cairn – a pile of stones that marks a place (such as the place where someone is buried or a battle took place) or that shows the direction of a trail [ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cairn ]

 

As indicated by a number of our posts, my wife and I are avid hikers and nature lovers. We often seek places where few want to go as well as those that provide views that few will ever get to see. Thus we often hit the trails of lesser known hiking sites and we are always thankful when we have difficult locating the “marked” trail and other hikers have taken time to construct a cairn.

Unfortunately, there are times when we have been misled by cairns or they were constructed in such a way that we misinterpreted them. We carry a GPS system so we have a backup plan when necessary.

David B. Williams has written a book, Ciarns: Messengers in Stone, whereby he covers a broad array of topics related to their history, geology, etc.

Among the topics discussed is the proper construction and care of cairns. One point, for example, is as follows:

“If you build a cairn to mark your trail or a specific location, don’t forget that certain responsibilities come along with creating rock piles outdoors. Cairns can convey many messages to travelers but they are commonly interpreted as trail markers. Misplaced cairns can lead hikers astray and leave them lost and disgruntled after discovering it is a dead end.”

You can read the rest of the article about the book and learn more about building cairns at the link that follows.

Via The Mountaineers Books

Originally seen on the Wirecutter! a recommended website for tech reviews, etc.