Notes from Cardigan
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POST AGE
PAID Canaan, N.H. Permit No. 1
Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
Issue No. 2
October 1973
By the time you read this issue, you will have received grades and comments for your son at the mid-point of the first marking period. These will have produced some wailing and gnashing of teeth along with many smiles, and will undoubtedly have resulted in discussions during the Long Weekend if you were fortunate enough to have your son come home. These mid-term reports are designed to let you know about your son's progress and, more importantly, to let him know how he stands at this point while there is still time to bring a failing grade to passing and to improve passing to honors. To those parents who shared their homes with boys living too far away to go home for a long weekend - many thanks. This change of scene and break in the routine provides an important 11 breather 11 in the schedule which is just as necessary for a boy from California as for one from Massachusetts. New Parents' Weekend on October 6th and 7th was a glorious event. Saturday was spectacularly beautiful and colorful as only northern New England can be in the Fall. Leaf colors were almost at their peak, the air was clear and crisp, and sunshine warmed the day to a comfortable temperature for watching football and soccer games. Photographers went wild. Registration and coffee were planned from 7:30 to 8:00 am, which seemed a reasonable hour, but the first parents drove in at 7:05 full of eagerness and ready to go. As always, the weekend was full. Parents attended classes Saturday morning with their sons, lunch, a short meeting at which the Glee Club performed, then out to watch the games. Both soccer teams committed themselves well, but went down to defeat. Football saved the day with a rousing victory. Then mass exodus as parents, sons and friends left campus for dinner 11 out 11 • A great many were back for chapel at 9: 30 Sunday morning, then off to enjoy a day of visiting and sightseeing. Sunday night study hall brought a happy weekend to a close and the normal routines resumed their relentless course. When a national holiday such as Columbus Day comes during the school year there is moaning and groaning about why we have to go to school when the public schools are closed. But what other school has a Mountain Day!! When the morning is sunny, the foliage brilliant and the mountains in sharp focus, we declare our holiday and take the whole school off to climb and enjoy the natural mountain beauty which surrounds us. Boys and faculty signed up in advance for the "hard cl imb 11 or the "easy cl imb 11 and were assigned to groups of 10 or 12 accordingly.: In busses, vans, station wagons and cars the caravan left on Tuesday, October 9th, soon after breakfast heading north - destinations known only to the drivers. The easy climbers stopped at The Flume and headed out at 10 minute intervals to conquer Mt. Pemigewasset, famed for the Indian Profile - one of the tourist sights on Route 3, The day couldn't have been more ideal - we climbed in shirt sleeves and even at the top didn't need sweaters or jackets. The reward for a couple hours of steady but not steep climbing was a panoramic view starting with the hills to the west, down the Pemigewasset Valley to the south, north east to avalanche-scarred Mt. Lafayette, and north into Franconia notch. Meantime, back at School, the support party left somewhat later bringing charcoal, grills, food, dessert and several cooks. What a joy to smell hamburgers cooking as we approached the picnic area at the bottom of the trail. It was truly 11 a table in the wilderness" - there never was a better cookout. The more rugged outdoorsmen, however, headed right up Mt. Flume, one of New Hampshire's 4000 foot peaks. The first mile and a half was easy going - nice trail through the woods with occasional mountain vistas - then the hard ~limb 1 ived up to its name. The trail became