Guide markers
In winter months, firefighters rely on guide markers to help them locate fire hydrants buried beneath snow. Boaters count on navigation markers to steer cruisers and sailboats through narrow or rocky channels. We all use guide markers from time to time. Perhaps you install temporary markers at your lawn’s edge to make sure you don’t mangle your grass as you rid your driveway of snow and ice. Or, maybe you’ve hiked remote trails and relied on guide markers to lead you through dense forest. When the usual doesn’t suffice At least trees, driveways and fire hydrants stay put. In Canada’s Far North, the landscape changes, so guide markers are a matter of survival. Inuit cope with extreme winds and cold, shifting ice, near-zero visibility, extensive periods of darkness and other challenges. Mere flags, sticks and posts cannot withstand or be seen in such harsh conditions. That’s where a rock inuksuk (pronounced ee-nook-sook) comes in. Towering up to a metre or more in height,