Long Description
Parking is available in the pullout by Pillar Lake just before the resort. The hike is about 200 meters and steep, be very careful when wet or snowy conditions are present. On our last trip to the spire, kids of all ages were seen on the trail.
The Falkland hoodoo has been awing people ever since it was first discovered. The natives of the area had a story of how this impressive sight came to be. It was once believed that the water spirit of Pillar Lake took a native maiden as a partner as she was canoeing on the lake. The parents of the unmarried woman were very distraught that they never had any news of their daughters life. To appease the parents, the water spirit built the hoodoo with the boulder on top and said to them that if their daughter were ever in grief then the rock would fall off the top. To this day the boulder stands strong and proudly displays the young native girls happiness.
The Falkland hoodoo is a staggering 30 meters (90 feet) in height. Balanced atop the conglomerate of sedimentary rock is an eight-tonne boulder. Hoodoo is the term that is used mainly in Western North America. In other parts of the world, earth pillar is the common used terminology. There are two distinct types of hoodoos; the one standing in front of you is sedimentary in nature but volcanic hoodoos also exist. Regardless of which material the hoodoo is formed from, where or how; they are all created the same way. The driving force behind the creation of hoodoos can be attributed to erosion. This erosional remnant protrudes above the surrounding topography due to differential weathering. This is the terminology that geologist use but it only means that the rest of the landscape surrounding the hoodoo was eroded at a much faster rate than the hoodoo itself. The steep sided slope that used to encompass the pillar is eroded back leaving the hoodoo standing proud. Nature constantly assaults all features on earth as the sun, water (flowing and freezing), wind, temperature (freeze/thaw cycles), gravity, etc. all play a part in the erosion of the earth. Just you walking up here and carving your name play a part in further eroding the mountain and hoodoo.
This impressive conic tower is topped with a boulder that is referred to as a caprock. It may seem surreal or unbelievable that a boulder could get to the top of this structure but if it were not for the caprock then this geomorphologic structure would not exist. The caprock protects the structural integrity of the column much like a roof shields a house from the elements. The surrounding landscape was eroded away because it was not protected by a caprock.
One day the forces that created this spectacle will also destroy it. The hoodoo and caprock can only withstand the forces of erosion and gravity for a limited time period. Once the caprock has stopped shielding the rest of the column then the erosional activities will take over and topple the Falkland hoodoo. This will mean that the water spirit of Pillar lake has done something terribly wrong.
Sources:
White, Jan. 2001. Silent Sentinel; Westworld Magazine
**NOTE**
Please keep to designated trails as bushwhacking is not required. Do not deface the pillar or disturb soils, substrate, rock, vegetation or wildlife. Leave the site in the same condition when you got there or better.
| I am a proud |
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SEND E-MAIL TO QUESTIONS BELOW BEFORE YOU POST A LOG!!!
To claim this EarthCache you must:
1. Fulfil the educational requirments by e-mailing me answers to these questions;
a. What is the dominant aspect of the Earthcache site? Wikipedia definition - Aspect (geography) refers to the direction to which a mountain slope faces. Therfore, what is your bearing if you had your back to the mountain slope? Would it be N, E, S or W?
b. Name another area in the world that contains a hoodoo/s?
ALSO,
2. (Optional) Post at least one picture of the earth pillar and your GPS.
3. Indicate in your log the number of people in your group.