CRETACEOUS SUMMER 2014: Egg Mountain Introduction through Photos (blog #7)

EGG MOUNTAIN CREW (July 21, 2014). After waiting out morning rains, this crew of soulful paleontologists and dig volunteers assembled to head out to the Egg Mountain site around 2:00 pm for three hours of digging. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RAIN DAY

Hallelujah for adventurous SOULS dedicated to excavating secrets from Cretaceous sediments! Hallelujah for knowledge of deep time and understanding how this marvelous Earth is constructed and the dramatic lives of dinosaurs that passed away million years ago. How amazing that they left evidence of their existence, and that I have the opportunity to spend time with people who can interpret these past events!

This blog entry offers you photos of taken at Egg Mountain in the Two Medicine Formation, Montana, after the Camp Makela crew had spent most of the day waiting out the rain and for conditions to dry enough to work in the Cretaceous soils.

HIKE TO EGG MOUNTAIN. The dig crew ascends to the Cretaceous dig site for the day, bringing lunch and snacks to sustain them through a rough 8-hour work day hammering through mudstone and limestone. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

HAIL TO KING OF EGG MOUNTAIN. Dave Varricchio provideds an introduction of this season's work to paleontologists arriving to the Egg Mountain dig site. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

DIG CREW MEMBER EXTRAORDINNAIRE. Ulf Schyldt, has returned to Montana from his home in Sweden to work at Egg Mountain for his fifth year. The buckets he is carrying contain hammer, whisk broom, kneeling pad, awl, paper roll, tin foil, specimen bags, and hair spray. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SURVEYING EGG MOUNTAIN DIG SITE. Dave documents depth and location of the Egg Mountain dig site. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

DIGGING DOWN. As the dig crew extract buckets of mudstone and limestone from the main quarry and go deeper into the Earth, Dave keeps track of the depth of where bone, eggshell fragments, and loose teeth might be found. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

NEST SITE. My Chiboogamoo (aka Tony Martin) looks down at the main quarry from the site where the first Troodon (a small theropod dinosaur) nest with an egg clutch was discovered by Dave. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RUBBLE ROUSERS. Dave depends on youthful energy to hammer out buckets of mudstone and limestone to sort through the rubble for bone fragments and other fossils. These volunteers have been called affectionately "rubble rousers." (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

JACK HAMMER. As needed, the jack hammer is used at the main quarry to get down to the next level, to loosen the mudstone for the rubble rousers. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE OF A DINOSAUR NEST. Ashley and Lee Hall work on the side of the main quarry, carefully searching for dinosaur eggshell fragments and other evidence of dinosaur nests. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ACTIVITY AT EGG MOUNTAIN SITE. Look at those rubble rousers work! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CHILLING BEFORE DINNER. Camp Makela provides comfort for its rubble rousers. Electricity, WiFi, and comfortable chairs are there, and meals are made on a rotating basis by all Egg Mountain crew members. Here Ulf and Chiboogamoo are definitely in the chill-out zone. (photo by Ashley Poust)

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what your experiences are regarding the ancient past and deep time. Are you connected to those people who might inform you about what occurred millions of years ago? Are you interested?

LOVE ON EGG MOUNTAIN. Hallelujah for love in the Cretaceous. Here my Chiboogamoo and I sit on site of former dinosaur nests. (photo by Ashley Poust)