Click on image to enlarge and see entire cairn environment.
The Ever Changing Buddha Beach
The picture above is the home of one of the current Buddha Beaches at Crescent Moon Ranch in Sedona, Arizona.
Over the 2017 holidays many stone cairns that we seem to associate with Buddha Beach were knocked down. In some places there was no indication of the once creative stone cairns that were there to delight visitors. I was initially very very sad and angry that someone had come and knocked down all the cairns. Who would do such a thing to destroy what so many came to enjoy?
Stone cairns are not really cairns but rather called stacked rocks that on many hiking trails mark the path for other hikers. They are however very controversial since many believe they should only be made by the forest service or those responsible for building trails. In some areas of Sedona, the building of these stone piles can unfortunately mark the way to secret ruins that need to be protected from people who now seem to deface and alter these ancient structures and often enjoy leaving their own mark by drawing on the rocks. For this reason there are many people who are against the building of stone stacks and will knock them down whenever they are found. We see written,
"Leave No Trace principles aren’t just about trash. Leave No Trace means leave no sign that you traveled through the area. That’s zero impact. When you move rocks to create decorative cairns you are altering nature for the next visitor and leaving a reminder that you were there."
I have hiked with the local archeological group documenting many of these amazing secret ruins and I totally understand agree with knocking down and destroying stone stacks left by those marking the path to these delicate and ancient structures. HOWEVER, at the forest service site of what was first the original Buddha Beach, the these stone cairns were creative at times but done by visitors to add to other stone cairns. No one seemed to mind or destroy the early Buddha Beach until the floods came about 20 years ago changing the face of the landscape and shoreline of the adjoining creek and washing away all of the stone cairns.
Thinking about who destroyed the December Buddha Beach led me to consider that our landscape and world is constantly changing with floods, rain, snow, seasons and visitors. We live in a time of CHANGE.... What is destroyed will be rebuilt. Now when I visit this area I look forward to new and often creative creations by visitors realizing that their life expectancy will perhaps be very short. Photography can capture and remind us of what was. ENJOY.
Over the 2017 holidays many stone cairns that we seem to associate with Buddha Beach were knocked down. In some places there was no indication of the once creative stone cairns that were there to delight visitors. I was initially very very sad and angry that someone had come and knocked down all the cairns. Who would do such a thing to destroy what so many came to enjoy?
Stone cairns are not really cairns but rather called stacked rocks that on many hiking trails mark the path for other hikers. They are however very controversial since many believe they should only be made by the forest service or those responsible for building trails. In some areas of Sedona, the building of these stone piles can unfortunately mark the way to secret ruins that need to be protected from people who now seem to deface and alter these ancient structures and often enjoy leaving their own mark by drawing on the rocks. For this reason there are many people who are against the building of stone stacks and will knock them down whenever they are found. We see written,
"Leave No Trace principles aren’t just about trash. Leave No Trace means leave no sign that you traveled through the area. That’s zero impact. When you move rocks to create decorative cairns you are altering nature for the next visitor and leaving a reminder that you were there."
I have hiked with the local archeological group documenting many of these amazing secret ruins and I totally understand agree with knocking down and destroying stone stacks left by those marking the path to these delicate and ancient structures. HOWEVER, at the forest service site of what was first the original Buddha Beach, the these stone cairns were creative at times but done by visitors to add to other stone cairns. No one seemed to mind or destroy the early Buddha Beach until the floods came about 20 years ago changing the face of the landscape and shoreline of the adjoining creek and washing away all of the stone cairns.
Thinking about who destroyed the December Buddha Beach led me to consider that our landscape and world is constantly changing with floods, rain, snow, seasons and visitors. We live in a time of CHANGE.... What is destroyed will be rebuilt. Now when I visit this area I look forward to new and often creative creations by visitors realizing that their life expectancy will perhaps be very short. Photography can capture and remind us of what was. ENJOY.