September 19, 2021
The first thing we did on day one was getting on the bus. We drove down bumpy and loopy roads until we reached the mountain. We all got off, the sun was beating down on our faces. We got into a big circle and the AMC guides told us that we were going to play some games before we started our day of hiking. We played mountain baseball and a game where you were separated into teams and you had to call out for your teammates with your team animals sound (cats, dogs, pigs, birds). Then we got separated into our hiking groups and had a brief introduction with our guides. Next, we started our hike to Welton Falls. On the way to the falls, we made multiple stops at various locations. One of them was where we ate our lunch. We sat at this cliff ledge that overlooked the Fowler River. Mr. Woolner and his group came to where we were eating and he told us a story about hemlock trees. After his story, we kept going on our journey to the waterfall. We saw wild cucumbers and psychedelic mushrooms when we were in the forest. There was a stream we had to cross and I almost fell into the water. When we finally made it to the falls, the view was beautiful. There were big rocks that kept the water in place and you could walk on them. There was even a cave you could go inside and see what the waterfall looked like from there. Some of the kids went swimming in the water, but then they got yelled at by many teachers and guides. After our stop there, we climbed back up towards where we ate our lunch and played a tree auction game. The objective of the game was to get the best tree. Our guide, Max, would call out various tree parts and traits and the different teams would bet different amounts of “money” until no one else wanted it besides the highest bidding team. We walked back to the lodge and waited for the other groups to come back. Finally, we got on the bus and drove home, ready for a good night of sleep before the next days adventure.
Day one's theme is regions. On day one, when we were hiking the trail to get to Welton Falls, we saw a bunch of Hemlock trees. They were all over the place and we even ate lunch next to some. Mr. Woolner told us a short story about the legend of the Hemlock and it was very entertaining. As we kept walking towards the waterfall, we saw many more Hemlock trees and their needles scattered around the forest. Another example of regions were the mushrooms. Some of the mushrooms we saw were the same type as ones we saw in the past but others were completely different and something I hadn't seen before. We even saw this cool-looking psychedelic mushroom, which our guide told us not to touch or consume. Those were just two examples of the kinds of regions we saw at Cardigan Mountain. Yet another example of regions at Cardigan Mountain, was the water. We saw some small streams in an area flow into a bigger pond or lake.