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Walden Pond looks like the postcard version of New England, though the first thing I notice is the sound. A semi-trailer growls past, a train snaps by the lake, and a plane cuts the sky. That friction is exactly why I wanted to record this 300th-episode pilgrimage from one of the most iconic places in conservation history, where Henry David Thoreau lived for two years and turned detailed journals into Walden, the renowned masterpiece of nature writing, and cultural and self-examination.

I walk the shoreline, having started at the Walden Center, and follow the trail toward the replica cabin and on to its original site. Along the way I sit with what’s been restored and what’s still under pressure: crystal-clear water filtered through sands and soils, protected land surrounded by encroaching development, and the ongoing question of whether our technologies deliver more than they take. Standing at the stones and reading Thoreau’s “live deliberately” passage where it actually happened makes the idea feel a lot more visceral.

Thoreau’s civil disobedience writing also echoes through Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. And we learn the surprising history of Walden Pond’s stewardship, including an old amusement park that once sprung up alongside these waters. I end up alone at dusk, with night falling and moon rising. 

In celebration of the 300th episode, recorded the day after visiting Rachel Carson’s place in what became ep293. I've so looked forward to sharing this with you. The spirit of this place is really something. I hope you enjoy it.

With huge thanks for listening and supporting the podcast through its first 300 episodes!

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 10 September 2024.

Our visit to Aldo Leopold’s shack for ep218.

See some photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.

Music: Working the Fields, by Falconer (from Artlist).

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