Vermont Public is independent, community-supported media, serving Vermont with trusted, relevant and essential information. We share stories that bring people together, from every corner of our region.

© 2026 Vermont Public | 365 Troy Ave. Colchester, VT 05446

Public Files:
WVTI · WOXM · WVBA · WVNK · WVTQ
WVPR · WRVT · WOXR · WNCH · WVPA
WVPS · WVXR · WETK · WVTB · WVER
WVER-FM · WVLR-FM · WBTN-FM

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@vermontpublic.org or call 802-655-9451.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Journey to Mount Katahdin and Untamable Nature

Season 1 Episode 2 | 9m 22s

Leaving Walden Pond, Thoreau joins his cousin on an excursion to Mount Katahdin in Maine. On the journey through Maine to the mountain, Thoreau passes a Penobscot reservation and finds they have been marginalized and robbed of their territory. While he is unable to summit Katahdin, Thoreau experiences a revelation that true wildness can be felt all around us.

Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Major funding for HENRY DAVID THOREAU was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment and Mark A. Tracy. Major funding was also provided by Jeff Skoll, the Mansueto Foundation, Tyson Foods, Inc., and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Additional funding was provided by the Tyson Family Foundation Inc, The Neil and Anna Rasmussen Foundation, Roxanne Quimby Foundation Inc, Jim and Mona Mylen through The HeartSpace Fund, and Elizabeth Kenny.
Extras
Ken Burns Presents — A film by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers.
Filmmakers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers discuss the making of 'Henry David Thoreau'.
The life and work of Henry David Thoreau still inspire and resonate with people today.
Thoreau moves in with Ralph Waldo Emerson's family, but personal tragedy strikes both families.
Thoreau is introduced to Ralph Waldo Emerson and the radical ideas of transcendentalism.
Henry David Thoreau spent his life experimenting and contemplating on how to live a good life.
After young Thoreau fails at a career in writing, he retreats to a cabin in the woods.
Thoreau's refusal to support what he saw as injustice culminates in his essay "Civil Disobedience."
While slavery is illegal in Massachusetts, Black communities are forced to the margins of society.
On July 4th, 1845, Henry David Thoreau moves into a 10x15-foot house on Walden Pond.
Latest Episodes
After Walden, Thoreau takes on new roles and adventures as an illness catches up with him.
Thoreau lives at Walden Pond where he writes, while exploring nature — and himself.
After young Thoreau fails at a career in writing, he retreats to a cabin in the woods.