Cairn and Snow

I know it's summer and our thoughts may well be focused on sunshine and beaches and warm waves. Mine often turn to the mountains though; an unexpected adventure at any time of the year. Here's a cairn somewhere on a trail in the mountain area of my beloved Valdres. The red "T" is not some indiscriminate tag or unfinished line of graffiti but the marker of the Norwegian Tourist Association, to show you're on the right trail –always something of a relief to see when you're out walking. And cairns have always fascinated me. I find myself wondering who on earth placed the first big stones, when, and how. I always add one of my own, but much more modest in size as walking is quite enough exercise thank you without risking getting a hernia from heavy lifting! The snow is an optional feature of any trip to the mountains; a mere sprinkling like this is more quaint than vexing.

Location: Valdres, Norway