Marks on the land

Here is a bit of a rant .....

Up in Superior, I have always been bothered by the roadside graffiti, spray painted on the rocks. Well, this year it got worse. I went to photograph a large glacial erratic (boulder) sitting in the Sand River. As I got closer, I saw that it had been "tagged" and some attempt had been made to clean it up. Nonetheless, the Rock was ruined for me - it visual essence scarred.

Hiking along the beaches and trails, I came across all kinds of "construction projects" (not simple trail markers. These were often Inukshuk-type piles, and in some beaches, there were obvious piles every 10-20 yards! I personally like to imagine that I am in a relatively wild setting, even if I know that other hikers have come through here with regularity. On driftwood beaches, all sorts of structures are piled up from logs, often in quite conspicuous locations. Trying to photograph these locations, I have no other choice than to "disassemble" these things.

Why do we have a need to leave a mark on the land? Can we not be content to simply be part of the landscape and move on, leaving no trace of our passing, so that others can indulge in the momentary fantasy of seeing the land as it was before Man came to change it?

Some friends of mine were quite surprised when I told them that I routinely took apart "Inukshuks" and other construction projects in wilderness areas (not in the Arctic!!!). Sorry, I don't want my wild landscapes tagged! Do you?