Carter Military Road

I just got back from a weeklong camping trip for a Passport in Time project. Passport in Time projects are fairly common throughout the states. They are basically an opportunity for the public to be a part of an archaeological project. For our Passport in Time project, we had a group of about 25 volunteers with metal detectors to help us find artifacts along the Carter Military Road. The Carter Military Road was used in the 1880’s and goes from Fort Bridger, Wyoming to Fort Thornburg in Vernal, Utah. We have found also sorts of artifacts along this road, including eagle buttons that adorned military coats, wagon parts, nails, tent stakes, coins, and we even found a historic shoe. Our volunteers were a diverse group from around the United States. Many of them routinely participate in Passport in Time projects, and some even come on every Carter Road project, and study it’s history as a hobby—so they knew more about the Carter Road than we did. There were quite a few retired couples; the average age in the group was probably 60. But there was also a father and daughter that came, it was their first time using metal detectors and their first Passport in Time project. All the volunteers were really smart and interesting; one even had two PhD’s (chemistry and I forgot the other). They were more than willing to tell us everything they knew about the artifacts that they found, so they were a lot of fun to work with.  

We left for our trip on Monday morning, and got back on Friday. Our campsite didn’t have any water, electricity, or cell phone reception, but it did have an outhouse. This trip included all the crews of interns, so there were about fifteen of us. Instead of hiding in my tent and reading, as I did in the High Unitahs trip, we all hung out together, played Frisbee, roasted marshmallows, and played cards. On Wednesday, we had a Dutch oven dinner and potluck with all the volunteers. So while I had to go a week without showering, this trip was a lot of fun.  

We worked pretty much from eight to five everyday. One day we were at a site that was in a meadow, with no trees or shade. The volunteers found nearly nothing and I just baked in the sun. So, despite the fact that I was wearing sun block, I was badly sun

burned on my face and my nose blistered. The other interns called me Rudolph, but then they also gave me aloe and a hat. Aside from that day, all the other workdays went well; we found many artifacts, and there was some shade to stand in. On Friday, I gave a presentation with another intern to a group of boy scouts about the Carter Road. They were trying to get their archaeology badge (I didn’t know there was such a thing). It went well, we told them about the history and conditions of the Carter Road and showed them what kinds of artifacts we have found there. The boy scouts seemed very bored, but the counselors and staff were excited.

All in all, it was a good week, though I’m glad to be back in a regular bed and showered.