This week I went through a bit of a personal hell due to the fact that our archaeological field survey course began on Monday. Monday was perfectly fine, we went to the university, looked through some survey files and practised using the GPS. It was indeed fine and dandy, even though it rained.
But along came Tuesday. The Hell of Hells. That was when we began our practical field surveying. Which meant that, like during the field trip I took and complained about here, we would first drive in the middle of nowhere and then start making our way deep into the forest. This time, though, the teacher with us wouldn't be leading us to look at a known site - we would be trying to find new sites while the teacher would try to remain as unhelpful as he could.
One of us would handle the map, one the GPS, one would carry the supply bag, one the core drill and one was in charge of the camera. I ended up being in charge of the GPS and I would be helping the one responsible for the map (navigator) with guiding us and determining where we were. At first I was a bit nervous about it since I wasn't the best at reading the GPS yet, but after five minutes I was just glad I was not the navigator because that map was confusing. Mind you, I've been orienteering since I was in elementary school and I was still fairly inept at reading it (I'm ashamed to say I can't even use the compass correctly - no, I wasn't even lousy at orienteering. I liked it! I found it to be easy! Weird, I know). Eventually I did get the hang of the GPS and I was even able to help the map person by realizing where we were - it was still fairly difficult.
But to the actual experience that made it hell:
We were there from 9-10 AM till 4PM, walking around in difficult terrain. It was similar to the field trip we took, just worse because the area we were surveying was very swampy - sort of a boreal swamp/marsh-ish to be more exact. I don't know if any of you have any idea about walking in swamps but let me tell you it is not nice and it doesn't exactly become easier after 6 hours of doing it.
The kind of boreal swamp we were facing had small pines, marsh tea and other plant life growing in it along with the oh so dominating moss. I'm used to thinking that thick-looking lumps of moss would carry weight better, but when you hit the proper swamp, this was not the case. It was like stepping onto a big soft pillow that was filled with mud. So, when walking, first you would sink and then you would have to raise your legs high due to the undergrowth, and even slightly higher due to the sinking. While trying to do this, your shoes would get stuck in the mud a bit and you would have to avoid a whole bunch of things from random piles of animal faeces to deeper and wetter holes between the lumps of moss. You know, before this little trip, I had no particular opinion on swamps. I just didn't want to go near them and I kind of feared I would drown in one if I got too close to it. But during Tuesday I started to form the firm opinion in my head: I hate swamps.
When you would finally get out of the actual swamp (Just a side note: There was one swamp we crossed several times for one stupid reason or another *facedesk*), you would be glad, thinking now there will be solid land beneath your little rubber boots but no, the forest has swampy elements in it too and when it doesn't have random spots of swamp, it still has annoying undergrowth, strange holes you can twist your ankle in, thickets you have to push through, slippery rocks, soft moss, both dead and alive trees, etc. The conditions were not made any easier by the fact that it had rained recently and everything was extra wet. I got pretty tired pretty fast, and it didn't help that our navigator and our teacher both walked fast and we had to try and keep up.
Towards the end of the day it was like my legs had been on fire. They started to feel really pathetic as I couldn't raise them high anymore, making it increasingly difficult for me to walk through the difficult terrain. This was when we actually found a new ancient site, an hour before we were supposed to be finishing up. Luckily it was not much leg work to document the site, I think I would have died. While I did not get to sit around, it still felt like my legs were able to rest a bit. But then, after documenting the site, we had to carry on and hurry to the car. I was pretty okay while we were still in the forest with some solid ground but then we entered the damned swamp area again! This time it was several swamps in a row, then thickety forest. I swear I contemplated on just laying down on the swamp and giving up on life. The rest of the group had to slow down a fair amount for me, but I just couldn't walk that efficiently anymore. I panted a lot and I felt like throwing up due to that.
But oh the glee when we FINALLY came to the dirt road we had parked the car on. Solid ground! Solid ground that would not sink, that didn't have holes in it, that didn't have growth on it that required me to raise my legs like a bloody stork! This was when I really realized how weakened my legs were; I could barely raise them off the ground even on solid road.
That was also when I decided to drop the course. This was the first day of almost two weeks of surveying and I knew that the next day I would only tire sooner. I would not be able to keep up with the others, I would hold everyone back and I would end up hurting myself. I need to attend it when I'm not in such a crappy shape...
So, there. My Tuesday hell.
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