#balancingrocks

The Rock-Stacking Controversy

If you visit a riverbank or rocky area, you might see hundreds of them all stacked up like a little army. You might call them rock-stacks(which is what I will call them for this post), inukshuks, cairns, or something else entirely. No matter what you call them, they are an ongoing source of controversy in the outdoors community.

In a video I saw many years ago now, a woman was videoing and yelling at someone who was kicking rock-stacks down, and the comments section could not agree on who was in the right. Since then, I have seen posts of people talking about how a “rock-kicker made their kid cry” as well as posts along the lines of “I tried to explain to this mother why not to stack rocks, and she yelled at me.”

The rock-stacks are now being built in mass amounts(often for a photo), and has created a divide.

Rather than argue about what or what not to allow people to do, in this post I am going to tell you all the sides and facts I can so you can make your own opinion.

The “They Are Fun” Side:

This side argues that they are harmless fun. They say that kids and adults alike need time climbing trees, playing in stream, and exploring, in order to truly learn to appreciate nature.

"Rock stacking is an outdoor activity that promotes motor skills and dirty hands." Fatherly

"In modern times, many people use stacking stones to relax, relieve stress, meditate, create, play, and learn." Rhythms of Play

The “They Are Art” Side:

It takes time and perfect balance to stack the rocks just right, and each rock-stack tells the story of someone who did just that. They are art, and should not be removed because they make this group happy to see.

As it turns out, you don’t need sleight of hand or even mud to design gravity-defying cairns. You do need a bit of patience, though, and a knack for “knowing the rocks,” according to Michael Grab, a land artist who has been balancing rocks since 2008. He builds his sculptures with rocks from the natural landscape, usually alongside water.  Rock balancing is an internationally recognized craft; Grab has been invited to design sculptures at rock balance festivals in Italy, Costa Rica, and Boulder, Colorado, where he spends most of his time“ THE ZEN OF ROCK BALANCING” by Garden Design

The “They Are Ugly” Side:

Yup, the opposite as above. This side says that they hike to be out in nature, not to be reminded of humans by all the “ugly little rock stacks” destroying the natural scenery.

The “They Are Environmentally Bad” Side:

Environmentalists and leave-no-trace hikers argue that removing rocks displaces wildlife who use the rocks as homes or to hide under, as well as helps cause soil erosion.

“When rocks are relocated, this also can destabilize the soil and make the area vulnerable to erosion. In the case of removing rocks from rivers and other water bodies, you may be disrupting aquatic habitats and, in extreme cases, could even be affecting the natural flow.” The Washington Post

The “They Will Get People Lost” Side:

Backcountry hikers argue that they are often used as trail markers for places where trails are not clearly marked, and that making random rock stacks can get people lost.

On the other side of this argument, they also say to be very careful which stacks you kick down, because you could be kicking down a trail marker.

"Stone sculptures are often built to mark trails and to help hikers find their way up and down the mountains." CBC

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