Asking for stories/statements about experiences with cairns, for an environmental magazine.

[alexani]

Hey there! My name is Alex and I am a journalist for an environmental magazine at WWU in Washington state. The issue we are covering is the difference between cairns and regular stacks of stones, as the latter not only harms the environment but essentially can have no helpful purpose. Whereas cairns are often memorials or, more commonly, guide markers for travelers alike in the outdoors. 

If anyone would  like to offer any stories or statements about their experiences with cairns, maybe even experiences getting confused or misled by stacks of stones that were not guide markers, that would be much appreciated. With your permission to quote you, you may end up in the story. I'm on a bit of a deadline and would love a response before the weekend, but this post is already a bit of a stretch on time so don't sweat it.

Thanks anyways and have a good day to all who see this!

[JasonG]

Cairns can be amazingly helpful in steep alpine terrain, especially when you are trying to link weaknesses to keep the grade below what you would need a rope for.  Hidden ledges, crack systems, chimneys....they can point the way to an easier path that is otherwise not obvious.  That said, cairns get abused and are often put in places where they aren't needed (scattered willy nilly across boulderfields for example).  I tend to remove cairns more often than I leave them, but they do serve a purpose when used correctly.

Good luck with the article! 

[alexani]

14 hours ago, JasonG said:

Cairns can be amazingly helpful in steep alpine terrain, especially when you are trying to link weaknesses to keep the grade below what you would need a rope for.  Hidden ledges, crack systems, chimneys....they can point the way to an easier path that is otherwise not obvious.  That said, cairns get abused and are often put in places where they aren't needed (scattered willy nilly across boulderfields for example).  I tend to remove cairns more often than I leave them, but they do serve a purpose when used correctly.

Good luck with the article! 

@JasonG Thanks so much for your reply, its super informative and much appreciated. Could I get your permission quote you in the story if it comes up? If so, is there any information you would like me to include for you like your years of experience or your occupation?  

[Rad]

Cains can be very helpful navigational tools in complex terrain, particularly when they guide travelers to the best route past a dangerous obstacle such as a cliff band, steep gully, or river. They can also be helpful in open terrain where a lack of natural features makes navigation challenging. In well traveled terrain, cairns can help keep people on the proper path and prevent alternate trails or other environmental damage.

That said, some cairns serve no clear purpose and can even cause problems when placed off the preferred route through an area. Superfluous cairns in wilderness are an unpleasant reminder of the presence of people, much the way stacks of stones in a river detract from the natural beauty of the river itself. Like Jason, I knock down far more cairns than I build.  

[Steve McGee]

What do you mean by 'wreck the environment'?

[olyclimber]

I saw the biggest collection of "hippy stacks" last year in the Austria Alps.  It was crazy.  At the pass between the Dresdner and Sulzenau Huts, overlooking the lake and glacier.   But Europe is in its own universe as far as man's interaction with nature.