Walden and Sleepy Hollow - Liz Version

So you can see from Rick's earlier post we went to Walden Pond and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery last weekend. Both are located in Concord, MA about 35 minutes from our house. Concord is what you would expect, old with lots of touristy shops.

It's so nerdy, but I was super excited to visit Author's Ridge at Sleepy Hollow. I am quite the Louisa May Alcott fan. Now, I think there are two kinds of LMA fans: those who love Little Women, Jo's Boys, etc. and those who know that she penned quite a few gothic thrillers, short stories, and romantic novellas. I am the latter. At Gustavus, I was lucky enough to take a J-Term class (month long, 3 hour per day class) all about LMA my Freshman year. Not only did we read a diverse selection of her works but learned about her life. She really held her family together.

Her father, Bronson Alcott, was a total weirdo. While he did hang out with prominent people, like Emerson and Thoreau, and spoke openly against slavery he was better know for being a Transcendentalist. Now don't get me wrong, I kind of like the transcendental ideas but not enough to start a small community around them. Bronson started "Fruitlands," a small utopian community in Massachusetts. Turns out it wasn't such a good idea. One thing that stuck in my mind about "Fruitlands" was that they were only allowed to wear linen. This was because cotton was from slave labor and wool came from sheep (sheep slavery apparently). They really figured out this utopian, vegtable only eating, linen wearing society wouldn't work once the cold New England winter hit. Duh!

Anyways, here is a pic of LMA's grave (small headstone) with the large Alcott Family grave marker in the back:

Walden Pond was really amazing. Like Rick posted, it's actually pretty small but quite deep. The deepest part is over 100 feet deep. The pond was created be a retreating glacier during the last glaciation. After Thoreau spent his time at the pond in 1840's, people started frequenting the pond for swimming and leisure. An amusement park was built in the late 1860's with swings, concessions, running/biking trails, boats, bathhouses, and a dancehall. Lucky for us it burnt to the ground in 1902. Can you imagine Walden Pond with all that junk around it???

At any rate, it is now a registered National Historic Landmark. Many people do drive to the park in the summer to swim. We have heard that the Department of Conservation and Recreation closely monitors the number of people at the park and will restrict entrance to the park during the height of summer. Here are a few more photos from Walden Pond:

I do look forward to going back in the summer. I'll wade into the lake a bit but I'm freaked out about how deep it is!! It's no secret that I hate water, but I think I can stick a toe or two into Walden Pond on a hot 90 degree day this summer.

We'll keep you posted on our nerdy adventures throughout New England.