Stacking Piles of Rocks

As we hike through the Dolomites and through Cinque Terre, both in Italy, we stumble across piles of rocks that cause us to wonder what is going on.

At very the top of Rittner Horn, next to the flags and signposts are stacks and stacks of rocks.

Stacks of rocks at the summit of Rittner Horn

Next to the flags and signpost in the fog

And, as we hike through the forest and across the fields on the way to and from Rittner Horn, we keep running across more stacks, each of them unique and many of them clearly showing a lot of work.

Stacked along the path to Rittner Horn

Stacked on the branches

Then, after we move on to Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera, we hike the trail up into the mountains and find even more along the way.

Small stack on a rock

More serious stack on a rock

A quick Google brings up the history of rock cairns used as trail markers.  However, these trails are marked by red and white striped trail markers.  The stacks seem to be just because.  Anyway, they are there and we'll enjoy their creativity as we pass.