Before I started volunteering at archeological dig sites, the idea of driving to a remote location in the middle of “nowhere” and pulling up to an overgrown road with a gate across the opening may have seemed strange or scary.  I mean, who does that?  I do, apparently, relatively regularly.  Of course, I have directions from the dig coordinator and they are expecting me, so it is not as cavalier as it seems.  The truth is, though, that something that would have seemed pretty foreign to me three years ago does not anymore.

I recently realized this change when I pulled up to volunteer at a dig site in Van Wyck, South Carolina.  I was fortunate enough to be invited out to spend some time shovel testing at the site by my contact at the Catawba Nation.  Shovel testing is a technique used to determine where to excavate during future archeological digs. The actual term is “shovel test pit”.  A shovel test pit is a method for Phase 1 of an archeological survey and is a popular form rapid archeological survey popular in the United States and Canada.

On that late afternoon in May, I drove out to the country and traveled down an overgrown road surrounded by dragonflies, wild flowers and some mosquitoes and ticks.  I was able to dig three separate shovel test pits and found a total of three sherds (which are pieces of Native American pottery in this case).  It was a fun afternoon.  It was cool because for the first time, it felt more familiar and like I know what I was doing.  Even though, I am still a novice, it was a memorable experience.  I realized how far I had come in my understanding of procedures and terms.  What a fun and rewarding way to begin my summer of 2024.