Rocks in Canada

“OK this may sound really wierd...

I'm wondering if anyone has noticed rocks stacked in a way that there are 4 or so stacked upright a foot or so away from each other(like two towers) and one big one on top? They were not the most stable looking, like they could fall with a little bit of weather. A friend noticed them all along Lake Superior in Canada...

It sounds like a kairin(correct spelling??) that hikers use at times, but they were in very hard to reach places.

Not a biggy, just has my curiosity peaked....”

“Hodgeman just told me about these while I was on the Yoho Trip. Apparently these are cairns that orginate with an Indian culture. They are set up in that fashion so that you can view your next direction or place you should be going. I'm sure he could tell you more.”

“Hmmm, thanks islandgirl I'll wait for more from Hodgeman...”

“No brainer here. They use cairns all over the world. I doubt there's one group who can claim credit for them. In the absence of some other material to mark trails, rock piles work.”

“I here ya gear slut, I was just wondering because they seemed to be significant there... like in Port Stanley they had a very large one... was just wondering....”

“how do you spell it... inikshuk... i'll look it up... it's the inuit... just a min, i'll be back”

“Inukshuks rise from the landscape, always in human form, in a land where you see so few people. Solid guardians, keeping the vigil to direct the lonely traveller along the the best and safest passages, land or water. Today you may still see an Inukshuk (in-uk-shook) created along our highways or on the shores of our lakes and rivers.


To build an Inukshuk you must find the perfect balance for each rock. No one rock is more important than another, and each creation is unique. Inukshuks found in natural settings are created from rock gathered in the immediate area and reflect the characteristics of the surrounding land forms.


they can mean
-showing direction
-food cache
-good hunting spot
-symbol of trust”

“Cairn



Inukshuk

”

“Good examples Gear Slut!


8D”

“If I'm not mistaken they have been used in the hunting of caribou by some of the northern people. It was believe that on the animal drives, that the caribou would see these things on the horizons and believe that the cairns were actually human hunters. All in a effort to funnel the herds into a 'kill zone' since the tundra was so vast and the people few. They did whatever it would take, before the advent of the gun to get the herds. Come harvest time in certain areas they just wait for them to swim the rivers and motor up along side of them and 'pop' them in the head with a 22 cal.”

“I have hiked in places where other hikers have gotten carried away with creating cairns and inukshuks, literally a forrest of them. Where one serves a purpose or looks good, a bunch of them together looks tacky and awefull!”

“I've seen much smaller cairns along the road between International Falls and Thunder Bay. Don't know what they are about.”

“How far apart are they? How old do they look? Could they have been used by the voyageurs in the big canoes to signal a smoke break or campsite etc?”

“That's it, Simmer and GS, I was telling Islandgirl about the Inukshuk that the Inuit natives used. We see them occasionally, up here, but I suspect very few are authentic, unless you're way up north”

“I prefer to call them "pile-ons" (said as one word).”

“Puts the rock piles used by the Blair Witch to shame!”

“no, no its the Blair Witch!!”

“Prowler please let that die!

Ha ha ha ha........8p”

“NATO Allies Quarrel Over Frozen Rock

OTTAWA (AP) — Canada and Denmark called a truce this week in a dispute over Hans Island, but neither is renouncing its claim to the wind-swept patch of Arctic rock.

There has been widespread speculation that the two governments may have their eyes on future claims over northern fishing grounds or access to the Northwest Passage, should global warming make the route more viable.

The uninhabited island, the size of several city blocks, sits in the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark.

Canada insists the quarrel is not about the surrounding waters, noting the boundaries of the continental shelf between Ellesmere and Greenland were agreed on in 1973.

Canada's defense minister, Bill Graham (search), rankled Danish officials by making an unannounced visit to Hans Island in July. Canada formally protested the planting of Danish flags on the outcrop in 1984, 1988 and 2004.

Canada's Foreign Minister, Pierre Pettigrew (search), who met with his Danish counterpart during a U.N. summit over the past week in New York, said yesterday they agreed to keep each other informed about any activities around the tiny island.

However, neither side budged on ownership of the island.

Third story”

“Canada and the US have long disputed ownership of Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine.”

“All I can say is "54^40' or Fight!"”

“Dang bit, that's a piece of history.”

“Yes, just another little bit of data floating around in my head.

History has always fascinated me. One of my history professors suggested I consider majoring in it, after I did an entire short paper on the causes of WWI without referencing The Guns of August, which is the seminal work on the subject. I've thought about going back to school and getting a degree in History, plus my teaching certificate, and teaching history after I can't work in the computing field anymore. But I'd probably strangle one of the kids on the first day, so I think that's a no-go.”

“getting a bit burned out huh bit”

“Nah, it's just that I realize it will be hard to find a job (that pays worth a damn anyway) in this field once I'm in my fifties. Kids out of college are cheaper, know the new tech, and are stupidly willing to work long hours.

When I was looking about two jobs ago, I interviewed at a local place that does govt. contracting. I spoke with 4 guys. Three of them were in their 60's, and the fourth was a just a few years older than me. Each of the older guys told me the same thing, that I'd always have a job with the place. The younger guy told me "You don't want to work here, all the interesting work is done and we're just maintaining." Hopefully in a few years I can get one of those contracting jobs that will keep me working until I retire. I don't figure I'll still be working in the commercial sector for too much longer.”