FIVE THINGS EVERY WALKER CAN LEARN FROM THOREAU

1 Make more time for walking

Whilst living at Walden Pond, Thoreau reversed the New England norm of six days of work and one day for leisure. Instead he lived simply and frugally on what he earned from occasional odd jobs and had the rest of his time free to walk and write.

2 Read up for a richer experience

Thoreau was an avid user of libraries and borrower of friends’ books in his quest for knowledge. He read widely across the fields of science, geology, local history, climate, anthropology and natural history, becoming an early appreciator of Darwin’s theory of evolution in the process.

3 Share your experiences; inspire others

Thoreau’s writings on nature directly influenced the Scottish-born John Muir, whose 1903 camping trip into Yosemite with Theodore Roosevelt led to the doubling of America’s national parks by the end of Roosevelt’s presidency. The 211-mile John Muir Trail in California and the 130-mile John Muir Way in Scotland are a stark contrast with the 1 ¾ -mile Emerson-Thoreau Amble route at Walden Pond.

4 See with fresh eyes

To experience the natural world anew on his walks, Thoreau actively chose to go out in all weathers, and to make long hikes through the night. He also liked getting unusual new perspectives on the landscape: he writes ecstatically of the view gained by perilously climbing a lofty tree on a hilltop in a high wind.

5 Have the right kit for all weathers

A cautionary end to this tale: already suffering from tuberculosis, Thoreau got soaked in a rainstorm having gone out to count the rings on tree stumps. He became bedridden and died at the age of 44.