An Ode to Stone Walls

I was raised in a place where stone walls were not a common sight, the urban landscape of Beijing is not very keen on the growth of… anything, really. Coming to New Hampshire and finding myself a nature lover, hiking became a quintessential getaway. The landscape and wild, untamed forests of a piece of backcountry property truly struck me as intriguing. As a long-time history buff, I of course became interested in the history of these lands. Specifically, on the overgrown, mossy stone walls that became a daily sight.

Although not a stone wall, as I am on a plane flying back home and I can’t find more pictures of them, this rather old well is too, overgrown and mossy. Photo by author.

Stone walls don’t have anything truly special, the lands I hike on were usually once agriculturally related. It can be inferred that as one would till a field, and rocks would come out slowly from the earth, using them for a wall would have been a great idea to mark property lines.

Me, out in the backcountry, finding a bench. Photo by author.

But it seems to be more than that, these haven’t just become property lines, they’ve become a representation of how the new saw the old. Stone walls, with their heft, overgrown and mossy state, and an abundance of stories, almost mirrors the similar wisdom and humbleness we so idolize in the old but includes the lack of mobility and ability to recognize change we so very much dislike. We live in an age, a society, which expects to be able to travel between countries across seas and territories in mere hours. I, too, was born into a digital society that strives to make itself the center of everything, the forefront of everything. I, too, was faced with the expectation that I could just hop on a flight home. In fact, I am on that flight right this moment.

Oh, what a jolly 15 hours. Screenshot by author, from flightradar24, CX811

This new age wants computing power for entertainment, it wants to enjoy the same luxuries and the fondness of the new and exotic only truly found when half the world wasn’t explored yet, but it also wants to recognize the ability to change, it wants to recognize that we aren’t perfect, and that’s alright.

Stone walls stand the test of time, we don’t.

I really quite enjoy the sight of a stone wall, oh the stories it has with its thick coats of moss and the weathered, almost rounded, shape of its outside, even the structure of its inside is worth exploring.

I hope you enjoyed this, kind of random, article on stone walls. If you like this… randomness, please leave a comment!

~have a nice day!

Here are some cool reads on stone walls in NH:

The Surprising Story Behind New England's Stone Walls

https://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/publications/documents/stone_wall.pdf