Neal Agarwal created a very enjoyable online rock-stacking simulator, so if you want to kill some time or relax give it a try.

From National Geographic:

It’s tempting to create your own as you travel, but that’s not always a good idea: misplaced rock stacks can lead hikers off trail; endanger fragile ecosystems[…] or, if stones are pried loose for cairn-making, promote erosion.

The desire to stack rocks is understandable from a practical, aesthetic, and spiritual perspective. It seems almost primal. “As a species, we evolved in rocky landscapes,” says David B. Williams, who wrote the book Cairns: Messengers in Stone. “We have been building these things for thousands of years. They’re a way to say: I am here. I have lived.”