stacking stone
“Cairn” is the Gaelic word for a stack of stones left as a trailside marker for the next passerby, signifying a direction or perhaps the availability of food or water. Or these ancient structures can serve as a landmark, identifying a grave, a battlefield or a reverential space or vista. Cairns, like this one in Southern California, today often exemplify the meditative Zen practice of rock balancing.
Cairn, inukshuk and hoodoo elements can be seen in this sculpture by Seattle stonemason Cameron Scott, owner of Exteriorscapes. Its link to a hoodoo? Size. Scott’s stacked-stone wonder is 14 feet high; its local granite stones are held in place by rods measuring 2 inches in diameter.
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