Check out the amazing view from high in the peaks above our remote camp. In the valley below, follow the river a way and then there are two small humps on the right side of the river. Those are Raven Bluff where we are digging. Look closely to see our yellow tents to the left of those.
Today I got to try excavating in our largest hole, and later we climbed a tall peak near camp. There was a commanding view from the top looking out over the sweeping green valleys.
But before I tell you about the climb, let me tell you about the excavation. Up until now I have been mostly washing and sorting the artifacts excavated by the archaeologists, but today I was given the chance to dig. There was a section of the hole which had been dug in earlier years and had been filled back in. My job was to remove the old dirt and get down to the untouched stuff. It was a little unclear where the untouched soil started, but I started to find flakes in some areas of the square hole. It was so interesting to carefully pick away soil from around the rocks and scrutinize the tiny flakes to see if they were from tool makers. Dr. Rasic looked at my collection of flakes and said I did a good job. I'm starting to feel like part of the team! I hope I can dig some more tomorrow.
Here is the north end of our largest excavation hole at Raven Bluff. This hole is shaped like an 'L' with a north-south arm and an east-west arm. Some of the oldest and most interesting artifacts have been found right in the corner. I was excited to be finding green and brown flakes left by tool makers long ago.
We dug some more after lunch but when the rain swept in we covered the unit with a tarp and headed into camp. Three of us decided to go climb a nearby peak which had been calling my name all week. I had tried twice before but been held back by weather. It looked like it might clear up so we packed day packs with some essential gear, got a shotgun for bear protection, and headed out. There are man colorful wild flowers this time of year.
These purple flowers may be weeds to Alaskans but I thought they added some nice color to the gray rocks around the river.
It only took us an hour to get to the saddle right below the summit. Rain came down there but quickly passed and we continued to the summit. A peregrine falcon flew out from its nest in the rocks. We made sure to stay far away so it felt safe. Just as we reached the rocky summit, Bill, Ines and Stan came by in the helicopter. They flew right up to us and waved from the shiny clear windshield. What a great hike! We returned to camp an hour later for hot spaghetti. Yum!
After a careful climb up the steep slope, we enjoyed our time on the summit of this beautiful peak. At left is Courtney from New Jersey, our camp cook, and in the middle is Stephan, an archaeologist from Germany. It was great to get out of camp and stretch our legs. Look carefully to see our yellow tents in the back ground.