According To A Hiker...

Mount Cardigan is located in both Orange, New Hampshire and Alexandria, New Hampshire. It is near the towns of Bristol, New Hampshire and Hebron, New Hampshire, and is relatively close to Welton Falls State Forest, Cardigan Mountain State Forest, and Newfound Lake. In terms of New Hampshire as a whole, Mt. Cardigan is located in about the middle of the state, on the western half. At the summit of Firescrew, a mountain very close to Cardigan, the coordinates are N 43 degrees 39 minutes/ W 71 degrees 54 minutes, at an elevation of 3,053 feet. At the summit of Cardigan (3,158 feet), the coordinates are N 43 degrees, 38 minutes, 57.9 seconds/ W 71 degrees, 54 minutes, 50.7 seconds. The absolute location of Cardigan Lodge, which is at the base of the mountain, is N 43 degrees, 38 minutes, 59.6 seconds/ W 71 degrees, 52 minutes, 41.9 seconds, at an elevation of 1,380 feet.

Hiking Cardigan was unlike any other experience. In the hardwood forest zone, green leaves of deciduous trees surrounded us as we hiked. As we made our way into the boreal zone, the trees became shorter, and there were coniferous trees mixed in with the deciduous. The trail became more rocky, and when we entered the false alpine zone, we were scrambling up bare rock. The trees surrounding us were all coniferous, and as we neared the summit, the trees disappeared altogether, leaving only small shrubs and lichens. At the summit, the wind speed ranged anywhere from 10 mph to 30 mph.

Another aspect of Cardigan was the lodge. The AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) Cardigan Lodge was 4 stories high, the bottom floor featuring a shoe area and library. Up the stairs one floor was the dining area and living space, where wooden picnic tables hosted family-style meals. The girls stayed in the third floor bunk rooms, and the boys on the fourth. The food at the lodge was delicious, from hot chocolate in the morning to chocolate-and-vanilla-swirled marble cake for dessert. The instructors (Hope, Bekah, Robin and Tabby) were fun, likable, and also knew a lot about the environment. They led us in activities like night-walks, pond studies, and lots of sketching. On our last night at the lodge we had a bonfire, where we performed skits, sang funny songs, and listened to stories told by the instructors. It was the perfect ending to an amazing trip that I would do again anytime.

I was at Cardigan Lodge for 3 days: Sunday September 27 , Monday September 28 , and Tuesday September 29 . The first and second days were sunny and fairly warm, but the third day was extremely rainy and cold.