Cairn building is a surprisingly meditative experience that can bring you closer with the earth and community. You can make a traditional rock pile or a creative stack to help you focus on balance, permanence and harmony.

Various cultures have used cairns for many purposes throughout history. They were used to mark a route or indicate a food source. In North America Native Americans also made cairns to serve as burial places, a tradition known as inukshuk.

The word cairn is derived from a Gaelic phrase that means “heaps of stones”. They are typically built in the shape of 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.

Hikers, in particular, have a long and varied use for cairns Read More Here. 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 believe that cairns violate Leave No Trace principles and are not a part of nature.