Sunrise Meditators at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park

Lookout for 2014 - Back to Nature Festival 13

The 13th annual Back to Nature festival sponsored by the South Walton Community Council (SWCC) took place Friday through Sunday, October 17-19. I attended the following events on Sunday, Oct. 19.

A Wonderful Event for Me

Last year I described what would be an ideal B2N event for me. This year I enjoyed a valuable day. I didn't miss the eco-active component of the ideal until reminded of it later. Sunday was eco-intense with new elements following a sunrise meditation event. It combined features of the events I attended and continue online. At Topsail Hill Preserve State Park I meditated before dawn, hiked in the afternoon, and met with the movie-makers after dark. Although exhausted, I had a happy back to nature experience.

Events I attended

• Sunrise Meditation with Nancy James - Start the day with Sunrise Meditation on the beach from 6:30-7AM led by Nancy Ann James of ECMS (Emerald Coast Meditation Society). Be there at 6:10 for a special tram ride to our location. This is a rare chance to be in one of the best nature sites in our area before the crowds arrive.

  It's naturally enlightening to feel safe and comfortable on the beach, lulled by waves, and gradually rising and awakening to the light of day. See movie on YouTube or Vimeo.

• Hike - Park rangers led several guided trail hikes. The one I took was from 4-6PM. They identified and provided background information for many more than the plants in the movie, which are:

  sundew
  orange candy root
  october flower 
  goldenrod
  pickerel weed
  torpedo grass
  wild olive
  yucca
  saw palmetto root
  sand pine
  yaupon holly
  harvester ant
  gopher apple
  gopher tortoise burrow
  deer tongue
  No Name coastal dune lake

  Video location: 30.35857 -86.27525.

  See YouTube or Vimeo.

• Movies - Video by Elam Stoltzfus: Natural Florida’s Visual Storyteller. This is a special preview of the first few minutes of the upcoming documentary "Coastal Dune Lakes: Jewels of Florida's Emerald Coast". The documentary will premiere on Public Television Earth Day week 2015. Catch a sneak peek a few months early as part of a special event with Walton County's Back to Nature Festival! I was too tired to stay for the entertainment: Stick around for live music afterwards courtesy of Owsley Brothers with the Courtyard Saints!

Back to Lookout or Lookout 2002, Back to Nature 1.