Annie and I visited Walden Pond, Massachusetts, in late October. This was the site of Henry David Thoreau's experiment in intentional living. From 1845 to 1847, he lived close to nature in a self-built house. During this time, he trained himself to be a naturalist. Over the years he filled thousands of pages of journals with accurate observations of natural phenomena and after he read Darwin's, The Origin of Species, he conducted the first systematic, American field study based on the principles of natural selection: The Dispersion of Seeds.
Though Thoreau observed and wrote everyday, he supported himself as a surveyor and by running his family's pencil and ink business. He also lectured and wrote articles...especially on civil liberty and anti-slavery. He was also part of the 'underground railroad', which helped smuggle escaped slaves to freedom. To me, his legacy is environmental, scientific, and moral. He was not afraid to speak out to set public prejudices and established interests.
Reconstruction of Thoreau's Cabin
Interior of Thoreau's cabin: Thoreau said that he had three chairs - "one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society".
Walden Pond
It is almost a certainty that there would be no Walden Pond as it exists today, if Thoreau had not written Walden Pond. Today it would be a developed suburb and business district, like nearby Framingham.
Predominantly Hardwood Forest Around Walden Pond
(Oak, Maple, Hickory, Beech, a little White and Pitch Pine)
Acorns
Poison Ivy
(an aggravating presence in eastern forests)
Beginning of Fall Colors
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Cardinal
Thoreau wrote about the pond always freezing over in the winter. I talked to people at Walden Pond. They said that last winter was the first time that the pond had not frozen over. I talked to people in Maine who said that the tick problem has gotten much worse because last winter was so mild, that the ticks were not controlled. I talked to people who regularly navigate the Potomac River, in Washington DC. They said that the usual iceflows were missing last winter. It used to freeze over. I talked to a person from Indiana who complained about the horrible drought.
I was wondering what Thoreau would say about global warming. Actually, I'm pretty sure I know.
"If a few degrees more than our body temperature makes us ill, what of the earth."
- Chaz Davies
"We cannot solve the problems that we have created with the same thinking that created them."
- Einstein
"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed."
- Chinese Proverb
