what are those rock piles?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Artichoke, Nov 10, 2009.

  1. Artichoke

    Artichoke New Member

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    oooooof i should have taken a picture.
    i have noticed that on several trailheads in malibu that someone is stacking rocks one on top of another. they are usually 6" diameter rocks piled one atop another about 3 feet tall. hard to miss these. its somewhat interesting (to me) and I wondered what the significance is? I saw one of these today in the entrance of the Guadalasca Single Track. not sure if these are just markers for trails or some kind of ritual type thing.
    have you guys seen these?
    does anyone know what they are?
     
  2. SAR_boats

    SAR_boats Booze Bikes n Boomsticks

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    It is a hobby that some people do, that is all. It is actually pretty cool as it is an exercise in balance, spatial orientation, and patience.[​IMG]
     
  3. berringer

    berringer Weekday Rider!

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    This is where I buried my old bike.

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  4. Keith B

    Keith B Professional Lion Tamer

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    Its answered in the Blair Witch Project.
     
  5. Artichoke

    Artichoke New Member

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  6. Shu

    Shu Active Member

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    In a number of native cultures, including the Hopi Indians of Arizona and many of the Eskimo Native Americans of Alaska, a stack of rocks was
    seen as a symbol of a protective entity.

    Because a vertical stack of rocks looks like a human figure to some extent, these stacked rocks were seen as entities protecting the property, perhaps warding off harmful spirits and helping to protect the sacred space of a particular outdoor area.
     
  7. Pato

    Pato Stop stealing my thunder!

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    Those rock piles are called cairns. They can have several purposes. Three stacked one on top of another usually signifies a trail. They can be navigational land/sea markers or even memorials.

    I think the ones you are seeing are just cairns put up by passer byes who just build/add to existing cairns as sort of an exercise in balancing skills.
     
  8. CarcinogenX

    CarcinogenX Derp!

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    My parent's always told me they signaled the end of the world.
    Meh. Whatever.
     
  9. Chewyeti

    Chewyeti Circus Bear

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    its how you find obscure trails.... (like coldwater at the bottom>....)

    follow the silly stacked rocks
     
  10. DISCO

    DISCO Banned

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    Did'nt know you could stack Sh_t that high.

    [​IMG]

    And how you keep moto's out of the "hobbit tunnel", dicks.
     
  11. BH1

    BH1 New Member

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    I always thought it was just something hikers did to signify a "Someone has been here" type of thing.
     
  12. Pain Freak

    Pain Freak Dead or Alive

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    When riding a lot of trails that travel over rock and other trails where it's not easily followed people will stack rocks and like Pato said they are called Carin's. If you ride slickrock out in the deserts of UT and and AZ these will get you back on trail.
     
  13. 2wheel_lee

    2wheel_lee Active Member

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    Some times it gets a little out of control (this is only a fraction of the cairns present). This is in Sedona.

    Maybe ants are building these to mark their trails?
     

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  14. mfoga

    mfoga Intense Whore

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    I wish I had a picture of the one along the road on the way to Whistler. They took it to a whole new level.
     
  15. TooTech

    TooTech Member

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    This one fell over.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Manny43

    Manny43 New Member

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    Signs

    I know exactly what they are. It's those same freakin' aliens that were vandalizing our crop fields...now they've taken to building mini pyramids...
     
  17. stuffshredman

    stuffshredman Member

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    if you ever need to pinch a loaf next to the trail, this would be the place to hide it.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Piranha

    Piranha Member

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  19. sc_nomad

    sc_nomad New Member

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  20. lmnop

    lmnop New Member

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    I was walking a piece of vacant hillside property once and found one of these rock piles in the middle of nowhere. Without hesitating, the grading contractor I was with told me that "tweakers build 'em". Next came the admission that he had used for a dozen years but been clean for 15. Couldn't quite bring myself to the point of asking him "why a rock pile?".
     

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