I visited Zion National Park on a road trip with Tom a few years ago. It is one of the most stunning places I have ever been in my life, and I still think about it all the time. Before I went there I thought the name was kind of corny, but when I was there I understood- there is something sacred about that place.
We found this place along a trail. The view was breathtaking, and people had left hundreds of little piles of rocks. Tom had lived in Japan, and knew this was a common thing to do there. I can't figure out the name for it (if there is one) but it comes from the Shinto religion. The best description I found of this ritual (in my 5 minutes of internet research) is: "small stones will be piled up to indicate a place where the sacred space touches on everyday space."
I feel like I heard somewhere that spirits are supposed to live in the little piles, but that sounds too much like a scene from a Hiyao Miyazaki cartoon movie- it is too adorable to be true, so I think I made it up.
The thing I love about it is how all the different people who visit this place on their own collectively express a sentiment of wonder and awe- the stones say "take a look, that is goddamn BEAUTIFUL" and making a new pile says "hell yes it is!" I would like it if more people did this, to express appreciation and awe of little places they see around. It would remind everyone to stop and check out the neat shit all around us, and remind us that all the other people are also just looking for something beautiful.
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