Oh, it's a nice day for a hike here in the woods of Irving, Massachusetts.

It is.

It's been unseasonably warm this fall, so it's still pretty comfortable to be outside.

And plus, now that most of the leaves have fallen, we're going to have good visibility.

We parked off the side of the road in a residential area, and we're following a five-mile lollipop loop trail.

Right. It's called a lollipop loop because you follow a single trail for more than half of the

hike, and then you follow a loop all the way around, and then come back the same way.

Thank you for mansplaining that to me. That's a combination of the word man and explaining.

Exactly. Anyway, so anyway, this trail follows the ridge of Northfield Mountain just below the reservoir.

It's a pretty hike along the rolling foothills of the Berkshires, nothing but hills and woods

for miles.

And with good visibility, we'll be able to find what we're looking for.

Now, what are we looking for?

We're heading to a place called Irving Castle.

A castle out here?

Well, that's what its lone resident called this place.

A lone resident who made a name for himself living out here all alone for three decades.

We're on the search for the hermit of Irving Castle.

Hello, I'm Jeff Belanger. And I'm Ray Osier. Welcome to episode 371 of the New England Legends podcast.

Thanks for joining us on our quest for all the weirdness that makes New England like no other place.

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