Cairn making is a surprisingly meditative activity that can bring http://cairnspotter.com/generated-post you closer to the earth and your community. It’s a great way for you to get your mind off of the everyday and focus more on balance and permanence.
Throughout history, cairns were used by different cultures for a wide range of purposes. They may have served to indicate a route to follow, to indicate the location of food, or to warn about danger. In North America Native Americans also made cairns to serve as burial places, a tradition known as inukshuk.
The word cairn comes from a Gaelic term that means “heap of stones.” They are usually built in the form of a hill of rock. 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. They can be used to guide hikers back to the trailhead after a tough day of hiking, or to aid them in finding their way in remote areas of wilderness.
A well placed cairn could save lives and guide a group hikers who get lost or are having difficulty finding the trail. Some people, however, argue that cairns don’t belong in nature and violate the Leave No Trace principle.