Cairn building can be a surprisingly meditative practice that brings you closer to your community and the earth. Making a traditional rock stack or a traditional cairn is a great way to focus on balance and permanence.
Throughout history, different cultures have used cairns in many ways. They may have been made to mark a route, to indicate a food source, or to warn of danger. In North America Native Americans also made cairns to serve as burial places, a tradition known as inukshuk.
The word cairn derives from a Gaelic word that means “heaps or heaps of stones”. It is usually built as a hill. They range from small rock sculptures up to large manmade hills of stones. Some are similar to kistvaens, dolmens and earthworks but built with stone instead.
Hikers, in particular, have a long and varied use for cairns. Cairns can be used by hikers to return to the trailhead at the end of a long day of hiking or to help them find their way in remote wilderness areas.
A http://cairnspotter.com/cairn-as-a-therapy-by-data-rooms/ well placed cairn could save lives and guide a group hikers who get lost or are having difficulty finding the trail. However, some people argue that cairns are not a natural part of the environment and are in violation of Leave No Trace principles.