch.  If you are a CRM archaeologist, be sure to tag your posts with #crmarch.  

VERY IMPORTANT: TURN OFF GEOTAGGING ON YOUR CAMERA APP AND IN INSTAGRAM.  

I think it’s important that we share our passion with the world, however, we don’t need to show them where we find it.

Happy picture taking!

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#111 10 Days of Archaeology: Day 6

The days are certainly getting longer.  We started out with about seven miles of survey in easy to moderately-crapy terrain.  The weather was nice in the morning starting at about 65 degrees F.  By early afternoon it was in the low 90s.  I still didn’t think it was that bad, though.  The wind was pretty much constant all day and that kept the temps to a manageable level.

Out here you have to force yourself to drink water sometimes.  On hot, windy, days it’s especially important.  As you burn calories and your body consumes water you seem to sweat very little due to the quick evaporation of the sweat and the wind.  You are sweating, though.  I went through my first three liters of water by about 1:30.  We were about 500 meters from the truck and I figured I’d just refill my water at that point.  We were going to have lunch then anyway.  I actually had two more liters in my pack that I was going to pour in my reservoir but I got lazy.  Even though we didn’t find any sites along that 500 meters, and it only took about 25 minutes, I still felt extremely parched by the time we reached the trucks.  Luckily, I had an icy cold Gatorade waiting in the cooler.  Nice.

We have some really challenging terrain out here and your quality of life can really be affected by the decisions made by your crew leaders as to how you are going to proceed with the survey.  I’ve certainly worked for people that would just blindly do north/south or east/west transects regardless of terrain or the time of day.  Out here, I would never send someone up a steep slope to check out the mesa or ridge line if it were past about noon and over 90 degrees.  That’s the kind of thing you save for first thing in the morning.  Also, why go up a steep hill when you can contour around it?  There’s no need to be a hero and charge up the hill causing fatigue and a lack of concern for the archaeology among the crew.  I guarantee that when you are trudging up a hill for the third or fourth time the only thing you are concentrating on is putting one foot in front of the other and not falling.  Archaeology is secondary.

So, instead of not thinking, contour the hill.  For those that work in the mid-west and are topographically challenged, I’ll explain what contouring means :) .  Contouring is when you line up on the side of a hill and walk at a constant elevation rather than a certain direction or heading.  Contouring can be detrimental if the terrain isn’t suitable for it.  For example, contouring can be dangerous in loose rock or on a talus slope.  Actually, walking up or down a talus slope is dangerous too.  Essentially, if you can make your life easier, you should.  Your crew will be less fatigued and you’ll get more work out of them.  

One thing I can’t stand is the crew chief, or crew member, that is more mountain goat than human and likes to show off that fact to others.  There is no gain in leaving everyone behind while you bound up the hills with wild abandon.  Good for you.  You are a great hiker.  I’m proud.  It’s akin to twenty-year-olds in these mining towns driving lifted, loud, 4x4 Fords.  They’re compensating for something.  Get over yourself and be respectful of others.  How about hanging back and providing some words of encouragement?  Think about it.

After work I somehow mustered the energy to go on a twenty mile bike ride.  The strong tail wind certainly helped.  I might try to get a final ride in tomorrow after work.  I do have to pack, though.  I might be quite tired because I’m going to try to get up at 3:50 to watch the partial eclipse of the moon.  Crazy.  I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow.

Check back tomorrow for Day 7.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.

#110 10 Days of Archaeology: Day 5

I don't know about "America's BEST Value" but it's OK. Except for the WiFi, which is virtually unusable.Today is Saturday. It’s the first day of a sad little two-day weekend for most people. For thousands of archaeologists it’s just another work day. Our weekend starts in a few days and lasts for at least four days. Just one more reason I like this schedule.

For those of you that are single, or at least don’t work with your significant other, I’ll mention some of the difficulties, and niceties, that can arise when living with someone in a hotel room. If you read yesterday’s post you know that my wife came out to visit on Friday night and won’t be leaving until Sunday morning. Since she’s here now, I had some special considerations to think of when I woke up this morning.

This morning was much like it was when we used to work together. When we have a 7 am start time I usually get up around 5:30, make my coffee, and just get prepared, mentally, for my day. I like to either, write a blog post, read some blogs, read some news, or do some other mental activity that will allow me to be alert when the time comes to start. I’m usually at least a crew chief so when I get to the trucks I don’t have the luxury of being half awake and going to sleep in the truck when we get going. So, I like to be awake and alert. My crew deserves at least that level of safety.

As I was saying, I usually get up early. My wife, however, is like many people I know in CRM and will get up by 6:30, or later, get dressed, get a lunch together, and head out to the truck. She doesn’t usually sleep when she gets to the truck like a lot of people do. No, she knits or reads. In fact, she got out of archaeology to knit and read full time! Actually, she buys yarn for a major yarn supplier for a living.

So, even though my wife wasn’t going to work, my day started much like it used to. I leave the bathroom light on because it usually shines on the sink area in most hotels. That way I can see. Sometimes I just wear my headlamp but it shines in her eyes when I swing over that way. I try to not make any noise because I don’t want to wake her. You learn to get dressed and get ready for work in the dark. Once I’m settled and ready I don’t need more lighting to read or be on my computer since all of my devices light up on there own. This particular hotel room has an east-facing window so quite a bit of light comes through even with the blackout curtains drawn. That’s what one version of a morning can be like when you have a partner that you travel with. What’s your story? Do you get up together? When you both get up 30 minutes before the day starts is it chaos? Let me know in the comments.

My little friend. He didn't see too angry...Our work day was pretty chill. We finished recording one large site and moved on to another. They could’t have been more different from each other and they each had their own challenges.

As far as historics go, I don’t know whether I prefer a site loaded with artifacts or a site loaded with features and almost no artifacts. Many mining sites are like that. There can be dozens of features, including prospect pits, cairns, adits, shafts, stopes, etc., and absolutely no artifacts. They were either very tidy, which is doubtful, or, they were living somewhere else and traveled to that location for work everyday. On some mining complexes you find tent platforms and domestic items. On some you don’t. Sometimes it just depends on how remote the site is.

When you get a couple of sites that are all artifacts and features you end up writing all day. A lot. The amount of writing is quite absurd, actually. By the end of the day my hand hurts from all the writing, and, because I’m left-handed, I have nice pencil stains on my left hand. Also, I tend to write more than some people. When I write a description in the field I write it as I’d like it typed up. Chances are that someone not familiar with the site will be typing up what I wrote and I don’t want them to have to interpret what I was saying. I just want them to type it as they see it and correct my horrible spelling errors. If everyone wrote that way we could save a lot of time in the office.

At the end of the day I came home to a great wife and some home made lasagna. We sat down for the evening and enjoyed some wine and later some ice cream. It was a good evening and is in no way typical of what usually happens on a Saturday night in the field. This crew is pretty tame and doesn’t seem to go out partying much. I’ve been on crews that would go out more than a few nights during the session. By the end, though, no one really wants to go anywhere.

That’s the end of Day 5. Check back tomorrow for Day 6.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field.