Saw this on a recent hike. For those that may not know, this is a called a cairn and can be used for many different reasons. On hiking trails they can act as a marker to other hikers that they are on the correct trail, or indicate the direction of the trail. They can also be used as a memorial of sorts, or just as a way to indicate, to others, that they have been there.
This particular cairn did not provide us any sort of guidance, as after we saw this, we actually ended up missing a turn on the trail we were, on and ended up going about half a mile or so further down an unmarked path.
More information on cairns can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn
Categories: Cherokee National Forest