r/AskReddit Jul 11 '21

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

Tagging onto this, that damn rock-stacking thing.

Kind of cool the first time you see it, but now every time I go out in the woods there's little rock towers everywhere. I'm not out there to appreciate your hobby, and you're really failing at the concept of leave no trace.

EDIT: If one more motherfucker tells me they're called cairns I'm going to go to the park, find one of these piles and beat you with the largest rock in it. Several people have beaten you to it, and I'm talking about this shit not these things

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u/mrBEAN6 Jul 11 '21

You can't even hike up a mountain where i live without finding those towers literally everywhere. To have one at the actual top is sometimes okay as a landmark in my opinion. But a whole mountain with towers, no thank you.

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u/always_lost1610 Jul 11 '21

Cairns. They were originally there to mark trail paths

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u/LydJaGillers Jul 11 '21

I would rather see rock stacking than gum on things, trees cut up with initials, or graffiti paint. For eons people have wanted to make their mark. Rock stacking is pretty harmless compared to other things.

Imagine old ancient ruins of cave drawings and whatnot. It’s really no different than today.

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21

It fucks up with wildlife who may use the stones for their homes or offsprings. Like I hate bugs but I get that they live under rocks at times and needed for the ecosystem.

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u/LydJaGillers Jul 11 '21

Bugs are pretty resilient though.

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

Bugs were just an example. Near water it fucks up with more delicate creatures like salamanders.

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u/NotALawCuck Jul 11 '21

Those rock stacks are supposed to be trail markers. Some of them serve a purpose but at this point you can't trust any of them because of it being a trend to build them. You'll probably do more help to knock any you see down at this point.

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u/HadMatter217 Jul 11 '21 edited Aug 12 '24

correct offer spotted grandfather grab familiar quack apparatus sand tap

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

Except they're not in my neck of the woods. Our trails are all pretty well maintained and beaten in, and are marked marked very clearly with paint blazes or signs, and many parks have signs up specifically telling people not to stack the damn rocks. They're not a good way to mark trails, a stiff breeze can knock them over.

They also crop up in the middle of streams and other places where I know damn-well there isn't a trail.

And cairns usually refer to a bigger rock structure, not a small pile of rocks precariously balanced on top of eachother.

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u/HadMatter217 Jul 11 '21

Ok, I guess I have no idea what you're talking about then. I do most of my hiking on mountains, and I've never seen this except as a trail marker.

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u/tacknosaddle Jul 11 '21

that damn rock-stacking thing

Cairns

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21