Day 4: Setting up Camp and Clearing Debris

The party of 13 students started bright and early this morning at one of the main excavation sites of this summer. The job today was to build our little camp, and to clear the area of debris (large branches, logs, etc.). The other two students were working hard at a different excavation site to clear out some material from previous years to bring back to the rest of the group.

The first order of business was to erect two shelters for the precious equipment! This task turned into something of a team building exercise filled with trial and error.

Following the successful completion of the tents, the students split into different groups to accomplish their next mission. One group worked on building a stairway for easy entry to our tents. (They are cheesily posing below in front of their masterpiece).

The next two groups worked on clearing a very large area of its refuse in order to get a better look at the land.

Next week, the land will be scoured for markings such as depressions and rock formations, in order to get a better idea of what the land was used for in the past. Below is a picture of one student who discovered a depression (which may or may not be something of significance), and look at how excited she is. Thumbs up!

The final group was at a different site, and their job was to find and clear the area where a cabin was uncovered by the field school two years ago. Originally, eight years ago, a student from the field school had found a piece of window glass, and two years ago they discovered the source! Pictured below is one person from the lucky group, standing in the foundation of the small cabin.

The first week within the excavation site is now finished, and the students will be returning on Monday to energetically take on the next task!