Updates to this project will be added to the bottom of this post.
The hiking trail is finished (whatever that means). Still lots of dead limbs to chip up but the trail is as complete as I’m inclined to make it. But what to do with all those rocks?
“A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, they were raised as markers, as memorials and as burial monuments (some of which contained chambers). In the modern era, cairns are often raised as landmarks, especially to mark the summits of mountains. Cairns are also used as trail markers. They vary in size from small stone markers to entire artificial hills, and in complexity from loose conical rock piles to elaborate megalithic structures. Cairns may be painted or otherwise decorated, whether for increased visibility or for religious reasons.” (Wikipedia)
The Wikipedia article will tell you everything you might want to know about cairns but it piqued my curiosity so I’m reading a tiny book titled
I chose a small natural clearing for my first effort. I immediately figured out the larger circle below would require way too many stones. The small circle is about six feet in diameter. The next photo down provides a better view.
Barb donated some unused gardening stones for the project and I borrowed a neighbor’s 4×4 to get them closer to the site.
My original “design” was base approximately four feet in height, topped with a cone of smaller round stones. But I soon realized it would take a lot more stones so I’m currently aiming for a height of three feet for the base.
There was no easy way to get this many heavy stones down to the cairn site. I made one trip using a wheelbarrow but that was clearly not the way. Too much lifting and struggling with the wheelbarrow on the steeper parts of the trail. My trusty sled was the way to go.
In the next two photos (below) you can see the basic shape of my cairn. Using all of the available stones, I only reached a height of about a foot and a half.
Before going higher with the base, I’ll fill the center of the cairn with smaller, irregularly shaped rocks to provide stability to the structure. Fortunately there is no shortage of these.
I can already see this first effort is going to be… sloppy. Next effort can only be better. And smaller. Stay tuned.
Monday, July 31, 2023: The base is pretty close to two feet and I’m shooting for three. I think the smaller rocks in the center help stabilize the cairn but it takes a lot of rocks to fill.
Wednesday, August 2, 2023: Inch up. Addition of brick hammer allows me to shape rocks which should result in greater stability. Tomorrow is small rock fill day.
Sunday, August 6th: The base of the cairn is about as high as I’m willing to make it. A little more fill rock and then what I expect to be the challenging task of a cone of smaller stones.
Tuesday, August 8th: Was shooting for 3 feet hight but stopped at approximately 2 feet, 4 inches because the top was relatively flat. I’m envisioning the top as a cone of round-ish stones, not unlike a stack of cannon balls. This photo (camera angle?) makes the cain appear to lean more than it does. Lots of nooks and crannies I plan to fill with small stones.
