Day 2: The Mystery of The Lynx

Maddy R

Yellow Group

Semptember 28, 2015

This is a picture of a spruce tree in one of our foliage plots (study a small area of plants) on the top of PJ Ledge.

Movement

Day Two was mostly filled up with hiking up Cardigan mountain itself. We got ready, ate breakfast and met our instructors, then began the journey. We started on the nature trail and soon got to the AMC trail junction. That's when our instructor dropped the bomb. We were studying the movement of lynxes. She first explained how the lynx population was vast in New Hampshire until they disappeared and vacated the area due to population growth. The lynxes travel north towards Canada and to this day still live there. We first gathered information) coordinates and plant types) at 1,500 ft. The area was rich with plants like the invasive Norway Maple. This is an example of movement of plants across the world. We then hiked towards the junction to the Alexandria ski trail. The trail was one long hill, which my group didn't particularly enjoy. We made frequent stops and the next stop we marked was at 2,000 ft. The plot proved that the area could be good for the lynx, but our group determined that the area could be better with more lush greenery and plants suitable for their prey, the snow-shoe hare. We continued hiking and finally topped the ski trail to reach PJ's ledge, where we ate our lunches. At approximately 2,500 ft we had to make our third plot. The surrounding area was lush with pines and spruces as well as small vegetation on, the ground. We sketched small trees and different types of plants. This area proved the most well suited to the lynxes needs. Then, we made the last ascent to the top where we met the other groups for a large group photo.

After that, we made our way back down. We only stopped three times for sketches on our way down. During that time I sketched a fern, moss and a rock. When we sketched these we played an activity where we took random objects and told a story about them. This is where the term Obama Care stump was born. Then we continued down the mountain for more free time with our peers. Dinner went by quickly and smoothly transitioned to a campfire outside with stories, games and plays from the other groups. After that, we went to our bunks to sleep in preparation for the last day. To sum up the day, we learned about the movement of the lynx across states and how maybe New Hampshire could still be a suitable habitat for the animal though it has moved and hiked up the great Mount Cardigan.

This is a rock that I told a story about, for a game we played on our hike.

This is a link to the page for Day 3: Tuesday: The Last Day!