Getting Started - Summer Work

[Johnny]

Update: Found out last night that I've been accepted for the grueling asskicker of a dig! Apparently a lot of people were turned off by the whole 3.5 miles of hiking at altitude every day.

July 13-20, 2010 (including weekends)

Must commit to full session

High-elevation landscapes have been used and occupied by humans for thousands of years. Sites now in wilderness above the timberline tell the stories of past peoples as they lived and traveled, hunted and worked. Unfortunately, such sites - especially here in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado - remain poorly understood today. We intend to change that. The goal of this PIT project is to find and begin to interpret the clues left behind for us in this area. This year, volunteers and FS staff will begin research at one of the most intriguing sites in the area. It is located at over 14,000 feet at the foot of the dramatic, flat-topped Uncompahgre Peak, one of Colorado's six highest peaks, and the highest in the San Juan Mountains. The site is situated in the alpine tundra of a glacial cirque adjacent to a permanent wetland, and contains thousands of flakes and stone tools. Participants will make a surface map of the site using a total station (electronic transit), test excavate a sample of the cultural deposit, and perform any additional inventory. Project participants will also get the opportunity to help a team of climatologists sample the wetland sediments for evidence of the site's paleoenvironment. On the last day, participants may even want to climb the peak! Top physical condition is a must!

Number of openings: 4 to 6

Special skills: This project will be very physically demanding; participants MUST be in excellent health and physically capable of hiking steep trails and working at high altitudes for long periods in a variety of weather conditions; previous archaeological excavation, mapping, prehistoric artifact identification, and/or total station experience helpful, but not required

Minimum age: 16 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult

Facilities: Back-country, leave-no-trace tent camping 1.75 miles from work site; no facilities; meals provided; camp area is only accessible by high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles, so arrangements will be made to carpool participants to the camp; equipment will be packed to the site on horseback; participants will carry their own day gear round trip from camp to site each day; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment and packs, extra water, and transportation to initial carpool

[Digit]

Well if you survive it will good on your CV!

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Apparently a lot of people were turned off by the whole 3.5 miles of hiking at altitude every day.

I had to go take a nap just from reading that.

[dannan14]

Sounds fun! Good luck!

[Tiompan]

Looks great .Have a good time .

George

[Johnny]

Thanks all! I can't wait to get out and learn some southwestern archaeology first-hand. Looks like the PaleoCultural Research Group is assisting the FS with this project and I just got an email from their director, Mark Mitchell (also president of the CCPA) with the project logistics. I'm already prepping my gear.

This will be completely unlike anything I've ever done or seen in the Arkansas river valley back home. Everything there is mississippian/caddo and usually just mounds. I've spent more time at Spiro Mounds than any other site but there were never any active excavations performed while I was there.

Does anyone have any burning questions about life at 12,600ft above sea level at the northern edge of the San Juan Basin I should try to answer while I'm there?

[Minimalist]

If I were you I'd concentrate on breathing.

Last year we went from Phoenix to Sedona which is at about 5000 feet and took a jeep tour out on the rocks. Our guide mentioned a spot which was a "short walk" away from the trail. As crows fly it probably was short but we weren't crows. It was also not a straight line. It was up and down two small ridges of perhaps 30-40 feet in height. I had spent the whole summer swimming laps in the pool and thought I was in pretty good shape but I felt like my chest was going to explode. Then I realized that my wife, who is a work-out freak, was also huffing and puffing and it suddenly hit me that this was the effect of altitude.

Go run some wind sprints or something. And take some pictures and give us a report when you finish.

[Johnny]

If I were you I'd concentrate on breathing.

Go run some wind sprints or something. And take some pictures and give us a report when you finish.

You got it, sir. I live at 6,000ft and have been running 2 miles a day in prep. It's getting pretty easy. Hiked an 11,000 footer a couple weekends ago and a 10,500ft mtn this past Sunday. As long as my football damaged knees and unpredictable back hold out, I should be golden.

[Rokcet Scientist]

It might well be an adventure you'll be telling your grandchildren about, Johnny! Dig in! Pun intended. And enjoy the heck out of it. Looks like, physically, it could be just up your alley (if you keep up the training at altitude), you living in Denver and all (I used to live at the same altitude; know its effects). Can't wait to see the pix, vids, and papers you guys are supposed to get out of this. Is there a planning for a publication date?

A couple questions that would pop up in my head if I were you:
got a good, lightweight! camera with a spare memory card and a spare battery for those pix and vids? Do I know how to work with all the camera's features and possibilities or do I still need to practice? Can I recharge batteries at base camp? Will there be a broadband internet connection at base camp to offload (and backup!) my pix and vids (so I can re-use the cards)? Or do I have to make sure I carry enough storage capacity (memory cards) for the whole trip?

[Johnny]

Is there a planning for a publication date?

Not that I know of just yet but I will definitely inquire with those running the dig.

A couple questions that would pop up in my head if I were you:
got a good, lightweight! camera with a spare memory card and a spare battery for those pix and vids? Do I know how to work with all the camera's features and possibilities or do I still need to practice? Can I recharge batteries at base camp? Will there be a broadband internet connection at base camp to offload (and backup!) my pix and vids (so I can re-use the cards)? Or do I have to make sure I carry enough storage capacity (memory cards) for the whole trip?

Great advice, RS. I'm actually worried that my camera is on the big and fussy side. But I'm too spoiled by its 10MP and 20x optical zoom glory to consider taking my smaller camera. I'll use a Canon SX10 IS with about 600 stills or 40 mins video of rechargeable battery life and two 4GB cards. I'm familiar with the use of Canon camera at an advanced amateur or professional level after bootstrapping a small business that captures courthouse land records by photography back in '04.

I believe I still have a power inverter (battery recharging) that I can run off the 12v ports in my truck but need to double check. Thanks again as this wasn't on my first draft packing list. I'm highly doubtful of broadband or even cellphone service at the campsite. Looking at the AT&T coverage map seems to confirm that fear. The nearest town, Lake City, is covered but the campsite will not be. This means I'll get to take a nightly adventure to call and check in with my pregnant wife.

[Rokcet Scientist]

I'm too spoiled by its 10MP and 20x optical zoom glory to consider taking my smaller camera.

You're the one that will have to lug it...!

I'll use a Canon SX10 IS with about 600 stills or 40 mins video of rechargeable battery life and two 4GB cards.

Quality-wise an excellent camera!

I believe I still have a power inverter (battery recharging) that I can run off the 12v ports in my truck but need to double check.

But you won't have your truck up there on the mountain, if I've understood you correctly. So will there be a (running!) 12V generator in the camp?

I'm highly doubtful of broadband or even cellphone service at the campsite. Looking at the AT&T coverage map seems to confirm that fear. The nearest town, Lake City, is covered but the campsite will not be. This means I'll get to take a nightly adventure to call and check in with my pregnant wife.

It will also mean that your two 4GB cards are not nearly enough! I would try to take 4 more of those (minimum)*. But as you probably won't need 'm anymore after this adventure I would try to borrow them, rather than buying.

*This trip will be unique, so imo you cannot make enough photos (of the highest quality your cam is capable of) and videos. I would expect me to come back with thousands of photos and hours of video. You can always trash what you don't want/need later, but you can't go back to shoot more later!

[Minimalist]

I sympathize about the knees. Football, too.

Fortunately, at that altitude you shouldn't have a problem finding ice.

[Johnny]

I believe I still have a power inverter (battery recharging) that I can run off the 12v ports in my truck but need to double check.

But you won't have your truck up there on the mountain, if I've understood you correctly. So will there be a (running!) 12V generator in the camp?

Very true that most will not have a vehicle at camp. My cowboy cadillac will make it just fine, though, so I intend to take myself and a couple of other diggers up along with a good portion of the gear. Even if we get there and for some reason I can't get all the way to the campsite...I'm a nerd. It'll only be a matter of minutes before I'm hand soldering a generator out of a mountain bike and a flashlight.

[dannan14]

It'll only be a matter of minutes before I'm hand soldering a generator out of a mountain bike and a flashlight.

Wanna post some schematics for that?

[Johnny]

It'll only be a matter of minutes before I'm hand soldering a generator out of a mountain bike and a flashlight.

Wanna post some schematics for that?

It's Friday and I have nothin else to do, so why not? It's just a basic trickle charging circuit requiring some rigged interface with the bike gearing. You can hang whatever you want off of the battery when it's full. Should charge 2x AA batteries as drawn.