In Praise of Ducks!

Ducks, cairns, trail markers – no matter what you call them, they’re life savers when you need them. Here in the Gulch, most of the popular trails are relatively easy to follow, but sometimes they can be downright confusing. You can be strolling merrily along what appears to be a good path only to come screeching to a halt as you stare at a forty-foot pour over. 

Um...now what?!?

This is where the magic of ‘ducks’ comes in – these piles of rock help hikers find their way on the slickrock when there is no other path apparent. Additionally they’re just darn cute. Most of them are nothing more than a pile of stone but every now and then someone gets creative. 

Here on Cedar Mesa we have big problem with too many trails going to the same destination. The sandy soil here has been pounded for many decades by the overgrazing of cattle and now hikers. The BLM has been doing a good job educating folks not to walk willy-nilly, here and there; most understand now that this compromises the ‘cyrptobiotic’ soil – a crusty black combination of lichen, algae, moss, microfungi and cyanobacteria. This binds the soil together making it resistant to wind and water erosion. 

So ducks not only keep people from getting lost, they also herd thousands of hikers down the same path which helps keeps the topsoil from washing or blowing away. Which in turn allows grasses and plants to establish themselves which provide food and home for critters. Everyone is happy. 

So let’s hear it for ducks!