Purgatory Chasm

I took my daughter to Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA, yesterday. What a cool place! It's a natural rock formation believed to have been formed about 14,000 years ago. I discovered it one afternoon this spring, and I was determined to take my family there to explore.

Yesterday was the perfect day to go: it was sunny and warm, and we didn't have anything on the calendar. However, my husband is nursing a twisted ankle so he bowed out (wise choice). And it goes without saying that TS (teenage son) wanted nothing to do with it. So that's how it ended up being just my darling daughter (DD) and I, making our way slowly down into the Chasm. I'm here to tell you, it was extremely rocky and treacherous. It was slow going. We got muddy. We got scraped up. We slipped and fell. DD kept pressing on, pausing to look back to make sure old Mom was coming.

Apparently, not all the visitors to the Chasm find it as challenging as I did. This is based on my observation of several preschool-age children merrily making their way though; some teenagers leaping over the rocks with bare feet; and a dapper elderly gentleman and his lady friend (she dressed in white pants and sandals), who we spotted entering as we heaved our sweaty bodies over the final rock ledge and made our way back to the car. I knew DD was truly beat when she turned down my offer to stop at the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley for a little post-Chasm shopping or an ice cream cone.

I highly recommend this very interesting landmark to any brave soul with a snug-fitting pair of hiking boots and some band-aids in the glove box. Jolly good fun!