Cairn making can be a surprisingly relaxing activity that will bring you closer together with your community and the Earth. It’s a great way for you to get your mind off of the everyday and focus more on balance and permanence.
Throughout the history of mankind, cairns have served many different purposes. They may have been used to mark out a route, to indicate food sources, or to warn people of danger. In North America, cairns were also made to serve as burial sites for Native American peoples, a practice known as inukshuk (the plural is inuksuit).
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 http://cairnspotter.com/generated-post-2 huge man-made stone hills. Some are comparable to kistvaens or dolmens, but built out of stone instead of ephemeral Earthworks.
Cairns are used by many people, but they are most commonly used by hikers. Cairns are used to guide hikers from the trailhead to their 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 can help save lives, and guide a hiker group that is lost or having trouble finding their trail. Some people claim that cairns do not belong in the environment and violate Leave No Trace principles.