I got my first paid archaeology job because of my incredible field school instructor, Dr. Lawrence Todd. I had just finished Colorado State University's 2008 archaeological field school, lead by Dr. Todd (LCT as he's known in the field) in the Greybull River Basin of the Shoshone National Forest. Visit the research project's website for more information and publications for the Greybull River Sustainable Landscape Ecology (GRSLE) project. It's worth a visit, great research and very sexy post-fire archaeology (like Paleoindian through protohistoric period palimpsest). It was 3 weeks before school started back at Colorado State University and LCT offered some of the students the chance to extend their last field session and to make an actual wage doing what they'd spent all summer learning (while backpacking in a very majestic backcountry area in the Absaroka range). An extremely broke junior, I gratefully accepted and signed on for another 2 week session.
Our original field school crew consisted of 11 people including the good doctor, BLT (who taught so many invaluable life lessons that summer), and our teaching assistant. At some point, I really should write something about BLT. Our extended session crew consisted of 3 students, LCT and BLT. The area we needed to survey was not accessible without crossing private land. We almost chartered a copter to take us there. Instead, LCT was able to obtain permission from the landowner to cross their land via truck. What followed was another 2 week session of immensely enjoyable field time with some of my favorite people and great archaeology. Granted, no post-fire glamour on this session. But I made a projectile point grand slam! That does not mean we slammed any lithics, rather that I found a projectile point on that trip from every known time period in the area. No Folsom or Clovis points, but general Paleoindian to protohistoric and with some exemplary regional typologies.
The crew had worked together extensively in the preceding months. We were a cohesive unit and even had codes for repetitive artifact classes. One of the most touching memories I have of this group came from a major (newbie) wardrobe malfunction. I foolishly brought 1 pair of jeans (not work jeans, flare leg jeans) to wear during the previous field session, which was 3 weeks backpacking in very rugged terrain over a glacier and through an intensely burned area. My jeans held up fine until one fateful afternoon when I sat on a triangular rock. As I got up, that triangular rock hooked onto a back pocket and ripped out a check from my jeans. It was one of the very few times where I've been desperate for a camp mom or someone better prepared than myself. Thankfully, BLT and SF came to my rescue with a sewing kit (which didn't last) and a borrowed pair of trekking pants. Those are some first class women.
This job/field school equipped me with a no fear attitude and an insanely high tolerance for bad conditions. Every job I've held since has not held a candle to the toughness that we had that summer. We backpacked for 3 months, living off of Mountain House and what horses could pack in to the main sites when we had them. I lost 60 pounds (mostly as a result of balanced macros, limited caloric intake, and an exponential increase of my exercise). LCT even had us wipe with pine cones since we couldn't have toiletries in the backcountry. This sounds rough, but the level of solidarity we shared made it easy. It was the best archaeology experience in my life and I miss it constantly.
From the frame bottom, BLT, SB, SME, SF, AKT, JTC, me (KEW), MMJ, MW, flagging seed beads at the Dooley site.
