Day one of the Hikers Guide to Cardigan

Our big yellow bus pulled to a stop in front of a large four story house, rain pouring down from the tempestuous gray sky. Fog lined the windows, with kids writing words and drawing pictures until all of the mist had been wiped away. The glass doors swung open, and we filed off the bus and into the rain. Our bags were handed down from person to person, and then transported into a mudroom/foyer area of the lodge where we would be staying. The mob of kids stomping and laughing about the room proceeded upstairs, where we were divided into our rooms, and then into hiking groups. About an hour later, my group had just finished up on an activity regarding pond waste and pollution, and we tromped outside into the rain and settled into our outdoor activity. The theme was how to determine the health of a pond or stream based on environmental and chemical clues around you. After testing the amount of acid in the water, we determined that the pond had about an average level of health, but it could change based on the acidity of the rain that was still falling in sheets from sky. If the pond water was too acidic, then it would be impossible for a population of animals and plants to live there. Tabatha, our group instructor, then suggested that we find as many living creatures along the banks of the pond as we could, and then compare the two clues in order to get a more accurate reading. Later at dinner, I considered the themes that we had gone over during the day. The acidity of the pond could depend on where it was located. For example, if the pond were located near a city, the acidity in the water would be higher. Because of this, one of the two themes that could represent the pond study could be location, because of where the pond was located it had a low acidity rating. Another theme that could go with the data would be regions. Using the location of some ponds, you could create regions for where they were. City regions would increase the amount of pollution in the air, which would come down in rainfall. However, if the pond were in a country region, the acidity would be lower because of cleaner air and rainfall. Another region that could work is the types of trees around the pond. If the pond were in a forest regions with a lot of hemlock trees, the acidity would be higher than a forest with less hemlocks because these types of trees make everything around them more acidic. Location and regions would be the two themes that would fit best with the pond study.