Wolfeboro, NH claims to be the oldest summer resort in America. Over the years it became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire.  Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all vacationed here. Jeanine and I started our day with a takeout breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll along the town’s rail trail. In the town center, we looked over the local real estate listings and found one for a 55-acre mountain top parcel with commanding views of the area. Imagining our own Castle in the Clouds, we decided to visit the property on a whim. We were never quite able to locate it but did come across Camp Merrowvista, where all of our children came with their elementary school class.

For the remainder of the day, we worked our way north stopping for views of the Pemigewasset River and the covered bridges that span it. Eventually, we reached the Lost River Gorge where we warmed up with a hike on its Eco Trail before jumping on to the Appalachian Trail at Kinsman Notch (pictured below). In all my years of hiking, this was my first time on the AT and it left a very favorable impression. We made the steep hike up to the Cascades where we enjoyed a brief respite before starting back down the mountain and once in our car the journey home.