Day three of the Hikers Guide to Cardigan

By Nick M.

The third and final day of our Cardigan trip dawned very similarly to the previous two days, with a low-lying overcast sky, and the promise of rain in the air. Breakfast was french toast and sausages, and they were as delicious as the last three meals had been. Despite the clouds, the seventh grade was in good spirits, and we divided up into our groups ready to face the day.

Tabitha led us out into the cool morning air, and told us what the plan was for the day. We were going to be hiking around the base of cardigan, taking waypoints on our GPS units every time we saw something worth taking note of. Then, we were going to take a sketch in our books about what the thing was and where it was located. Eventually, the evidence we collected would point to a specific use that the plot of land had in previous times. The first thing we encountered was a fire cherry tree, which, Mr. Woolner explained to us, had a very pungent odor when its leaves were rubbed in between the fingers. We jotted down a quick sketch and moved to the next tree, an ancient white pine which towered over the surrounding trees in the clearing. After closer examination, we discovered that the pine tree dropped enormous pine cones, which were very unique in both size and shape. We recorded the coordinates and sketched some pictures having to do with the tree.

On the hike that followed, we traversed the clearing and took note of important historical clues that helped lead us to the answer of what it was used for. During the short walks to the next clue, stories and riddles were told, and the chatter amongst us was lighthearted, which reflected upon the overall mood of our groups. Team Sasquatch was in good spirits. After about forty-five minutes of these quick stops, we reached the final clue. A rock wall, measuring about two or three feet in height extended up the steep hill to the North, and then down into the surrounding trees to the South. After we had sketched it and reflected with offhand comments about what it could mean in relation to the field, Tabitha gave us a crucial fragment of information. Rock walls often did two things in olden times, mark property boundaries, and make the field more suitable for a certain task, which we were supposed to define. By this point, we had nearly 8 sketches and several notes per sketch, which helped us put the pieces together.

From the crest of the hill on which we stood on, we observed the terrain and vegetation below us. There were only two or three large trees inside the ring that the forest created, and the rest of the plants were either thorny shrubs, or mid height grasses. This we found particularly interesting, because farmers need clear fields in order to graze their animals or grow crops. Upon further investigation, the thorny shrubs appeared to be growing around the base of the trees. If the land was really used for farming, trees would have a very tough time growing because of the grazing animals and crops that were being sewn. This explained how the trees were able to grow, in a way. If the animals were eating all of the surrounding plants, they would obviously avoid thorny bushes because they were unpleasant and painful. This would make it plausible that if a sapling managed to get inside one of these plants in the early stages of its development, it would be able to thrive on the protection that its neighbor provided. The theory also made sense because the chances that this would happen were slim, which explained the why the trees inside the clearing were so few in number. These clues pointed to the conclusion that the land we were looking at from the crest of the hill was used for some type of animal grazing, so it had to be near an operating farm.

The Theme of Geography that we experienced on day three was primarily human/environment interaction, because the way the farmers interacted with their land helped to shape its future physical appearance. The clues left behind through the ages made it easier for us, an observant group of middle school kids, able to solve the mystery that surrounded the land.