DatesOct 5th - Oct 10th 2008 Service ProjectArcheological survey Free DaysAccommodationsBackpack Camping Trip RatingStrenuous : 5-mile backpack; hiking many miles each day looking for undocumented ruins/artifacts LeadersNorm Feaster Equipment |
The Dark Canyon Wilderness is a spectacular canyon wilderness that was the ancestral home of puebloan peoples for 5,000 years. At various times residents of the Canyon hunted on the mesa tops, grew maize, squash and beans on canyon terraces, gathered pinyon nuts on the plateaus, and hunted turkey and deer in the high ponderosa pine forests. They built cliff-dwellings and grain storage warehouses, made pottery in a variety of styles, and fashioned tools from the mineral resources of the canyon - accomplishments we moderns would be challenged to match. Our project is to work with Forest Service archeologists to survey unexplored parts of the canyon for artifacts and ancestral sites. Forest Service staff will provide us with training on how stone tools and artifacts were made, the different styles of tools and pottery used, and how to find artifacts and document the sites where they are found. The training includes a demonstration of the art of "flint knapping" - the fabrication of tools and projectile points from stone - that will give you insight into the things to look for and the types of tools that can be made from stone. We will split into small teams, each led by an archeologist, and slowly walk the canyon looking for stone tools and flakes, projectile points, pot sherds and the remains of ancient structures. Although it may seem like looking for a needle in a haystack, the canyon is rich with artifacts. You will develop a "feel" for where artifacts are likely to be found and how to recognize them. Nobody knows what we will find on our trip, but last year our group found dozens of artifacts including pot sherds, projectile points and a 5,000 year old stone tool. It's hard to describe the feeling of finding a 5,000 year old stone tool, and marveling at the skill required to make it. We also found two previously undocumented cliff dwellings. Dark Canyon is rich in biological, geological, archaeological, and historical significance, and is also one of the most colorful canyon systems on the Colorado Plateau. Dark Canyon begins on Elk Ridge at an elevation of 8,800 feet then cuts through Cedar Mesa sandstone formations dramatically framed amidst a forest of ponderosa pine on its 5,000-foot descent to the upper reaches of Lake Powell. It is remote, harsh, and spectacularly beautiful. On our free day we will explore the canyon, and on the way home there are other prehistoric sites and museums to visit.
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