That old excavation guy at a site in Oregon taught me something I still use

I was digging a test pit near the Willamette River back in 2018, and this crusty guy named Larry walks over and tells me I'm brushing dirt the wrong way. He said I was pushing debris into the feature instead of pulling it away. I thought he was just some know-it-all retiree playing archaeologist, but he showed me on a tiny bone fragment. He took my brush, swept outward from the center, and the bone popped clean after three passes. I've been doing it that way ever since. Have any of you had some random person at a site correct your technique and it actually stuck?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_wilson29d ago

Man, that's a solid tip. I've had a crusty old stonemason show me a better way to split rocks on a trail crew gig once, and it completely changed how I worked for the rest of the season. It's funny how the grumpy guys with calloused hands usually know exactly what they're talking about, even if they deliver the advice like they're annoyed you exist.

angelar5729d ago

The old trail crew I worked with in Colorado called those guys "rock noses" because they'd just stare at a stone like they were having a conversation with it. @tyler_wilson you're right that the grumpy ones usually have the best tricks, but ive noticed they actually get less annoyed when you just watch first and ask questions later. Half the time theyre testing if youre willing to put in the work before they share the real stuff.