Opening Site

June 10th 2018

Knysna, South Africa

Coming to Knysna is always a bit like coming home. Some things in Knysna have changed. The burnt hills have regrown, bright green vegetation filling the gaps. The lodge has changed as well—the backyard is level, and a new paddleboard rests next to the kayak. We now have wifi, a change greeted with much delight (I now have no excuse not to blog). Other things are very much the same.

Half of our crew was mislaid, tickets cancelled, delayed, or flights missed. Generally, the worst we can expect is for someone—one person—to miss their bus. However, six of eight incoming students missed their arrivals, turning our weekend into a constantly evolving schedule. Fortunately, the MAP (Mosselbaai Archaeology Project) CRM people spent a considerable amount of time sorting through equipment and prepping it for our season. Generally, this is a last-minute action performed by newly arrived students and the MAP staff, but this new system works much better.

The traffic appears to be worse, ensnaring us as we drove through town. Still, the sunlight glinting off the lagoon and highlighting the rim of the Knysna Heads makes up for the commute. The glen hasn’t changed. The wind comes whistling through like a cannon, tearing through our layers of clothes. By the time we left, I think all of us were quite ready to be out of the wind. The city has installed a new staircase since last year. Despite the damp wood and glistening surface, the broads were not slick enough to cause an accident. The trail has become significantly more overgrown than normal, healthy, thick fynbos tangling our steps. The fire has allowed the vegetation to come back so much stronger.

Once at the base of the cliff, we unloaded and had everyone wait while Dr. C and I set the ropes. It took us some time to remember how to tie them, fortunately, someone had the foresight to tape the portions where the knots are placed. Once everyone arrived we began planning how best to attack the mound of partially cemented sandbags reaching up the slope. Forming a chain, we removed the layers of sand, splitting them into piles of “good,” “recycle,” and “rock.” The sandbags, frayed by years of use and exposure to the elements, tore as often as not, and soon a layer of bright yellow sand covered the turrets and the exposed sediment. Shortly after, we grabbed buckets and scrapped it away, pouring it into unused bucket bags. Using the boards, we began to break up the hardened sand.

Once everything was exposed, we set the total stations (guns). Our gunners are inching ever closer to the edge, driven by the lowering and shifting excavation. The bad thing about a slope is that eventually you will reach the bottom, which in our case happens to be the edge of a cliff. Once the tripods were set and the guns secured, we ran into a snag: the batteries weren’t actually onsite. In exasperation, a group of us went to pack in more sandbags. By the time everything arrived, it was time for us to depart. It wasn’t until the following day that things began to run more smoothly. The guns were set, not in record time, but without incident. Excavators were assigned to quads. We are opening new quads this year, and the result has given the slope a new depth. I can no longer stand at the bottom of the sequence and reach the top. Another benefit to this is having a lot more excavators—we have set three guns and they are constantly collecting data.

 
 Onsite, there is a rush to set the guns, the lights, the table. afterwards, everything falls into a comfortable but busy lull. Buckets are passed up and down. Artifacts are plotted and removed.  We have yet to spot an elusive otter, but are optimistic. Seeing seals and whale frequently helps.

It wasn’t until Friday that our staircase was set. We spent much of the week dragging several hundred sandbags closer to site, finally gathering them at the base of a cliff. By forming a bucket chain along the edge of the cliff (everyone in precarious positions are roped in), we passed them up. With the creation of our stairs, we are ready for the next five weeks in the field.

Saturday we were excited to visit our favorite market in Sedgefield, where the best food and drinks are to be found. The rain has kept us from hiking, so this first weekend offers more opportunities for relaxing.