> Sadly, much of the information out there is incorrect. For example, there is not a henge associated with the site and the individual stones are relatively small when compared to what most people think of as European standing stones. It should be clearly understood that this is not a megalith site like Stonehenge.
That said, I can imagine that to a paleolithic hunter/gatherer it would be beneficial to use an arrangement of stones to "capture" a particular date. Dates of interest might be 'migration', 'planting', or 'harvesting' dates.
Setting up stones to cast a specific, and unique, shadow on a particular date is easy to do on that date. And I've done it on hiking trails for things like solstice dates for other hikers to discover later. Since the transformation of the shadow is predictable with motion of the Sun, I've also used it on trails where I experienced good conditions, so that when I come back to that trail, I can look at my 'date ducks' and they will tell me if it was earlier or later in the season when I set them up (assuming they haven't been moved of course).
> I can imagine that to a paleolithic hunter/gatherer it would be beneficial to use an arrangement of stones to "capture" a particular date. Dates of interest might be 'migration', 'planting', or 'harvesting' dates.
This is almost always done by observing the behavior of local plants and animals. For example, you might say that spring starts after the cherry trees have bloomed -- an event which is obvious -- and start your planting then. The precise date will wander around the year, from an astronomical point of view, but it will generally be better chosen each year than any fixed astronomical date would be.
Just food for thought - many people don't appreciate cairns because of their distinctly unnatural appearance. I used to build them until I learned this. In hindsight it makes sense, people ought to be able to enjoy the environment as close to its natural state as possible, with the somewhat necessary exception of the trail.
Everyone has an opinion. I'd encourage you not to just accept others. Cairns have a long tradition in hiking and at their most basic are a simple wave to a fellow wanderer in remote areas. Dark Souls has the same concept as a built-in game mechanic with it's tagging.
I don't build them myself because I don't have the patience (and dogs tend to make sitting still problematic :P), but I appreciate most every one I see for what it is: someone came to this same place I'm enjoying and did so in such a calm and focused manner, there are stacked rocks to show for it.
I can imagine that someone somewhere has built a massive cairn with disregard to the site and the other wanderers there. That person sucks.
You should be more hospitable in interpretation and use less passive wording. I agreed with someone else after hearing their point of view. Implying I'm a hapless sheep that agrees with whatever I'm told for that is going a bit far.
It is a fun surprise for people. The easiest one you can do is a pointed rock on top of the duck, and then a "signpost" rock at the shadow tip. If you're hiking trails in northern California and see a stack of rocks, and off to the side where the shadow is you see another rock that is distinctly different (in shade or composition) sitting in the arc that the shadow traces, that could very well be one of my "date ducks."
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