On Walden Pond '94

"I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived."

Henry David Thoreau

In autumn 1994 I made my first trip (as an adult) to New England.

(I'd been up thataway once before, in my youth, but that vacation with my grandmother
to Mystic, Connecticut, lovely though it was,
preceded the maturity I needed to appreciate simple things like scenery.)

But I digress.

I spent an interesting 10 days in southern New Hampshire, in and around Boston,
and wherever else the day's mood took me.
The best two days were spent ambling around Walden's Pond,
former home of famed philosopher, naturalist and all-around nonconformist
Henry David Thoreau.

There are no thumbnails on this page, but trust me, the pictures are colorful.

"If a man walks in the woods for love of them, half of each day,
he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer;
but if he spends his whole day as a speculator shearing off those woods
and making earth bald before her time,
he is esteemed as an industrious and enterprising citizen."
- Henry David Thoreau

Here's an early glimpse of Walden Pond from the surrounding woods.

The shoreline, from across the pond. The photos can't capture the vividness of the autumn colors.

Another photo of the pond and vibrant fall foliage.

Here are two similar shots of lake and leaves.

In nearby Concord, Henry rests beneath this humble tombstone.

Would you like to learn more about Thoreau?
Then check out this Thoreau FAQ, maintained by the Writings of Henry David Thoreau Project.

There is also a good Thoreau biography and a lot of information about Walden Pond
at this site about the Walden Pond State Reservation.

"There is an incessant influx of novelty into the world,
and yet we tolerate incredible dullness."
- Henry David Thoreau

Back to Rhymer's Rambles.