And thanks for invitation. I attached 4 pictures and hopefully added a bit to the diversity of your collection.
My attitude toward this topic would be that it would be just OK not to have anything on the summits. It's not natural and things like the big statue on Schoenfeldspitze (that's why I attached it, even if the picture is not mine) are far from being in harmony with nature. On the other hand I can recall how often I was greeting with pleasure a simple, cute ciarn, as a new friend I met.
Thank you very much Vid for your approbation and your attachment! I'm according with you that a simple cairn is the better signal a mountaineer can find over a summit...I don't like very much the excessive summit's signal...but those do exist! So - if agree - i'd like share one of your pictures in my page.
ciao and thank you again
I only have a small experience in mountaineering, all in the NW United States, but it seems that there is a completely different set of traditions regarding mountaintop signals around here. I have yet to see any sort of religious symbol marking the top of summits in Washington; the most common ones here are fire lookouts (mostly burned down or abandoned, but a few which are still maintained), and USGS triangulation cairns.
There was once an extensive network of fire lookouts throughout the cascades, which could spot a fire in even the remote backcountry areas. They even had several different ways of communicating with one another or the base of operations, and they were often manned every day throughout much of the year.
Cairns (some as tall as 7ft) were built mainly to triangulate the summit elevations from surrounding known elevation points, and then use the marks for further triangulation of other points, and so on. Many of these, even though built over 100 years ago, still stand atop lofty summits.
the third type we see around here, while not really a "mark," is the summit register, an extension of leaving a note on the summit. These are found on some unlikely peaks and some see only a few ascents per DECADE; amazing when you think about how lonely these places usually are.
I wouldn't mind writing up a bit more info for this article if you'd like, send me a PM if you want me to write a section up for N america or even just the NW US.
Here are a couple examples:
Cairn on Alta Mountain: http://images.summitpost.org/large/699145.jpg
Summit Lookout on Three Fingers: http://images.summitpost.org/large/602773.jpg
(Not my images)
Vid Pogachnik - Mar 4, 2012 4:58 am - Voted 10/10
Good article, Sylvia!And thanks for invitation. I attached 4 pictures and hopefully added a bit to the diversity of your collection.
My attitude toward this topic would be that it would be just OK not to have anything on the summits. It's not natural and things like the big statue on Schoenfeldspitze (that's why I attached it, even if the picture is not mine) are far from being in harmony with nature. On the other hand I can recall how often I was greeting with pleasure a simple, cute ciarn, as a new friend I met.
Silvia Mazzani - Mar 5, 2012 12:32 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good article, Sylvia!Thank you very much Vid for your approbation and your attachment! I'm according with you that a simple cairn is the better signal a mountaineer can find over a summit...I don't like very much the excessive summit's signal...but those do exist! So - if agree - i'd like share one of your pictures in my page.
ciao and thank you again
silvia
LuminousAphid - Mar 12, 2012 1:22 pm - Hasn't voted
North AmericaI only have a small experience in mountaineering, all in the NW United States, but it seems that there is a completely different set of traditions regarding mountaintop signals around here. I have yet to see any sort of religious symbol marking the top of summits in Washington; the most common ones here are fire lookouts (mostly burned down or abandoned, but a few which are still maintained), and USGS triangulation cairns.
There was once an extensive network of fire lookouts throughout the cascades, which could spot a fire in even the remote backcountry areas. They even had several different ways of communicating with one another or the base of operations, and they were often manned every day throughout much of the year.
Cairns (some as tall as 7ft) were built mainly to triangulate the summit elevations from surrounding known elevation points, and then use the marks for further triangulation of other points, and so on. Many of these, even though built over 100 years ago, still stand atop lofty summits.
the third type we see around here, while not really a "mark," is the summit register, an extension of leaving a note on the summit. These are found on some unlikely peaks and some see only a few ascents per DECADE; amazing when you think about how lonely these places usually are.
I wouldn't mind writing up a bit more info for this article if you'd like, send me a PM if you want me to write a section up for N america or even just the NW US.
Here are a couple examples:
Cairn on Alta Mountain: http://images.summitpost.org/large/699145.jpg
Summit Lookout on Three Fingers: http://images.summitpost.org/large/602773.jpg
(Not my images)