Time with the Dogs

 

For the last few months I have been in the field a lot, and then there was the trip to Maine.  Consequently, the dogs have been at the kennel a lot.  They love Red Gate, the kennel, and they know the routine.  On arrival they just saunter on in and I gather they are favored guests.  But they do go nuts with joy when I pick them up.

So since we got back from Karluk it has been good to get in some time with the dogs.  Every day we have been going on long hikes - just me and the dogs.

Patrick

August Plants

 

Monkshood

I'm not done with reporting on the Karluk dig quite yet - I still have all the archaeology to report on (the house, artifacts, and charred grass matting).  But I thought I'd take a break from archaeology and show some of the plants I have been finding on the walks since I got back.

I've done a few hikes in the alpine since I got back and all the flowers that were blooming in early July are now over and done with.  No Kamchatka Rhododendron, no pixie eyed primroses or violets.  Now there are lots of fleabane, gentians, asters, and monkshood.  I also noticed that the lingonberries are not yet ripe.

Down low it is prime berry season and I have been eating lots of blueberries, raspberries and salmonberries on my walks.

Patrick

Russianberry variety of Salmonberry

Salmonberry

Cottongrass

Star Gentian

aster

highbush blueberries

Nootka Rose

Grass-of-Parnassus

Douglas Aster

pale gentian

Vermillion wax cap mushroom?

Rainbows after work

 

At Karluk Lake one of my favorite 'extra curricular' activities has always been fly fishing for rainbow trout.  After doing archaeology all day my mind is often stressed thinking up solutions and possible 'answers' to all that we have been finding in the ground.  So going fly fishing is a good way to de stress and let the solutions to all my questions answer themselves in my head.  This might take some explaining.  But basically while doing some such activity as climbing mountains, skiing or fishing I often come up with solutions when not thinking particularly hard about the questions.  Downtime with physical activity sparks good thinking!  So in this way fly fishing is a good compliment to archaeology.

And the river and fishing certainly is beautiful.  I'd wander off down river and look for fish.  I'd see bears and  swans and catch trout.  It was my 'alone' time - I was on the river with just my own thoughts for company.  This is not strictly true - a couple of times when I went fishing I was joined by a small bear (nicknamed Simba) with relatively large ears who seemed to enjoy my company. Simba would watch me from the bank or fish downstream of me, and I never felt threatened at all.  I could tell that he/she enjoyed my company too.  Simba would just show up when I started to fish, and I notice that she left when I stopped and went back to the cabin.

Patrick

Simba my companion bear

Simba chasing fish

fish on!

Karluk Landscape

Karluk is a pretty place.  On this trip I did not get a chance to climb any mountains or do any serious hiking.  Our days off were all rain days. These landscape pictures are all from close to the cabin where we stayed.

Most mornings there would be fog on the lake and dew on all the plants near the cabin.  You could watch the fog flowing past and down the river valley.  By noon the fog had usually burned off and it sometimes got hot.

Patrick

Karluk Field Crew

 

After I got back from Karluk I shared the top photo with my son Stuey.  I told him we took it on the last day just after we finished backfilling the site.  He replied, 'you all look very proud'.  And that about sums it up - it was an awesome crew and we did a fantastic job.  We should be proud!

I'll show the crew at work and what we found in posts to come.  This post is just pictures of the crew.  The crew that never got down when the bugs were bad or when it was raining. The crew that moved an absurd amount of dirt and did it with a smile.  The crew that uncovered the 3000 year old house perfectly.  

SMS, TWL, MAP, DJR, and PGS.  The Karluk 2023 archaeological field crew!

Patrick

Jeff our KBBC connection

crew cleaned up for dinner at the KBBC

The whole crew showing off the exposed burned roof sods of the 3000 year old house