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Wild Wild Walden
If you really want to let your hair down, Walden Pond is the place for you...unless you like that hair to be clean and full of volume, because there isn't a working shower around for miles.
| Author | Thoreau - Henry David Thoreau |
| Form | Biography |
| Language | English Language |
| Literary Topics | Author Highlights |
| Literature | American Literature |
Transcript
In fact, it hasn’t made a single public appearance… ever.
What is Walden Pond, and why do we care?
Well, it is the subject of a work of classic literature. And there haven’t been too many
great books written about pond scum.
Unless you include Oliver Twist. That Bill Sikes was a baddie.
The author Henry David Thoreau spent two years living out his dream of relying on no one
but himself… and nature…
…by holing himself up in a little cabin right next to Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts.
Rumor has it that he did have the occasional pizza delivered, but we cannot confirm those
reports. Located at 42.4 degrees north, 71.3 degrees
west…
…Walden is an unassuming little pond.
It is buried out in the middle of nowhere…
…and it has no desire for fame, or accolades, or attention.
It’s fine just chillaxing out there in the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet…
…and hanging with its good friend, Henry. The weather there is gorgeous…
…it never gets too terribly cold, and never gets too hot.
Like the baby bear in the famous fairy tale, it’s just right.
It does get its fair share of rainfall, but…
…being a pond, it doesn’t much worry about getting wet.
And what about its neighbor… Thoreau’s cabin?
It’s a tiny little thing… only ten by fifteen feet.
But Thoreau never needed that much room.
Besides, his butler could sleep outside. If you’re as fascinated by pond-living as
Thoreau was…
…and are feeling inspired to build your own cabin… you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Thoreau borrowed the land from his pal Ralph Waldo Emerson…
…and the site is now a state reservation.
Even the deer need to show proper identification just to get anywhere near it.
Yes, Walden is not your run of the mill pond.
We may never know all of its secrets…
…and perhaps we aren’t meant to. Thank you for joining us for this first edition
of Inside the World’s Most Famous Ponds.
Sadly, this will also be our final episode, as we could not think of another famous pond.
Ah, well. Thanks for the memories, everyone. Signing off.