Clink, clink, clink, pause. Johan Reinhard stops to take a breath, ice axe in
hand, as Carlos Zarate scrapes away the dislodged debris with a shovel. The
high altitude plains stretch as far as the eye can see. A few snow-capped
Andean peaks in the distance rise above the cloud layer, which hovers a few
thousand feet below us. This is science with a million-dollar view, otherwise
known as high altitude archaeology. Most people think of archaeological
excavations as the slow, painstaking wiping away of minute layers of sand and
earth, usually with a small brush. At high altitude, however, time is short,
because the oxygen-deprived environment is not life sustaining. Shovels and
ice axes are what's needed to penetrate the frozen hard materials that
mountains are made of. A small camp stove and tea kettle are also required
instruments—hot water poured on frozen surfaces can speed up the digging
process.
Just to get above 15,000 feet takes a certain breed of person: someone who
loves the mountains and can deal with uncomfortable conditions, including cold,
extreme weather, sleeplessness, lack of appetite, and a constant gasping for
breath. James Brundige, our soundman and a veteran of high altitude climbs,
describes being at altitude as "forcing your heart to have a mild stroke
because of the lack of oxygen."
High Altitude Archaeology
Just to get above 15,000 feet takes a certain breed of person: someone who
loves the mountains and can deal with uncomfortable conditions, including cold,
extreme weather, sleeplessness, lack of appetite, and a constant gasping for
breath. James Brundige, our soundman and a veteran of high altitude climbs,
describes being at altitude as "forcing your heart to have a mild stroke
because of the lack of oxygen."