Stacking rocks - why?

[hellosailor]

OMG! Could it really be...the OP was desecrating The Pet Rock Cemetery ?!

I'm not going near that guy without my hard hat from now on. This could get ugly fast. And it always ends badly.

'a spectacular natural unspoiled vista "
Someone hasn't memorized The Hitchhiker's Guide, have they?
"Wherever you go, there you are!"
If you are there--the vista has been spoiled by your presence. Catch-22.
And I'll say the view from the observation deck of the Twin Towers at sunset, wiht black urban canyons full of lights below, while there's a gorgeous sunset over the hills in NJ and PA out to the west, with a 50-100 mile vista ranging from daylight to night all around you, was just as spectacular as any view of Yellowstone or anything Ansel Adams did.
Wherever you go, there you are!

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

OMG!
And I'll say the view from the observation deck of the Twin Towers at sunset, wiht black urban canyons full of lights below, while there's a gorgeous sunset over the hills in NJ and PA out to the west, with a 50-100 mile vista ranging from daylight to night all around you, was just as spectacular as any view of Yellowstone or anything Ansel Adams did.
Wherever you go, there you are!

Excellent point!!

And if one desires a "spectacular natural unspoiled" view then cairns pretty much goof it up.

[matt w]

I'm pretty new here, I'm learning a ton from all of the years of great threads loaded with excellent info.

I'm somewhat surprised at the level of vitriol and snark evoked by a thread about some rocks stacked on a beach. I guess cruising and all it entails attracts a certain strong willed personality with definite opinions and lack of shyness about sharing them. :-)

I personally don't mind cairns, they are made of local, natural materials and I wouldn't consider a few to be an eyesore. I'm talking about the "rock doodles" people make, not actual functional markers or culturally relevant cairns. But, I can see how stacks and stacks everywhere can get kind of annoying. I do also see the other side of the discussion of the ethos of "leave no trace" and personally that's what we stick to.

If it bothers people that much, there is an incredibly easy solution, get in your dingy and knock them down. And maybe do the next visitor a favor and pick up any trash that's washed up.

[Kenomac]

Hvar, Croatia. Greek settlement 3000 years ago.

[LoudMusic]

The truth is, your idea of an unspoiled earth is long gone. We're rapidly approaching 8 BILLION humans alive on this planet, and we've literally spread to every patch of land that we can walk on.

If you want unmodified coastline you'll have to buy it and protect it with force.

Otherwise, learn to live in a global society.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

The truth is, your idea of an unspoiled earth is long gone. We're rapidly approaching 8 BILLION humans alive on this planet, and we've literally spread to every patch of land that we can walk on.

If you want unmodified coastline you'll have to buy it and protect it with force.

Otherwise, learn to live in a global society.

Sadly, your point is indicative of what may come to pass. For now humans are geographically concentrated in crowded population centers leaving vast areas that are not yet populated. Consequently, there are still many unspoiled areas on the planet for cruisers to embrace.

Attached picture taken somewhere on Lake Superior's north shore (one could debate how unspoiled this location is but nothing man made is visible in the photo.)

[desodave]

Halien is the one who nailed it. Ever cruise with kids? They like to do things on shore and piling rocks is one of them. Desolation Sound is my home cruising ground and is wall to wall fiberglass in July and August. And lots and lots of kids. The inukshuk was the symbol for our Winter Olympics a few years ago and can be found in lots of places around the province, and many many beaches. And I'm sure there's a lot of proud kids behind most of them. The OP needs to mellow out methinks. Piling rocks is not desecration, especially of an area as spectacular as Desolation Sound.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by desodave

Halien is the one who nailed it. Ever cruise with kids? They like to do things on shore and piling rocks is one of them. Desolation Sound is my home cruising ground and is wall to wall fiberglass in July and August. And lots and lots of kids. The inukshuk was the symbol for our Winter Olympics a few years ago and can be found in lots of places around the province, and many many beaches. And I'm sure there's a lot of proud kids behind most of them. The OP needs to mellow out methinks. Piling rocks is not desecration, especially of an area as spectacular as Desolation Sound.

I think the point concerns cairns in remote desolate areas that are difficult to access. Cairns in populated, well used, high traffic areas, etc. are not of concern as these areas are well spoiled if one is looking for beauty off the beaten track.

[matt w]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Sadly, your point is indicative of what may come to pass. For now humans are geographically concentrated in crowded population centers leaving vast areas that are not yet populated. Consequently, there are still many unspoiled areas on the planet for cruisers to embrace.

Attached picture taken somewhere on Lake Superior's north shore (one could debate how unspoiled this location is but nothing man made is visible in the photo.)

Wow, that's gorgeous! I've never been on Lake Superior and didn't know there were such amazing features. Thanks for the pic!

[Delancey]

Leaving behind stacks of stones in otherwise pristine wilderness areas isn't done for the benefit of other people.

It's a selfish and self-gratifying behavior consistent with Histrionic and Antisocial Personality Disorders which are respectively characterized by excessive attention-seeking and a disregard for, or violation, of the rights of others.

It's a way of saying both "Hey look at me!" and "I don't care about other people" at the same time. There's no two ways about it. People who pass this activity off as harmless or insignificant are naively overlooking the underlying problems affecting the individuals who demonstrate these behaviors.

Any claims of meditative purposes behind this behavior are total BS. The meditative experience comes from the activity of balancing or stacking the stones itself, not from the action of leaving the stacks of stones behind.

That action is simply a cry for attention, albeit a more benign and relatively impermanent form of what is commonly recognized as graffiti. Functionally, no different.

People who leave stacks of stones behind are obviously proud of themselves but sadly this is hardly a distinguishing accomplishment since anyone can do it.

Leaving a stack of stones behind doesn't make you special, it just makes you an inconsiderate a-hole.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Sadly, your point is indicative of what may come to pass. For now humans are geographically concentrated in crowded population centers leaving vast areas that are not yet populated. Consequently, there are still many unspoiled areas on the planet for cruisers to embrace.

Attached picture taken somewhere on Lake Superior's north shore (one could debate how unspoiled this location is but nothing man made is visible in the photo.)

True, but you couldn't see stacks of rocks in that photo even if they were there. Or actual graffiti for that matter. It's not a particularly high resolution photo

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

I want the illusion of being in the wild place. Yes I realize I'm not the first set of footprints. However, looking at a scenic vista that may not have changed since La Salle a cairn in the foreground is graffiti.

The cairns have irritated me for years and I'm glad I'm not the only one. How can a cairn be "art" ? Is art something that takes no skill to create and is built in 5 minutes?

Are you sure that the people of the First Nations never stacked stones for one reason or another? Should LaSalle have been pissed that there was graffiti on the shoreline when he arrived and if he was was that just another example of Eurocentric arrogance? Do you feel the same way about the pyramids of Central America or Egypt? They are just a bigger pile of stacked rocks.......

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Leaving behind stacks of stones in otherwise pristine wilderness areas isn't done for the benefit of other people.

It's a selfish and self-gratifying behavior consistent with Histrionic and Antisocial Personality Disorders which are respectively characterized by excessive attention-seeking and a disregard for, or violation, of the rights of others.

It's a way of saying both "Hey look at me!" and "I don't care about other people" at the same time. There's no two ways about it. People who pass this activity off as harmless or insignificant are naively overlooking the underlying problems affecting the individuals who demonstrate these behaviors.

Any claims of meditative purposes behind this behavior are total BS. The meditative experience comes from the activity of balancing or stacking the stones itself, not from the action of leaving the stacks of stones behind.

That action is simply a cry for attention, albeit a more benign and relatively impermanent form of what is commonly recognized as graffiti. Functionally, no different.

People who leave stacks of stones behind are obviously proud of themselves but sadly this is hardly a distinguishing accomplishment since anyone can do it.

Leaving a stack of stones behind doesn't make you special, it just makes you an inconsiderate a-hole.

How about the prehistoric creators of cave paintings and desert hyroglyphs like the Nazca Lines? Were they a bunch of inconsiderate a-holes crying for attention while suffering from AntiSocial Personality Disorders?

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

Are you sure that the people of the First Nations never stacked stones for one reason or another? Should LaSalle have been pissed that there was graffiti on the shoreline when he arrived and if he was was that just another example of Eurocentric arrogance? Do you feel the same way about the pyramids of Central America or Egypt? They are just a bigger pile of stacked rocks.......

First of all the locations for the pyramids of Central America or Egypt are not pristine wilderness places in our present time. Second, as discussed in the thread the cairns of native Americans or LaSalle were not trivial expressions of vanity. It seems like these guys had more pressing concerns on their respective plates so for them if they built a cairn it was relative to survival.

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

How about the prehistoric creators of cave paintings and desert hyroglyphs like the Nazca Lines? Were they a bunch of inconsiderate a-holes crying for attention while suffering from AntiSocial Personality Disorders?

Cave paintings are generally agreed upon as being expressions of what is called "sympathetic magic" which, given their typically remote and inaccessible locations, are understood to have been created for shamanistic rituals rather than casual observation.

I have heard different theories about the Nazca Lines but don't believe a consensus has been formed. Again, given the fact that the figures are hardly discernible from a human perspective on the ground it is clear they served some spiritual function for their prehistoric creators.

Don't confuse the function of primitive art forms with modern day masturbatory stone stacking, they are not the same. Not even close.

That you would suggest they are similar demonstrates your emotionality and lack of thoughtful consideration of the topic at hand.