Environmental Research and Consulting Trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Research Can Be More Difficult Than Consulting

We began this arduous journey of research and discovery at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch. The Highland Center serves as a base camp for many hikers as it is located at the nexus of many trails in the White Mountain National Forest. This Lodge brings a new meaning to the term, ‘Roughing It!” (no dogs allowed overnight) The Center does however offer many amenities which comfort visitors to the northern climes. I

If you stay overnight you can expect to have your meals comped along with fantastic luxuries as free parking, wifi, numerous complimentary charging stations for your EV (Electric Vehicle, please donate as much as you can afford to keep the lights on) Private Rooms and meeting spaces are available. Ask the friendly staff members and they will tell you exactly where to go!

Consultants March On Their Stomachs!

The crew of Stepping Stone Construction began the day with a superfluous allergy free breakfast because, although our souls are on a journey, our bodies are hungry! If you plan on researching and consulting during a hike with an elevation gain of 2,390 feet, you will wish you had eaten a second banana in the morning!

We love to fill our bellies with bowls of plain yogurt, hearty oatmeal, fresh and juicy strawberries, blueberries, apples, and a pile of oranges that just won’t quit! Wash all that down with a couple cups of authentic camp coffee and you will almost be carried up the trail by the arctic winds!

But I digress. this was a trip of biological research to discover how the natural forests naturally change with the elevation and the weather.

Forest Changes With Elevation Gain

In the photo above you can clearly see the “mixed northern forest” surrounding much of the Highland Center. These are the trees you may be used to seeing in your backyard if you live in New Hampshire. Beginning with a blend of conifers and hardwoods as you first foot the trail you will see many beech trees. The forest composition quickly changes to mostly conifers, blending spuce, cedar and fir needles that comprise a virtual red carpet. Here you will realize how and why your grandmother kept her linens insect free in a cedar box.

Welcome to the Alpine Zone!

As you cross the 4 thousand foot threshold you will slowly lose your windblock as the trees gradually grow shorter and stronger with each step. Be sure to limit your wilderness camping to areas where the trees are above 8 feet tall and never set camp in the Alpine Zone. Plants here often struggle for decades to reach their diminutive size. Here you will be surprised to find Alpine blueberries, cranberries mixed with an assortment of wildflowers and mosses all adapted through evolution to exist in these extreme climates.

Climates fit for Plants and Beasts!

The environment up here is far from barren as even the rocks are covered with lichen. These are a hybrid colony of algae and fungus living together in a symbiotic relationship. Lichen are a colonizing or pioneer organism, transforming bare rocks into a nutrient rich soil for future generations of plants and animals to thrive upon.

Be sure to stop in at the Appalachian Mountain Club Hut near Lake of the Clouds or multiple locations to fuel your body and soul with coffee, tea or blueberry pancakes. All served up by the hardest working young adult volunteers in the non-profit business! You will love their fare and be grateful for a chair!