Yellow Group
This is a postcard of a small man-made bridge on the trail to the summit of Cardigan. The other side consists of an image of the three mountains, Cardigan, Firescrew and Orange, in the Cardigan area.
Cardigan Mountain is located in the center of New Hampshire at 43 degrees, 38 minutes, 59.0 seconds North and 71 degrees, 52 minutes, 41.6 seconds West, between the towns Orange and Alexandria. The mountain is surrounded by a vast protected forest(Cardigan Mountain State Forest.) It is located near the towns of Groton, Hebron, Grafton and Canaan New Hampshire. Cardigan is located 61.7 miles away from Hopkinton and 70.6 miles away from Concord. It is also 127 miles away from the city of Boston. The two closest bodies of water are Mirror lake and Orange pond (of the town of Orange.) The closest river is Clark Brook which is used by the public to fish and swim in. In conclusion, Cardigan is located near many different towns and landmarks in the middle of the state of New Hampshire.
Cardigan Mountain is a 3,156 foot tall mountain Being deep within the protected forest, wildlife such as different types of trees, brush and animals thrive in a healthy habitat. At the base of the mountain you will find Cardigan lodge in the middle of a forest consisting of mostly deciduous trees some examples are these: the Sugar Maple,and the American Beech. Though not very many are found, there are also the occasional coniferous trees like the Spruce. The forest floor is covered in low growing ferns, dead leaves and small plants such as the Indian Cucumber. As you follow the Clark Trail farther up the mountain the terrain will begin to change into a dense collection of mixed forest where both deciduous and coniferous trees thrive. More mosses, shrubby bushes and low growing grasses grow on the forest floor. As you reach the top of the mountain, small coniferous trees start to dominate the surrounding area. Shrubs and small rock-growing plants take up the ground until you reach the summit, which is solid rock with little vegetation. These few plants have to grow close to the rocks to gain protection from the strong winds that blow over the rocks. To conclude, Cardigan Mountain is home to many different types of environments, helping lots of wildlife flourish on this New Hampshire land.
This is an image of an Indian Cucumber which were scattered in small clumps all over the the forest floor. This is another sketch of a waterpool near a stream bed my group visited on our hike.
Cardigan Lodge and mountain have many unique cultural aspects within and surrounding the location. One of the most known is the lodge itself. The lodge was built in the nineteen-twenties to house hikers and skiers in the area. The cozy three-story lodge is just a short distance away from some cool attractions such as Cardigan Mountain Soapworks, and local farm fresh eggs. The other most known part of this mountain are the miles of trails all around the lodge, free for the those who sleep in the lodge and to the public for hiking uses. One trail leads down to a waterfall, several go up the mountain and one goes to the historical remnants of an old house. This is located more at the base of the mountain and consists of a old house foundation and a well over 100 years old. At the top of the mountain, you will find the fire tower used to watch for incoming fires. This was once used to see a fire that actually burned all the foliage of the top of the mountain, which is now a bare rock summit, as mentioned in the physical geography paragraph. One of the last of the sights to be seen is an old car, located at the top of a large hill near one of the camp sites that are scattered across the large expanse of land. This car was used to power a machine that pulled skiers up the hill so they could ski down without the hassle of walking up the hill everytime. In conclusion Cardigan Mountain is a welcoming and exciting place to visit on vacation or just on a weekend trip. The views and attractions have been bringing guests happiness for years.
My session was at the Cardigan lodge and trails for three days. The days were Sunday (our departer day) Monday (the main hike) Tuesday (our leaving day.)