In the middle of the field stood a small, unassuming patch of forest. A faint trail lined with mud and stinging nettles was the only path through the trees. We followed the alluring sound of rushing water until we came face to face with the gaping mouth of a 100 ft. gorge.  We inched to the edge for a better view, but all we could see was a copper-toned river in an emerald abyss.

For what seemed like hours, we wandered aimlessly through the woods, searching for a fabled hidden stairway that would take us to the bottom of the gorge. In the fading afternoon light, this was no easy task. At first, we mistook a slippery trail of wet rocks and tree roots for the stairway, only to find  – to our horror – that it led right to the top of a waterfall. Luckily, we had the sense to turn back just before meeting the steep drop ahead.

Eventually we made our way to the other side of the gorge. Suddenly, the stairway appeared seemingly out of thin air. Camouflaged within a steep, narrow pass in the gorge was Jacob’s Ladder, said to be 200 years old. Climbing down the massive, treacherous stone steps was a surreal adrenaline rush. Down, down, down we crept – a journey to the center of the earth.

After what felt like ages, we found ourselves at the bottom of the gorge. The jade cliffs towered above us, glistening in ethereal sunlight. The copper river moved like a ribbon at our feet and bounced off of blood-red sandstone.  I was awe-struck by the intensity of the colors – red and green were contrasting in ways rarely seen in nature.

To explore further, we had to take off our shoes and socks, and wade barefoot through the icy water. Before long, we came across a sandstone monolith just before a waterfall. With it’s strange bulbous foundation and flat top, it stood out like a sore thumb – and was practically begging to be climbed.

And so we stood on the Devil’s Pulpit, an altar designed by nature for meditation – or perhaps more sinister deeds – in this mysterious, otherworldly place. It has become something of a legend in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is said that the Devil himself once gave a sermon from the rock, and druids used to use it as a sacrificial altar.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it were all true. Taking Jacob’s Ladder to the Devil’s Pulpit was an enchanting experience straight out of a fairy tale, and it deserves to be a place of legend. It’s one that I’ll never forget.