Can this even be good for you?

[shaazzamm]

I have been thinking for some time after reading Raymond G’s well written article about ‘why we do what we do’, and have since been wondering, without the end result, can digging or hunting actually be good for you and why. I have read that many people get a good workout or in touch with nature and myself, I find that it is a good way to get something off of or free the mind. I think that it can promote patience and involvement. It is fun to share (obviously, there is a whole forum here) and learn. Some of you have even shared photographs of the beautiful countryside this takes you through, and for others friendships are made from what we share in common. I am asking this question here, because I am organizing a proper dig as an outlet for a certain group of people. Please share with me what you get out of this adventure- anything you can add is great and I would love to read about what your take on it is. Also, Raymond mentioned a psychologist that published an article about chemical reactions and pleasure centers in the brain when artifacts are found and any leads in this direction would be cool! Thanks

[FairfieldOH]

The best thing I get out if it is spending time with my wife and daughter. It's a great way for us to spend time together without the interruptions of every day life.

[longtimefree]

its hard to say what i get out of this , but i know its good, the effort digging, and flys, and bugs, and snakes dont really make me feel one with nature, but the hiking and scenery and other wild life make me feel blessed when i see it , and i will watch for alot longer then most people. the constant state of awareness you remain in looking in the screen or just looking at the groung when surface hunting is to me kinda like fishing, you are waiting for that little indication of anything diffrent be it a twitch on a line or that off color little piece of rock barely visable in the dirt, when it happens i would say it triggers the pleasure center in your brain big time, the feeling is a jumble of excitement anticipation hope dread,elation and sometimes heartbreak,( some yell , some praise the lord , some do the happy dance, others cuss,) and those are just a few of the things you feel that are probably addicting to normal people (lol. lol. ) like us artifact hunters. (and fishermen)

[neralich]

The main thing I get out of it is peace of mind. It is my "drug" and my religion...
I am able to de-stress when I go diggin/huntin and take out any and all of my
feelings....

I have two types of hunting scenarios that I enjoy the most...

Being with a couple of freinds and enjoying the camaradere
...makes it fun even if knobody finds anything...

I also enjoy being alone, at one with myself/lithic gods/nature. It's hard to explain the feeling of digging alone into the night. So far away from the sometimes cruel world we live in.. Not alot of people enjoy being alone and isolated like that,,
But, It does me some good therapy, and some of my nicest finds have been found this away... It's an other-worldly experience that I fixate myself to.
So many memorys digging into the night. I did this religously for 5 years straight on the weekends, and when I say dig into the night,, I mean that I would show up around 4,, prep my hole by 5...... and I would dig into the night, sometimes til 3 in the morning... I could mix it up if I got tired of digging, and could surface hunt...

One of my most memorable nights was surface hunting a plowed feild with a freind of mine and it was on July 4th....

The experience was amazing. Fireworks going off all accross the valley we were in.... The valley made the expoding fireworks sound like we were on the frontlines of a brutal war... Every second exploding noises bouncing off of the surrounding bluff faces... It was a surreal experience that night and we found a couple arrowheads to top the night off with!

Another memorable night was when I was night digging with a freind and we were in seperate holes.. It was probably 2 in the morning when I heard a vividly weird noise... "chih-chih-chih"...... Whatever it was scared the holy crapola out of me!! chih-chih-chih,, again... WTF!!! so I yell to my freind to see if he heard it and told him to turn off his flashlight.... chih-chih-chih...He heard it this time!! We start to whisper amongst ourselves with our heart pounding dam near out of are chests..... All of a sudden, we hear nothing....
We decide to continue diggin and try to forget about it....
.....and I hear it again!!! It sounded MUCH closer. I look up shining my flashlight towards the noise I heard,, and my heart went from speeding like a bullet to calm as a breeze in about 3 seconds!! There it was right before my eyes... Two little mice standing on their hind legs with sunflower seeds in their
mouths, right above my head,, LOL!!! The noise I kept hearing were the mice fumbling around with the sunflower seed bag!!! It was rather "cute" actually!

The memorable storys could go on and on....

Anyways, sorry for rambling and getting off subject...

Jason

[zachMA]

I think the biggest thing I get out of it (besides the rush of actually finding something) is the feeling that I'm helping to preserve and bring to light remnants of a civilization/way of life that's becoming increasingly forgotten in my area. You get a very strong sense of that when you see the development up here. There's an ancient burial ground in my area with hundreds of graves (many of which were from a 1600s massacre) that were bulldozed into a swamp to make way for a gravel pit, and before that a highway. I like to think we're doing something to combat that sense of apathy in regards to what was here before us.

[drdave514]

Peaceful time to clear the mind and reduce stress is continually being shown by researchers to have huge health benefits.

As long as it's about the journey and not the destination I think arrowhead hunting qualifies.

Like most things in life, expectations are the most likely thing to ruin that.

[NeoGeo]

It was good for me..Those that know me,also know that I am disabled.Lots of nerve damage,and back and neck problems..I was on heavy duty pain pills for more then 7 years....After I had seen what the pills had and were still doing to me I stopped cold turkey.(hard 3 weeks)Then I started digging......Well I still hurt but I can now deal with it,and my body is so much stronger...Heck I don't even have to use a cane all the time(mostly at the food store)It has worked wonders for me...And don't even get me started on the life long friends that I have made..

[marksimerson]

Ive got about 60 miles of walking this year so far, about 20 miles of it walking through deep mud! Its great exercise and as Jason says "its my drug". I dont remember most of 1977-1983 so this is much better than that era of my life! When I actually find something! LOL the endorphins in my tiny little brain kick in like a HIGH! Guess its better to have stones on the brain....than a stoned brain!

[tomclark]

I've been so high from diggin'

[Panola]

I'm only interested in how valuable it is .