Notes from Cardigan Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
Issue No. 3
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POST AGE
PAID Canun, N.H. Permit No. 1
Mrs. Olive Bradford Newcastle, ME
04553 January 1973
One of the compensations of Winter is that the sun doesn't come up from behind Mount.Cardigan until just before 7 am. The other morning we had a really breathtaking sunrise. · Imagine standing on the hill overlooking the lake and enjoying the beauty of the spectacular colors in absolute and total silence. The air was crisp, clear and still; the sunrise colors were reflected softly on the snow-covered hills and lake, and it was easy to give thanks to God who in His infinite wisdom created such beauty to be enjoyed by man. Many quiet minutes passed thus until the_ stillness wa~ n_terrup_ted by a dog b_ar_k_-___ - -ing somewhere in the distance and then, as if by signal, the chimes from our Chapel tower sounded their morning hymn over campus; another day began at Cardigan. On another frosty morning we were standing by the flagpole about 5:30 am helping our boys load baggage and themselves on the bus to Boston for Christmas vacation. A tug at the coat and a 1 ittle blond boy telling me in his Southern drawl that he had even put up the flag this morning. There was just enough gray pre-dawn light at that hour to see that something was indeed waving in the morning breeze. Hours later when the busses were well on their way to the city and the sun was shining brightly, someone looked up -- only then did we see that he had raised aloft the old Confederate flag! A sincere thank you at this point to all of you who have contributed to this year's Annual Fund. This is the chief means we have of avoiding a deficit and occasionally affording some of the extras that although needed and desired can't quite be squeezed into a tight budget. A most tangible evidence of this is a previously-owned Sno-Cat which the Trustees voted to purchase from Annual Fund receipts. It is a tremendous forward step for our skiiers who will now be able to spend all their time skiing instead of having to bootpack the slopes for many hours after each snowfall. We have the machine now and are learning how to operate it. Not quite like driving a car when you're on a 30 degree slope and it clings to the hill as if the tracks were glued to it. Thanks to all of you. The First Wilderness Encounter at Cardigan actual _!..Y 3 tarted in Sep_tember -- long before any of the group had anything to do with a wilderness. Their first encounter was an early morning one with the lake -- and this meeting was repeated every morning be.fore breakfast until mid October when it had become unbearably cold. The conditioning and training continued every afternoon during the regular activity period -- but the activities this group engaged in were far from usual. This program was designed and run by Mr. Gunnar Baldwin who has had a lot of experience with the national Outward Bound organizations. He tailored the activity to the age and size of our boys and planned it to take advantage of the environment around the School. There were group exercises of various sorts which were designed to demonstrate the need for leadership. Then one afternoon he - took them off into the woods until they were lost -- so they would have to make meaningful group decisions without panic. For physical strengthening they ran a rope obstacle course, practiced drown-proofing techniques and learned rock climbing skills, including work with ropes and rappelling. A 1 ight pack with all the necessities and no frills is the objective of backpacking. Each boy had to do his own planning; and they practiced packing gear, making and striking camp, building fires and cooking. All along they made notes of essential items forgotten and things they packed but didn't use.