|
11:00am
Some of the hundreds
of plaster jackets produced by the work
at Camp 1. Each is labeled with a site number
and a jacket number. These are the smallest
of the jackets, most weighing less than
20 pounds.. Some of the jackets collected
weighed upwards of 1000 pounds.
1:00pm
After an early lunch
the team is right back at work. An "assembly
line" strategy, with Chris locking it all
in place from his perch in the truck, made
quick work of the small jackets.
2:00pm
Last to be loaded, the
800-pound jacket containing the pair of
Sarcosuchus skulls causes the tripod
to teeter. Extra ballast (in the form of
Gabe) helps to steady the slipping leg.
Safety is the key consideration. Each of
the jackets is secured with safety straps
before it is hoisted into the air - protection
for people, as well as for the jackets.
3:00pm
Exhausted after nearly
36 hours of physical labor, Greg and Hans
rest momentarily. The truck was sent back
to Agadez with the majority of our equipment,
including our three large tents. After Camp
2 we will sort through everything and repack
for Camp 3. (Check out the enormous sand
ladder hanging off the back of the truck.)
4:00pm
Camp 1 is gone. We do
our best to be responsible about the trash
we produce. In addition to putting many
of the food packages to a second use as
packaging for small fragile fossils, we
burn trash, and ship everything else (batteries,
razor blades, plastic and glass) back to
Agadez.
Once the jackets, sediment,
and camp equipment were loaded onto the
big truck, our 18-person crew (13 expedition
members and 5 guards) loaded ourselves into
the Land Rovers and headed 25 miles north
to set up Camp 2. Strapped on our roof racks:
three bags of plaster, collecting equipment,
cots, sleeping bags, and food for a week
- more supplies than most nomads travel
with in a year.
ABOUT DINO
P.S. In case you are
wondering why you don't see our friend Dino
Dog in any of these pictures, it is because
he is in Agadez under the care of our friend
Moussa. Moussa has three small kids who
love Dino and who are thrilled to take care
of him while we are doing our most active
prospecting. We expect he will join us in
the field again for Camp 3. In the meantime,
we are saving all the camel and gazelle
bones we find in the desert for him to bury
in Agadez.
Gabrielle
Lyon
Team Member, 2000 Expedition to Niger.
|
