Claustrophobic? Afraid of dimly lit caves with multi-ton boulders lurking overhead, inches away from your skull? If so, then the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves is a perfect fit! [Editor's Note: "for you to get over that fear... fast"]

A couple hours north of Boston in North Woodstock (in super rural NH), each cave brings a different challenge and experience:

• low-ceiling stomach crawls
• near-total darkness
• steep decents and climbs
• body-tight squeezes (my personal favorite!)

Imagine the tightest fit you can think of, being surrounded on all sides by wet, cold rock, almost certain that you are just a hair too big to make it through... You get the idea. They even had a warning sign and wooden gauge to ensure you weren’t too largely proportioned to fit.

In between boulder-caves, you are treated to a snaking wooden walkway, passing straight through the gorge with its breathtaking waterfalls and complex rock formations. 

To be honest, there was a time going through the tightest boulder cave that I thought to myself, "There is NO WAY I am going to fit through that tiny opening! How am I going to get out of here?!". I didn't consider myself to be the claustrophobic type, but even so I found myself questioning the stability of the rock walls and fearing I could slip to my demise any minute. Fortunately, I made it through all the caves unscathed.

Sometimes, conquering your fears involves getting over the uncertainties you didn't even know existed till mid-act.