Best Rockshelter EVAH!

At the apex of a hill on the Chestnut Hill side of the Wissahickon Creek, you can glimpse this collection of boulders, faintly reminiscent of Burnt Hill.
When you reach the summit, the angle of the stones makes their arrangement to be, more likely than not, entirely due to natural processes, although some of the stones may have been modified slightly. In any event, once you find yourself among these stones, you see the following structure immediately adjacent to you:

There is a small platform at the base of the structure and the slope of the valley wall. Noticing this, I walked over to that platform and treated to the following site:

Probably the best cave/rock shelter I've seen along the Wissahickon. It is about 10 feet deep and well sheltered by the overhang pictured above. There is lots of evidence of many fires being built here, blacking of the surrounding stone, etc. The edges of the cave, and the several "layers" of stone visible make it possible that the mouth was progressively enlarged by hand. No evidence that anyone has ever tried to excavate. Immediately next to the main cave, is a small niche in the rock. Another rock has been placed inside the niche, almost like a sort of "shelf". It is heavy enough that I doubt it landed in there by accident.

Also, right next to the cave mouth, there is a lot of evidence of *very* well-worked stone.

Is this natural? Recent? Dunno. On the flat expanse of some of these surfaces, there are some markings.

A snowman?
Maybe someone came along and quarried some of these blocks, but that hypothesis is made problematic in that the sizes and shape of the squared off blocks is irregular, and in some areas just melts into the natural contours of the surrounding stone.

Unusual artifact

My son found this stone while we were hiking in Valley Green this summer. It is smooth to the touch, and features two holes, one on each side, neither of which perforates the stone. Some thoughts as to what it might be: a grommet-stone for starting fires, a "nutter" for cracking nuts, an unfinished fishing net weight (unlikely given the location....net-fishing in the Wissachickon won't get you much), or an incomplete amulet?

Propped Rock: Winter Solstice Notch?

So, a few summers ago I noticed the following formation above Valley Green. Near the center of this picture, slightly offset to the left, is a line of boulders. You can see two of them here, quite clearly, capped in snow.


This larger boulder in this formation is actually a propped rock, with a long niche between the larger boulder and the rock propping it up. I snapped this picture about 15 minutes before the sun fell behind the valley walls. It is Christmas Eve, a few days after the "proper" solstice. Note that the light from the sun falling on the snow is almost aligned with the notch. I wish I had taken this picture a few minutes later. The light should fall exactly on the notch.


I walked a ways back from the formation, and up a small valley, until the two boulders in the first image were exactly in line. They mark the location of the setting sun almost precisely.


There are a lot of old stone wall remnants on the crest of the hill near this location, and also a stone "seat" carved right above this location. Very neat.

More Rock Shelter

A nice view space under the rock shelter from the earlier post, around Thanksgiving:


Immediately in front of the shelter opening, there is this propped rock, propped on a boulder, both resting on another boulder. Forms a neat little niche.


Another view:

Nearby rock on rock:

White standing stone, in a cluster of piled largish rocks. Stands immediately in front of a bluff:


Closeup of the white standing stone:

Niche in bluff behind standing stone:


Nearby shattered rock pile:


Nice chunk of quartz near pile: