Some have flatbed trucks, generators and backhoes to mine their quarry. While some crews use helicopter lifts for the heaviest bones, this crew goes for junkyard tech. While most bones are strapped into packs and hauled off on foot, the biggest chunks are strapped to a salvaged truck hood, then pushed, pulled and dragged back to camp. The ranchers are extremely hard workers, so I think there's mutual respect for the work involved. And digging for dinosaurs is only half the work.
Federal permits require the crew to backfill every hole.
That requires shoveling 700 tons of shale. Although the work is physically draining and full of uncertainty, the rewards are profound. Earlier digs enabled the museum to assemble and display an Edmontosaurus skeleton clocking in at 33 feet long. The T. rex and Triceratops are works in progress. Pfister says the work is gratifying, and the benefits to the museum are priceless.