Emergents Weblog

If you’ve ever been back packing in the high sierra’s you understand how essential cairns and blazes are to your sanity and safety.

For those of you who are new to the adventure, a blaze is a designated trail marking method using paint or dye to mark a surface and give directional information without words. Blazes are most often used in wooded areas or caverns.

A cairn is the ancient method of trail marking using stones piled up on one another. Sometimes these piles are taller than 6 feet other and at half mile intervals so that the traveler can see the general direction of the trail off in the distance. But in more perilous regions, that are often that are well above the tree line and known to have high winds, the cairns are usually set ten foot intervals and only twelve inches tall. This is done so that sojourner who might be crawling to ensure their safety, can follow the trail with certainty. These trails are not the only way, they mark the way of one who survived. The mark the path to a designate location.

What path are you on?

What application of cairns and blazes was there among the disciples?

How might our understanding of these markers allow us to help others along the journey, their journey?