More about Thoreau and the outdoors on the Internet

• CyberSaunter's Thoreau World Wide includes a nice, brief life history, and more about Walden, his family, love interests and lots of images.
• The Formal Education of Henry David Thoreau from the University of Maryland details his early education and his years at Concord Academy and Harvard. The site also has information about Thoreau's family. Great set of Thoreau Links.
• Allagash Canoe Trips of Greenville Maine has some nice descriptions of canoeing trips on the Allagash.
• Allagash Wilderness Waterway Nature Book is a nice introduction to the area, with background on the land, the water, the flora, the fauna, and the rules and regulations.
• Baxter State Park's home page features a day use camping guide, and all the rules and regulations you'll need to know.
• Introduction to Orienteering.
• How to use a compass, a nice introduction, by Norwegian Kjetil Kjernsmos, with instructions on using a compass alone, with a map, exercises, and navigating without a compass.
• Birding in Maine, from the Audobon Society.
• Habitat Magazine, published four times a year by the Audubon Society
• Maine Birding Homepage has rare bird alerts, bird sites, weather, visit reports, and information about Puffins.
• Maine Nature News is a weekly online periodical covering natural history events, occurrences and observations in Maine.
• The Nature Conservancy's site includes information about the Maine Chapter and protected lands in Maine.

Taking it into the classroom

• Take an expedition to Fore River Sanctuary Wolfe Neck State Park, Bradbury Mountain or Scarborough Marsh. Identify the flowers and animals you see.
• Talk about why you like nature, and what you get out of spending time outdoors. Compare that with Thoreau's reasons.
• Find some passages in Thoreau's 'The Maine Woods' that make you look at the outdoors in a different way. Then go outside and take a fresh look at the woods yourself, and write about it.
• Learn about orienteering and using a compass (see links above) and try it out at a nearby nature area.
• Talk about what Thoreau would have used for equipment on his trips, compared with what we have available today.