Next stop was SMUGGLERS' CAVE on SMUGGLERS' NOTCH DRIVE. It is named for the fact that goods have been smuggled through the Notch and stashed in caves here for 200 years. The first acts of smuggling occurred in 1800s after President Jefferson passed an embargo act forbidding trade with Canada. As Montreal was the closest market, the embargo put Vermonters in a tough situation. Many people continued illegal trade through the Notch. Later slaves used the Notch to escape to Canada and a better life. And during Prohibition in 1920s, liquor was smuggled down fm Canada through the Notch to Southern markets.

We tried to imagine was it was like for the slaves to be hiding in those caves or for the smugglers to stash their goods here before they smuggled theirs things over to do business. It was not easy at all to get into the caves, we only managed to climb in and roamed around the external area. Any deeper would be too treacherous to go in and out. We can imagine that it must have been absolutely freezing in the winter. Accomodation of this kind is not likely something we can even imagine...I guess it was truly "survival of the fittest".