>>1579189Could have sworn I left a reply here during field school, but I guess not. Archaeology has a great balance between /out/ and /in/, and the fieldwork is genuinely enjoyable. You spend a ton of time out in the field, but still have time to relax indoors after work/class. Also, depending on the job, there's a nice sense of doing something good and productive with your time outside. Hiking and camping for the fun of it is nice and all, but hanging out in a forest for weeks to both contribute to history and make sure the local government knows how to not piss off people feels very nice.
Just got back from a field trip where we had to auger soil samples in a tidal marsh, and while some of the students complained, I found it really beautiful and cozy. The smell wasn't that bad, and the conditions were somewhat chilly, but not unbearable. There are plenty of things that can be annoying though, like bugs, heat, too much sunlight, and wind, but they've all got solutions and aren't that bad.
The only time archaeology really, really sucks and becomes borderline impossible is when it rains, because then you have to dig through and screen mud, and pushing mud through a wire mesh while everything else is covered in mud, while trying to keep your documents and certain tools mud-free is awful.Thankfully, many field supervisors will do labwork on rain days.
