Wow, my feet are sore today! My pedometer is registering over 9 miles... We spent most of the day clambering over 25-50% slopes doing survey, and followed that by looking for a geocache site after work. Adam, Doug and Tanya joined me in searching for the cache, but unfortunately we couldn't find it. Hopefully we can go back again and give it another crack. This particular cache is supposed to be a tough one...

Adam rappels down the interior of an outcrop 

Doug pokes around in a rock chimney and is probably hoping that it's not occupied by a porcupine 

This hole opened up into a deep crevice between the rock outcrops 

A very large bird's nest - perhaps that of a crow or turkey vulture? 

I've been lugging around Nalgene bottles for years in the field, and have finally gotten around to trying a hydration pack. This is working out nicely for both doing archaeology as well as my walking marathon training after work and on the weekends. I started out by buying a cheap $19.99 hydration pack at an unnamed big box outlet that blew out the first time I took it into the field. After that, I vowed to get a Camelbak, which are supposed to be the best (hydration packs are all the company makes). I ended up with the DayStar model, which holds 70 ounces (a little more than 2 Nalgene bottles), and is designed to better fit a woman's torso. 70 oz. isn't enough to keep me going all day, but it's about as much as I'd want to carry on my back while still being able to dig shovel tests! Thus far I've been very happy with the purchase, and am also planning to pick up a Camelbak for my husband as well.

Well, I just turned 34! Birthdays aren't such a big deal as you get older. However, a declining metabolism can be. Mine must be slowing down, as I've had a difficult time losing weight in the past few months using techniques that were previously successful. Granted, I don't have a lot to lose, but I am definately not at my ideal weight! I always joke about wanting to be like the folks in the 'Ensure' commercials (physically active silver-haired retirees white-water rafting and whatnot), so I figured it would be best to start sooner rather than later. With this in mind, I decided to sign up for a walking marathon training plan a few weeks ago. Prevention magazine ran a feature on this, and offers a free training plan as well as tips, message forums, etc. through their website - http://www.prevention.com/marathoncentral/ Here is another link on marathon walking for anyone that might be interested in also giving this a try - http://www.marathonwalking.com/

Thankfully my husband has agreed to train with me. Here's how it works: at the end of a 26-week program, we should be able to walk a full marathon (26.3 miles). The training starts out pretty easy - 20 minute walks during the week broken up by days of 30-minute crosstraining, long walks on Saturdays, followed by an easier walk on Sunday and a day of rest on Monday. Within a few weeks, the daily walks increase in length and the Saturday endurance walks progress to 9, 10, 11 miles and up. My job has me putting in a lot of hiking during the workday, and this regimen will be on top of that. Hopefully between the two, I'll find myself getting in the best shape I've been in years. In the past few weeks I've lost 5 lbs.

Updates to come!

Here are a few photos from work. My pedometer reported that we hiked 7 miles yesterday.

Ran and Adam look over the map of the project area

Patty consults with her compass and leads the way 

An intact oil pump jack 

Adam checks out some equipment relating to the historic oil mining industry at an old well site. 

Brad and I did some hiking this weekend on the Tamarack Trail in NJ's Worthington State Forest. We brought along Sitka and Tasha, who really enjoyed themselves (especially when they spotted a raccoon!). The ruins of a railroad bridge crossing the Delaware River can be seen behind Brad. This was the spot where the New York, Susquehanna and Western line crossed from NJ into PA and is just upriver from the I-80 toll bridge. We often hike elsewhere on the old NYS&W RR grade, which last saw passenger railroad traffic around the 1940s.

Part of our property can actually be seen in this photo - roughly the upper right section of the ridge in the distance.

After work yesterday, I accompanied Adam and Travis in the exploration of some rock outcrops and rockshelters in the forest.

Adam explores a crevice. Feces encountered here suggested that this was the lair of a smaller critter. 

This is a photo taken inside a different crevice. The entryway to this was quite small, but it opened up into a larger space inside. The presence of modern trash suggests that this may have been a party hangout for someone recently.

Adam was unable to do much bouldering here as many of the rocks were slick and covered with moss 

Entry to a larger rockshelter 

Travis inside one of the rockshelters 

A mix of historic and modern graffiti adorning the wall of the rockshelter in the previous photo 

Historic grafitti carved into the wall of a rockshelter: "H.M. Graybill Lamona PA 9-9-06" 

"Lamonaville 7-17-1898"

I found these two vintage MG Midget ads (ca. 1976) on the internet. What a fun little car. Wish I got to drive it more often! ;p 

 

Working as a field archaeologist means spending day after day hiking through the woods. We often find evidence of the presence of animals in the forest, but this was something I've never seen before. Any suggestions as to what this might be?

This photo pretty much sums up my day. Walking a transect through this was as unpleasant as it looks...

This is a photo I took last week at work of Patty and Amanda during one of the May snowfalls. This week the temperatures were in the 80s. I think I'd prefer for the temps to stay a little cooler!