Monday, April 27, 2015

Stacked


The Story of Stacked Rocks is hands down my most visited blog post.  It has accumulated 6,779 hits so far.  People just like Cairns I guess.  I call them stacked rocks.  And I always photograph them. They are also oddly controversial.  I received a negative and extremely long winded comment on stacked rocks in Hawaii. Too long to post here. But here's another short and to the point one.  And my reply...

S Wood said...
I REALLY wish people would stop this ridiculousness. National Parks are not ours to deface and destroy. If these 'stackers' can not appreciate natural beauty for what it is, the least they can do is leave it be for those of us that do.
Sharon Wagner said...
This is an old post. But I check it every once in awhile because it still gets so many hits. I've noticed I have another negative comment about stacked rocks. I'm leaving it on my blog because it is a different perspective to the beauty of stacked rocks. I agree that moving rocks around in National parks may be destructive. But then again, maybe there are more important things to worry about. I think the most important thing is that people are out really enjoying nature and our parks!

The above defacement of a beach (Ha!) was stacked in Canal Park, Duluth. It's a rock extravaganza up there.  If I wasn't so busy snapping photos I might stack some rocks myself.  I could manage that easy stack.




A rocks eye view.



A mini stack.



What a balancing act.



And such a beautiful sculpture.


A mighty and breathtaking stack!  I absolutely love this reflective photo.

It's so Duluth.


14 comments:

DJan said...

think they're lovely, but I do know some people get really upset by them. I also really love that last one, Sharon. Breathtaking shot! :-)

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Neat pictures.

There is always someone out there who wants to cause a big stir.

Anonymous said...

Oh, those stacked rocks are so beautiful - a work of art.

carol l mckenna said...

I love stacked rocks and they add extra beauty to the earth ~ Great shots!

Happy Week to you,
artmusedog and carol

mick said...

Interesting! and why not? I imagine that natural forces will knock them down soon unless they have been artificially stuck together.

Don Urness said...

As I always say: Putting the creation back in recreation.

Tweedles -- that's me said...

We love,, love love them.
thank you for sharing.
love
tweedles

Stewart M said...

Some people really do take themselves too seriously! We play a game where we try to make the biggest stack - but they mostly fall down in the end!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Don Urness said...

I have been thinking a lot about some of the negative comments on your blog and as a stacker of sorts I felt the need to address some of these concerns. First, I have never been to Hawaii and most likely never will. It is too commercial for my taste. That being said, rock stacking is the least of Hawaii’s problems. If indeed it is offensive to the indigenous people I apologize but I am guessing the roads to get to the park and accommodations to warehouse this many people are far more offensive. If this is at a national park their have probably been other developments added such as trails, guard rails, rest rooms and concessions to satisfy the teaming herds. It seems to me that the 2.5 million tourists pose more of a threat to scientific investigations than stacked stones which are going to fall back down during the next earth quake or wind storm. Granted the signs warning against stacking stones are far more attractive than the stacks themselves. OK, I can understand the problem with millions of people building cairns in a national park but I still think that the amount of resources consumed and the accommodations needed to move millions of tourist in and out of the area is far more obscene than stone towers. It would appear that man has been stacking rocks since soon after Og moved out of the caves. At first it was to mark important areas such as burial sites, food caches and trails. The Scandinavian people used cairns as a way of marking trails through the glaciers. Early Native Americans used them to mark trails as well. Many National Parks, I have heard, use them to mark outback trails where they want to keep them as natural as possible. The Inuit people were some of the first to use them creatively with their Inuksuk’s or stone men. I first saw cairns traveling through Iceland and later Norway where I was inspired to try it myself. I built along a public bike trail and soon met resistance from some of the locals who thought they were satanic. It has always amazed me how something as harmless as stacking rocks could stir up so much ire. Many artists started doing this type of nature works as a way of not leaving another material object lying around. Although I haven’t given up on my other art, I must admit I like the feeling of knowing that a year from now all that will remain of my building is pictures and memories. I have a very strict creed when building. I bring no materials to the area and remove nothing but litter. As I see it there are two kinds of people, those create and those who destroy. I prefer being a creator.

Sharon Wagner said...

That is so interesting Don. I'm glad you chimmed in with the perspective of an educated, nature loving builder. I think they are beautiful and most of the haters need to take a chill pill.

Linda Hensley said...

This is "defacing" parks? Come on! I've stacked lots of rocks along the river, and the river sets it right again every spring flood. Some people don't have any sense of balance, which is I guess why they resent balance rocks. Love the photos!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I'm with you. Other things to worry about. Now if they were taking truckloads of those rocks home to make cairns to sell that would be a different story. But stacked where they're found or near there ... No problemo. Lovely photos.

Barbara/myth maker said...

I like the stacks.

Nanlee said...

I think stacked rocks are just beautiful.
I believe they are a wonderful way to honor the beauty the natural world has given us AND in time our stacked rocks will often be blown, shaken or wave battered down back to the "natural" form ! :-D
The forst timme I saw "stacked rocks" was in Canada. There they are called inukshuks - means "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path."

And Donald Urness - not all Hawaii is commercialized. I've been to Kauai and the Big Island 7 times and they are magical, peaceful places. You should go ! Just don't stay in a city or at a resort !! GET out into the real Hawaii.