Today I decided to check out some prison camp ruins rumored to be in Rutland State Park in Massachusetts. The directions said they were on Prison Camp Road, which was easy enough to remember but what they don’t tell you is the park is FULL of primitive dirt roads going in all directions, most of which the GPS does not recognize, and they aren’t labelled either. So this place was somewhat difficult to find but not too bad. It was a lucky day and the road I needed wasn’t gated off due to seasonal flooding as many were. The prison ruins are visible from the road and since you can only drive five miles an hour without breaking an axle it’s hard to miss.
I must say as parks go this place was drop dead gorgeous. I had only intended to check out the ruins but now I want to go back and explore every one of those dirt roads! But back to the prison…. it was built to house minor offenders, probably mostly the town drunks, and it kept them busy growing potatoes and milking cows – a field still exists and is covered in billions of dandelions this time of year. And of course this was also the location of a Tuberculosis ward. The ruins you can see from the road are of four absolutely tiny cells. I couldn’t even take a photo in them to show they were rooms and not just a wall! This place was apparently still very popular as every inch of masonry had been tagged by one sort of graffiti or another and trash was ankle deep where ever I walked. Still… that sort of adds a bit to the allure and I sure had fun snapping photos of this unusual subject matter. Three other structures were within walking distance but be forewarned — bring your bug spray! The dense vegetation tossed up many ticks.
Hikers who knew where they were going seemed to be using the roads to amble down rather than drive – which is a wonderful idea if you have a map! I drove around for a long time and passed several bridges and rivers and a few rock formations that were just to die for. This place seemed to have it all and we were out in the middle of nowhere. For as peaceful at it was there was also a very wild and untamed sense about it – maybe this was because of the occasional bits and pieces of other ruins that dotted the roads here and there – like a staircase to nowhere which was probably someone’s house at some point in history.
All and all I had am amazing day out here and wish to go back with a picnic basket! This was another win on my travels.
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Mount Watatic is a wonderful little hike for anyone who is in shape enough to shamble up a steep hill for a little over a mile. I was hoping this was me today. You see I spent a few days bedbound with a horrendous migraine and I had grown VERY antsy in the meanwhile. I was hoping this slightly more strenuous hike could calm my restless legs. I may not have been completely ready for the challenge but I went alone and climbed at my own pace. Usually on a day as beautiful as this the parking lot is stuffed full and cars are parked aside the road for half a mile but today there was scarcely another soul to be seen. I revealed in the opportunity to take way too many photos – art filter, no art filter, marbles, no marbles. It was all good! Nature sure makes photography easy sometimes, especially when you’re somewhere as beautiful as this.
The trail starts off very flat and unassuming, winding past a little swamp. At this time of year there is water whooshing down the mountain still, run off from the winter, that creates these calming little crystal clear creeks. People are allowed to bring their dogs (on leash) here and it’s not unusual for them to jump in! A small bridge-like structure guides hikers over the water and into the woods. This is where things turn interesting because the trail winds around and becomes more and more steep, then almost flat again, then steep. You’ll pass many wood pecker hollowed trees, rotted logs, exposed roots, mushrooms, and many swarms of May flies. I swallowed a few and snorted two more. Good for the sinuses. But if that’s the only negative thing I could come up with then this was a great hike! I enjoyed the peace and majesty of the forest. I played like an imp with the shadows and I left marbles wherever I went. I was delighted to find at least some of them were gone before I came back down!
UPDATE: As of July 12, 2021 half of the staircase at Madame Sherri’s castle has collapsed and there are no plans to restore it or preserve the remaining steps. The below blog entry was written before these events and we hope you can all still enjoy hiking in the area and looking at the rest of the ruins. For more information on the collapse see 
Madame Sherri’s castle is a ruin out in the middle of the woods that looks like a castle. In actuality it was a mansion built in the 1930’s to host flamboyant parties for an eccentric actress named Madame Sherri. Locals will tell you with a spark f mischief in their eye that the castle may have been a bit more than a place to party… they claim it was a brothel. Now I don’t know too much about that but what I do know is it fell into disrepair and then burned down in the 1960’s. Now all that is left of it is a stunning rock staircase that goes nowhere and other bits and pieces of the walls and foundation. Even better there is a state forest surrounding it and lots of lovely trails to hike all around it. I took Annie’s Loop Trail today. It was… a moderate hike… Lots of hills, roots jutting out of the ground, some flooding, and lots of rocks that needed to be climbed over. With that being said I was passed by no less than four ladies in their golden years, a visibly pregnant woman, and a series of small dogs… so the trail couldn’t have been that bad! One of the women was sure to stop me and randomly tell me I was pretty. This made me smile. You meet the sweetest people on these trails sometime! This was just a reminder – if you can make someone’s day with such a small gesture, do it!
