Dedicated to Mara's travel and hiking adventure journals as well as her words of wisdom and suggested resources for hikers and travelers.
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Rock piles? (aka Cairns or Ducks)When asked about rock piles high in the White Mountains of New Hampshire by someone new to hiking above treeline, I responded... Those rock piles are called cairns. In some places, they are called ducks. Usually, cairns are particularly cone shaped and can be quite large. They aren't specific to the AT, but are most likely to be seen where there are no trees to paint blazes as is the case above treeline. Ducks are often smaller cairns where you just have a larger rock with just one or two smaller rocks piled on top. I find the usage of the terms "duck" and "cairn" to be somewhat regional. Very few people in the northeast use the term duck. Perhaps because the smaller "ducks" just aren't as practical when the cairns are built tall enough to guide people after significant snowfall. On a good day in the Whites, the number of cairns along the trail may seem excessive. On a snowy or foggy day in the Whites, even the ones that are there may not be enough to help you find your way along the trail. |
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