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So it's okay to tamper with the landscape because I have discerned that it has already been tampered with, so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Eve

So it's okay to tamper with the landscape because I have discerned that it has already been tampered with, so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Every Trekker knows that the most notable aspect of the Prime Directive is how often it was ignored or flouted for expediency or immediate safety of lives. Perhaps if officials were so concerned about the existence of unauthorized cairns, they'd establish a reporting system for hikers to call them in, and then they'd be officially dismantled at the next opportunity. Yeah, I know, remote locations, no manpower.

cjohnson318 3y ago
I've seen hundreds if these things. It's not for marking trails or anything, it's just social media influencers. If I wanted to be surrounded by human industry, then I'd sit in a parking lot between a Home Depot and a Super Target. To your point, yeah, it's a fuzzy line. I don't have an easy answer for you. It's just irritating seeing these silly things everywhere.
viraptor 3y ago
> so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Not only that. The area visible in the first photo was likely not done by one person. And the stacks were not created because people independently got the same idea. You're not only removing each stack, but also lowering the chances of the next person thinking "that's cool and there's space, I'll make one too".
giraffe_lady 3y ago
> So it's okay to tamper with the landscape because I have discerned that it has already been tampered with, so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Yes, that's explicitly what the parks are asking for here. They made the request without providing guidance on how to determine if a cairn is sanctioned and serving a purpose, so presumably find that error acceptable or unlikely.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  I blame The Blair Witch Project.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 3y ago
  Feels like the best balance. I’ve been in extremely remote locations with no official trails and in those contexts these cairns can be literal lifelines. But if the people managing the park are saying “Yeah, go ahead and knock them over please”, then go for it. The converse of this is probably what prompted this, where you have well maintained trails absolutely polluted by the presence of these things and they only serve to distract from the natural beauty. I’m decently outdoorsy and I see that a lot more than my first example.

cjohnson318 3y ago

I've seen hundreds if these things. It's not for marking trails or anything, it's just social media influencers. If I wanted to be surrounded by human industry, then I'd sit in a parking lot between a Home Depot and a Super Target. To your point, yeah, it's a fuzzy line. I don't have an easy answer for you. It's just irritating seeing these silly things everywhere.

viraptor 3y ago

> so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Not only that. The area visible in the first photo was likely not done by one person. And the stacks were not created because people independently got the same idea. You're not only removing each stack, but also lowering the chances of the next person thinking "that's cool and there's space, I'll make one too".

giraffe_lady 3y ago

> So it's okay to tamper with the landscape because I have discerned that it has already been tampered with, so my tampering is undoing the original misdeed? Yes, that's explicitly what the parks are asking for here. They made the request without providing guidance on how to determine if a cairn is sanctioned and serving a purpose, so presumably find that error acceptable or unlikely.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
I blame The Blair Witch Project.
SOLAR_FIELDS 3y ago
Feels like the best balance. I’ve been in extremely remote locations with no official trails and in those contexts these cairns can be literal lifelines. But if the people managing the park are saying “Yeah, go ahead and knock them over please”, then go for it. The converse of this is probably what prompted this, where you have well maintained trails absolutely polluted by the presence of these things and they only serve to distract from the natural beauty. I’m decently outdoorsy and I see that a lot more than my first example.