Today, we entered the Lost River Gorge and Caves located in the White Mountains. It was a good hike through the woods and unlike Castle in the Clouds, there was a marked boardwalk and you were encouraged to stay on the boardwalk and not venture off. They monitors throughout that made sure no one ventured off the marked path. It was super cool and exciting. The lost river was formed when the glaciers receded, a path eroded by the powerful force of water over a period of time. There are water falls almost everywhere and I was able to capture a few with my camera phone. We ventured into a few caves just to see what they looked like. There was one called the lemon squeezer and trust me I barely made it through. The hike was about 2 miles with lots of places to stop and rest along the way. The peaceful sound of running water was enough to relax you. I might just take a video of the waterfalls and put it into a loop so you can hear the water all the time. The Guardian of the Gorge was the name of the person who overlooked the caves and was known as Fenris the Wolf. There was also the Cave of Odin which is a pegmatite dike or a vein of course grained igneous rock, usually granite, and characterized by large, well-formed crystals and are often containing rare elements. One of the caves was closed due to all the rains the night before caused it to flood inside and you could not even see the bottom due to all the water. We came upon the “Weather Rock”, which according to the sign said that the rock was dead on weather predictor. If the rock is wet, it’s raining, if the rock is warm, it’s sunny, if the rock is white, it’s snowing, and if the rock is moving, it’s windy.

We finished the hike and all of us were starving so we stopped off at the Black Mountain Burger Company. This place was packed and we had to wait for a table. Our party was 9 people so we figured there would be a wait to be seated. I ordered the classic cheeseburger and it was fantastic with a side of onion rings. I also tried a local hard cider called North Country Fire Starter. I have to say this was the second time we ate at this place and it never disappoints. It’s located in Woodstock near Lincoln, NH.

Speaking of Lincoln NH, we took the Kangamangus Pass to come back to Meredith. You pick up the pass in Lincoln and it dumps out in Conway. The elevation of the pass is 2,855 feet above sea level. The road is very scenic and we stopped several times along the way to stop and take photos. The mountains, the 2-lane road, it was fantastic. If you get a chance, take the Kangamangus Pass and it’s also fun to say the name. I’ll post the photos on my FB site, since I’m still trying to figure out how to post them here….till next time.