It happens almost the same time every year in spite of what the weather has wrought – warmer than usual temperatures or frigid cold – in the preceding months. This year was no different.

And so I jumped into Walden Pond this week for my first swim of the season. I carry in my car a thermometer, which I use to check the water of Walden or, on occasion, a trout stream that I’m contemplating. When I dipped it into the pond it read in the mid-60s, and though not entirely reliable, I deemed the pond ready for entry.

I swim with a skull cap and suit, but have abandoned the wet suit for the time being; just too much trouble getting in and out of, at least for me. It is chilly, but there’s a special sense of renewal and exhilaration with this inaugural plunge. I look forward to it every spring, and every spring it’s as special as the spring before.

Walden Pond is different things to different people. A place to spend time with family. A place to picnic with friends. A place to walk around. A place to go kayaking. A place to read a book. A place to train for your next triathlon.

Henry David Thoreau would be more than a little surprised if he were to revisit today the pond he made famous in the 19th century. But even though not given to frivolity, he would no doubt take some pleasure in the enjoyment it is providing to others.

And perhaps even smile at the pond’s capacity to renew the spirit of body and soul as it did his more than 150 years ago.