Cairn building is a surprisingly meditative experience that can bring you closer with the earth and community. It’s a great way for you to get your mind off of the everyday and focus more on balance and permanence.
Cairns have been used by many cultures throughout history for a variety of purposes. They may have been made to mark a route, to indicate a food source, or to warn of danger. In North America, Native American peoples also used cairns as burial sites, a practice called inukshuk.
The word «cairn» comes from the Gaelic for «heap of stone». They are usually constructed in the form a hill. They can range in size from tiny rock sculptures to huge man-made stone hills. Some are comparable to kistvaens or dolmens, but built out of stone instead of ephemeral Earthworks.
Cairns have many uses, especially for hikers. Cairns are used to guide hikers from the trailhead to their hop over to this website starting point after a long and tiring day of hiking. They can also be used to help them find a way through remote wilderness areas.
A well placed cairn could save lives and guide a group hikers who get lost or are having difficulty finding the trail. Some people claim that cairns do not belong in the environment and violate Leave No Trace principles.