Death Valley 2022/23

[Beardilocks]

Having read all the archeological reports on the caves in & around the area, I was keeping my eye out for any that those surveys may have missed.  And I found one on one of my walks.  Situated outside the purview of those studies but still in the region, I found this very cozy little (actually quite big by the standards out here) cave.  I'm not sure this one has been visited in historic times.  For one, it's pretty remote.  For another I saw zero signs of historic ... anything in the area.  No mines, trails, prospects, anything at all. These sorts of sites usually have some signs of more recent habitation, prospectors and all other types would happily use a shelter like this.  But everything seemed just as it was left when it's inhabitants moved on at the end of the season.

The interior of the cave measured approximately 15ft long, 10ft deep, and 9ft tall in the middle.  There was a fair amount of lithic scatter in the dirt outside the cave.  



It didn't look like much from the outside, but the floor was dug out quite a ways to give protection from the elements and more space inside.


Even has a nice window.



There was a stone circle in the back corner that was mostly buried.  Since any excavation is illegal on park land, I can only guess that it was maybe a storage pit, as the ceiling wasn't blackened above it.


Leaned up against the wall next to it, looking for all intents & purposes like a cutting board you would leave leaned against the wall on the countertop for use when preparing your next meal, was a pair of metates.  
(I'm also very curious as to why the rocks protruding from the wall here are worn clean.  None of the rest of the cave showed that kind of wear.)


One that would seem to be for cracking open tougher things.


And the other with a more concave grinding surface.  I could not tell if the red lines were part of the rock or drawn on.






I plan on reporting this to the park archeology team.  They are not very responsive.  Like at all.  But it at least needs to be reported.