So, we went to a place called Castle in the Clouds (CITC) and I have to say it was pretty cool. This old mansion built in the early 1900’s was still standing and it was one of the first places built to be fire resistant. The owner was a guy named Tom Plant, who owned a shoe factory. This mansion/castle sits in the Ossipee Mountains about 750 feet above Lake Winnipesaukee. We did the self tour thing which was pretty good…there was plenty to look at. It is certainly worth a trip, but not sure about the $23 entrance fee to get in. So we finished the tour and took lots of pictures, it overlooks the lake and has mountains in the background.

Someone in our party decided they wanted to see the waterfalls that were on the property. Ok I’m all for waterfalls and stuff and it was only a short hike in the woods following a set trail. This should have been a clue…Now, I’m a city guy. Put me in the middle of a city, with paved streets and concrete sidewalks with a map and I can navigate my way around. But put me in the woods and I’m in trouble. So we headed out on this trail to see the waterfalls and they were without a doubt beautiful. But that is where the story takes a dramatic turn. One person in our party decided that it would be a good idea to take this unmarked trail in the woods. Oh yeah, there was a sign as we entered this wooded area BEWARE of BEARS!!! 3 hours later in the woods and we were certainly lost. Wandering around and asking everyone we saw how to get out. There came a point that I recorded a Blair Witch type video hoping that someone might find my phone and search for me. We were hot, tired, and thirsty. There were calls to contact Northwoods Law to rescue us. It was at this time that we found a trail and another person in our group thought it would be a good idea to go around the closed gate and disregard the TRAIL CLOSED sign. We walked about a ½ mile and came to a washout stream that was inaccessible and no one but no one was crossing this thing. So following like food being led to the bear waiting for us in the woods, we walked up the mountain. Now we are totally off the beaten path and I really thought this was it.

We finally found our way onto a marked trail and out of the woods. I for one was thankful and thought that this would be a sequel to Blair Witch. Fortunately not, but we all could not wait to get to the first convenience store and buy water and powerade. My adventures in the woods came to an end…till next time.