Adventures to Cardgian Mountain

By Mary M

Blue group D1 B1

September 22, 23, 24 2021

Where is Cardigan

Mount Cardigan is about 41 miles North from Hopkinton Middle high school. It is located in the towns of Orange and Alexandra and in the county of Grafton. As well, Mount Cardigan is about 3,155 ft above sea level and usually takes about three hours or more to hike three miles to the summit which is at N 32. 3645 W 112.9096 . At the base of Mount Cardigan there is the AMC lodge which is to the left of the solar panels on the hill. Also Mount Cardigan is one hour and forty minutes East from the White Mountains. With Newfound lake being around 26 miles East from Cardigan you can easily see it at the summit. Also Laboon is 31 minutes east from Cardigan mountain.

Place of Cardigan

Physical geography

Cardigan Mountain was a great experience not just because of being with friends and being able to skip school but because of the nature and beauty that surrounded me throughout that trip. One of the greatest pieces of nature that I saw was a beautiful huge crystal that was about halfway up the mountain on Firescrew. It was orange, white, and black with around a dozen sharp shiny pokes. The giant crystal weighed about aproxamitly 400 hundred pounds and was around 4.5 feet tall. As well when you had reached the top of the cardigan there was a swamp/tiny pond that was absolutely gorgeous. It would make tiny waves in the wind and there were even tiny plants and fungi growing on the side or in it. In addition to this I witnessed a transformation of life when a monarch butterfly came out of its cocoon. This was an amazing encounter because of the tiny details that made this so magical. For example when you could see the tiny little shiny droplets on the monarchs wings made it absolutely remarkele and is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. This was an amazing sign of life and made my experience at mount cardigan even more memorable. As well, the amazing view from the top of the mountain was absolutely breathtaking with the beautiful fall colors that were breaking through the fog to reveal many rolling hills just filled with these fiery colors. I know understood why people come from all over to see this.These countless experiences will be with me for the rest of my life.

Cultural geography

At Mount Cardigan, there were many man made beauties that surrounded me and made me admire the lovely environment that I was in.One of these was the firetower at the top of Mount Cardigan, the firetower is a great wonderful view to see over the top of the rocks while you are slowly making your way up the mountain. The firetower has been around since 1904 but was then replaced in 1924 with a metal structure that we know today. As well one of the most memorable experiences that has fascinated me is the old ski tow with the car at the top of the hill. The rusted car was slowly falling apart and many of its pieces were scattered around the area and hidden under piles of leaves. As well there was also an old oil can that was absolutely marvelous to see. Although it was empty and rusting you could still make out the markings on the front and back of the can. There was also another old contraption made by man on Cardigan, the cellar hole. The cellar hole had rock foundations that were arranged in a square design and was now evaded by trees and wildlife. Around 12 feet away from the cellar hole there was an old well that was now filled with leaves and sticks. One of the things that bewildered me was why would anyone have a house on mount cardigan? I was soon told that parts of Cardigan used to be farmland and farmers had built houses on cardigan hence the stone walls scattered around the mountain. As a result of all these experiences I now have memories that will be with me forever.