On the Road: Hiking Purgatory Chasm, Sutton MA, August 07

On our way back from Pi-Con in Springfield MA this past August, Gynn and I decided to stop off to spend some time outdoors. We detoured to Sutton MA and Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, south of Worcester in central Massachusetts. We picked out Purgatory Chasm based on a letterbox clue, but we had no luck locating the letterbox.

What we did find, though, were some truly amazing rock formations.

The chasm is the result of the sudden release of dammed-up glacial meltwater near the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 14,000 years ago.

There are massive towers of stacked boulders. (Note the people at the bottom of this picture to get an idea of scale).

Signs warn visitors to use caution.

We explored inside the chasm and walked along the rim above.

Here are a couple more views of the rocks.

There are trees growing right up the walls from inside the chasm.

 Gynn tried her hand at some rock balancing.

Here is one of her creations.

Near the parking lot is a bowl-like indentation in a flat rock.

As it turns out, this is not a natural formation, but rather, a Native American artifact.

The chasm is a very short walk from the parking area and picnic tables. There are trails going deeper into the woods for those who want to do more hiking.

This was a great place to take a break from our travels, stretch our legs a bit, and see some cool sights while we enjoyed a nice summer day.