Just outside the town limits of La Sombra, where the pines thin and the wind sharpens, rises a jagged heap of ancient boulders known to locals as Cairnlock. It’s a popular hiking destination—its uneven stones climbable by those steady on their feet, its summit offering wide views of the Ennai Basin below. From a distance, Cairnlock appears almost unnatural in shape, as if the stones were stacked with purpose rather than time.

Visitors are welcome to climb the formation, but local tradition asks that no stones be removed—and that no names be spoken aloud while standing at the summit. Just in case the one buried below is still listening.

How long is the hike?

This is roughly a 1 hour round trip hike.

What is the legend of Cairnlock?

According to local legend, this is no ordinary rockfall. Cairnlock is said to be the burial site of Bael, an ancient god who once wielded terrible power. Before his final fall, Bael is believed to have clutched a spellbook bound in the woven hair of children and inked in soul-smoke—an artifact so cursed that no flame could burn it, no hand could tear its pages. When Bael was finally defeated, the story goes, his body was buried deep beneath the earth, still grasping the book in his claws. The stones were placed—one by one—by those who feared what might rise again if left unsealed.

While many treat it as just another local ghost story, others say there’s something different about the air near the top. Some claim the stones vibrate faintly in the early hours before sunrise. Others insist the wind around Cairnlock sometimes hums, low and steady, like breath beneath granite.