Death Valley 2022/23

[Beardilocks]

I spent a good portion of the week doing about 7-8 hikes in the Furnace Creek Wash (or as Google maps calls it further up in Greenwater Valley: Furnace Creek Washington hahaha).  Most of these will be obscured.  They're just too close to the population center.  But then, the best way into Death Valley 10,000yrs ago is the still the best way in today.  Its mind boggling how little of the landscape has changed in the last 10k years.  

So the next couple of post will be obfuscated, out of order, and generally mixed up.  But all these hikes took place btw Travertine Springs and Navel Spring.  

Let's start with the oldest.  This is one of the few DV I occupation sites in the park that is pure DV I.  Meaning not mixed with other eras.  Interestingly there is a pure DV II site on the next bench south of this one.  Interesting in that that they didn't intermingle.  Usually pure DV I sites are only so because the spring dried up and there was no further reason to visit the area.  So why are these two eras so close but not shared?

There is a fair amount of debate about when exactly DV I is, partially due to there being nothing to radio carbon date in the desert environment.  I generally see it listed as 5000-10,000BC.  Most of the surrounding occupations that have been dated (Owens Lake, Soda Lake, Lake Mojave) circa 7000BC.  I use the generalization of 10,000yrs ago as it's an easy round number.  And it has a certain weight and impact on the psyche.  Especially when you're standing there on the same gravel.  

The site mainly consists of about 17 of what the archeologists refer to as "hearths (?)".  They do not expand on the meaning of that other than to state that no charcoal or other evidence of fire was found.  So who knows what they were actually used for?  
Most artifacts and shards were found around these structures.  All artifacts were collected by the survey team in the 50s, but consisted of 4 projectile points and all manner of scrappers, knives, choppers, and drills.  Very interesting just how much was left behind.  AND continued to sit more or less where it was placed for nearly 10,000yrs.  Pfffffffffff.  Also found at the site are a single hunting blind, a couple of fallen rock walls, and a couple of cleared circles.  

Even though I can't show it, I will say that the view from here is quite nice.  Not a bad place to camp.

One of the "hearth (?)"s






I found several pieces of lithic scatter that I'm almost certain were worked 10,000yrs ago. It's hard to be 100% sure as I've never handled anything that was worked and then left to sit for that long.  Really hard to photograph the chips and impact markings as well.  But beyond insane to hold something like this that was probably worked by human hands that far back.  Or by 15ft tall blue eyed giants.  Whatever.  Lol.






Sleeping circle of some kind.  


Only large rock alignment or ring.  Not sure what to make of it.  



Overall a massively cool site if only for the confirmed age of it.  Not a whole lot left after 10,000yrs.  And being scrubbed of artifacts by archeologists.  I wonder where this stuff ended up?  Probably forgotten in a box in a basement somewhere.