Every romantic has heard of Walden Pond, a historical lake in Concord, Massachusetts just outside Boston, a stone’s throw from where I lived in Belmont many years ago. A famous example of a kettle hole, it was apparently formed by retreating glaciers 10,000–12,000 years ago. While that may be a fascinating factoid, that is not how people know the Walden Pond name nor why they want to go there.
The writer, transcendentalist, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau lived on the northern shore of the pond for two years starting in the summer of 1845. His account of the experience was recorded in Life in the Woods, and made the pond famous. The land at that end was owned by Thoreau’s friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who let Thoreau use it for his experiment. Concord Museum contains the bed, chair, and desk from Thoreau’s cabin. Below is the foundation of where his house sat and while the photo may be deceiving, you can get an idea of just how small it was in size.
Because of Thoreau’s legacy, Walden Pond has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement.
The pond is now managed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and people flock there to swim and hang out on its banks in the summer. Mostly undeveloped woods totaling 2,680 acres, called “Walden Woods,” surround the reservation and of that, 335 acres of protected open space are open to visitors.
My recommendation? Walk around the pond in its entirety and then go back around in the opposite direction and from there, find a lovely spot to sit on the shores and reflect on the beautiful nature that surrounds you as well as the history of the place.
I was a happy camper on that glorious summer afternoon…it’s all so breathtaking isn’t it?
Here are links to read all of our posts on Massachusetts, Boston and Cape Cod.
Details:
Walden Pond
915 Walden Street
Concord, Lincoln
978 369-3254
Parking costs $5 daily although since prices change, be sure to check their website before heading out.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
