Rained out!

Well, my wish for no rain was spit back in my face.
We arrived in JMR after a SLOW morning and a little mishap of the fire extinguisher back of the truck going off and us having to unpack and clean everything. Eventually we arrived and set up our tents on the bank of the Mackenzie.
We had our Protected Area Strategy meeting, got deadly hats that I informed Glen we needed to wear all the time! He was not pleased... but he did it anyways :)
Friday we set off into the bush with Mike, and our two community pals, Billy and Ernest!
We hiked  into to Gargan Lake from the highway, took about an hour and a half the first time in. There had been a major storm there over May Long and knocked over tons of trees! We spent that first trek clearing windfall, re-routing the trail and blazing trees. Eventually we made it to a little cabin on the lake and had lunch. We then proceeded to walk right back out again and portage in a canoe! 
We returned the next two days and got the hike in down to about 45min. Not too shabby. We paddled around there, saw two beavers and found a bunch of flakes. All in all a good couple days, and it only rained at night! Until.... Monday. Monday was a downpour, and freezing! We went and had hot showers at Sambaa Deh, where I literally just stood under the hot water - forget the washing of the hair. The rest of the day/night we sat in the car and played cribbage. That night Tom, Albert (a visiting archaeologist from Switzerland), and Todd (a PhD student from U of A) all showed up. 
The rest of the week we paddled around Ekahli Lake looking for new sites, and trying to stay dry from all the freakin' rain! It wasn't so bad with the rain - that's a lie, it was pretty shitty,  all my clothes were damp and it got really cold - but it was worse working in the wet dirt. That was what sucked. 
We did find new sites though! Though we joked that Albert must have gotten a real sense of appreciation for Swiss archaeology - we would sift through endless shovel tests only to come up with three or four flakes a day! Mean while in Switzerland he excavates entire pile dwellings and ice patches in the Alps from neolithic times to now! How boring hahah.
The rain was persistent and when Tom and Albert left on Friday, Glen made the ultimate decision that if it was raining on Saturday, we'd leave. Very counter-productive working in the wet dirt... and so it goes that Friday was our best day!

Famous microblade

We got a tow over to Sanguez Lake from Ernest and Billy,  they had a kicker on their canoe, so we held on to their gunnels and were pulled over! We spent the morning at one site, digging holes and finding nothing, so after lunch we went to another place where BAM Todd found a surface flake! We did a couple holes which yielded like 6 flakes- major break through. Then Todd hit the motherload, a shovel test with like 20 flakes and a microblade (my favourite tool :)). But then it started to rain, and rained most of the night.
So we packed up and came home Saturday, and plan to head back out around then end of July when the water table willbe a little lower.

Please no rain.

Well, it's that time of year again! Field season!
Last week Glen and I drove out to Yellowknife River to do some brief reconnaissance for our up coming work with the Yellowknives. It was kinda of disheartening. The area which had been used for generations, continued to be used into modern times and the area was bulldozed and covered in gravel - potentially ruining any accurate stratifications.
Anyways, we walked around, did a couple shovel tests which revealed hardly any organic soils and a crap ton of glacial lake sediments. Bad news. But we were only there to scope it out, we go full throttle in July!
Tomorrow is another big day. Glen and I hit the road again for Jean Marie River!
We are working with the community on the cultural inventory for the PAS again this summer, which I am pumped for. What I am not pumped for is the bugs. Dear lord. I took Corona swimming tonight, and as soon as we passed the old rec hall at Con, we walked into a wall of bugs. Puke. I cannot even begin to imagine what will be in store for us in the Dehcho.
We're walking into Gargan Lake on Friday, setting up camp there for the weekend, walking back out on Monday to meet Tom, a visiting archaeologist (Albert) from Switzerland and a PhD student (Todd) from U of A. We'll all then camp at Ekhali Lake, where Glen and I were surveying last summer and fall.

Hopefully, we'll have some deadly finds, gorgeous weather and good time, with minimal bugs :)