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Byran
climber
Merced, CA
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Sep 15, 2011 - 04:52am PT
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What about this one?
Art? vandalism? Do we knock em down?
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Charlie B
Social climber
Santa Rosa, Ca
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Sep 15, 2011 - 05:00am PT
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there's a time and a place, but the first thought is neither, it does get kind of ridiculous though, ever walk to the east face of whitney? But, as with all, it doesn't really matter. I'd say keep it to a minimal.
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redrocker
climber
NV
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Sep 15, 2011 - 11:27am PT
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Vandalism?
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Sep 15, 2011 - 11:28am PT
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Sometimes vandalism is art.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
www.climbaddictdesigns.com
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Sep 15, 2011 - 12:43pm PT
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Someone had made this peace sign in the water at Split Rock. A lot of people build cairns in the water, or try to modify the flow by making mini dams. It annoyed me at first. but - they're just having fun.
Anyway - the peace rocks people spent hours, I was told, working on that. And the rocks really WERE obviously chosen to fit nicely. It was about 6 feet diameter.
It got washed away with the Irene storm waters, but was up for about a week beforehand.
It looked very nice, but then someone put a heart shape of rocks almost right next to it, and they did not have the fine aesthetic the peace people did. It sort of tainted to peace sign, being so crappily made a nd so closely placed.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Sep 15, 2011 - 12:53pm PT
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Once I was driving out of the merced canyon and someone had left scores of cairns all over the river bank. In the eye of this beholder it was a real eyesore...an ephemeral eyesore, but a mess just the same.
Someone's occasional low-profile stack that makes them think about the rock and connects them to nature doesn't bug me. It's sort of egotistical to leave it, but it's temporary and doesn't really have much impact on me. Sometimes they are cool to look at although mostly I only see cairn-esque piles.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Sep 15, 2011 - 12:55pm PT
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I'm not a big cairn builder, but temporary art is OK in my opinion.
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Gal
Trad climber
a semi lucid consciousness
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Sep 15, 2011 - 01:05pm PT
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I like the rocks in the middle of the river. I agree with ekat's pics, Andy Goldsworthy is awesome, and I generally like seeing cool cairns in the middle of nowhere, and rock art, etc. I guess it's case by case, but I like the OP pic.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Sep 15, 2011 - 01:54pm PT
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Everybody thinks they're Andy Goldsworthy now.
What he did is/was art. Stacks of stones? Just folks saying "I was here."
Not art, IMO.
Especially in places where you are trying to forget you live on a planet with 7 billion people.
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perswig
climber
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Sep 15, 2011 - 07:24pm PT
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Crap. Will this be getting me tased?
Please advise.
Dale
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Sep 15, 2011 - 07:52pm PT
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Distracting, stupid, and not art 99.99% of the time. I'm also fine with a few to mark a path and at times they do need to be closer than you think so you can find them in the dark or weather. They can also be a hazard. On Ken's original picture I have visions of someone swimming out for a picture with the stack and it falling over and killing them..........
Erik
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Sep 15, 2011 - 08:06pm PT
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Curious what Ken thinks of it. Maybe there's a story to go with the photo.
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john hansen
climber
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Sep 16, 2011 - 12:48am PT
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I was kind of surprised seeing all the stacks by Mirror Lake. There is a mound behind the spot where you view Half Dome and Watkin's. Right off the trail,, I do not think that these belong in that kind of setting, but I would not knock them down. Each stack was created by someone who has a memory associated with it.
Ken , was this on Mirror Lake? If so I would be very tempted to " nip this in the bud' as they say, before that view is changed forever.
It is like an invasive weed, once one area is established, it seems other area's are affected with the same contagion.
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Anastasia
climber
I'm simply missing my mama.
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Sep 16, 2011 - 01:02am PT
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That looks like art and when the river swells it will quickly disappear. It's like people who draw in the sand... It is so temporary on the level of existence that it's really not much of an imprint. Now spray painting, carving names into wood or rock, anything that leaves a strong and hard to remove imprint in the environment, now that's extremely bad.
AFS
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 16, 2011 - 01:04am PT
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These rock gardens are popping up all over the Park in numerous quantities. This includes remote High Country areas well off the beaten path. It appears to be a pastime that is becoming very popular. The one I posted is in Tenaya Lake.
Ken
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Anastasia
climber
I'm simply missing my mama.
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Sep 16, 2011 - 01:09am PT
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Well it sure beats trash and spray painting... I don't mind it since it's made up of the natural environment. I bet even the bears will hardly notice despite people's great joy in creating them. I rather focus on the bad stuff that really is a threat.
Now Trash being left behind... I rather focus on that since it's such a real big bummer.
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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Sep 16, 2011 - 02:05am PT
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Last year at the Yuba River I splinted up a young boys foot that appeared broken when he pushed over one of those rock stacks. They can be dangerous to the little one's.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 16, 2011 - 02:06am PT
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Should it be acceptable everywhere? If not, then where?
Ken
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 16, 2011 - 07:00am PT
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"Knock 'em down. Loads of these things in Yosemite (hike to Lower Yosemite Falls and elsewhere) and Zion (at the entrance to the Narrows). Visual litter. "
Sorry I haven't read through the whole thread, but I think it might have more to do with intent.
I was amazed when I last went to the valley and with my oldest daughter went for a walk up toward Mirror lake. I could not believe the number of stacks of rocks. Seemed people were just being sheep and adding their own sh#t pile of rocks.
Pretty much an eyesore we thought.
I say knock that sh#t down.
Especially that tower of the OP's image.
Andy Goldsworthy's stuff is a totally cool.
Cheers,
DD
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Jingy
climber
Somewhere out there
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Sep 16, 2011 - 10:32am PT
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MH - "Could it be a natural formation?"
 in this instance I just cannot believe that this formation just evolved out of nothing or from apes...
Maybe GOD had a hand in it
and to answer the OP question: Neither art nor vandalism....
its just a stack of rocks....
Believe me when I say.. it will just fall over eventually. Nothing is forever
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