Zapata Ranch
June 22 – 25, 2023
Join award-winning science journalist, podcaster, and forest-bathing guide Florence Williams for an extraordinary weekend of immersive nature connection.
The Program
In this immersive 3-night experience, we will practice simple but powerful, science-based exercises that tap into our innate ability to find perspective, joy, awe, and wisdom in the beauty and life around us.
Enjoy easy hikes in breathtaking surroundings while exploring opportunities for reflective writing, nature meditation and the transformative practice of “forest bathing.” And for those who would like to experience the natural world on horseback, enjoy rides across the beautiful landscapes of the Zapata.
Afternoons will be filled with lively discussions about the latest scientific understandings of awe, beauty, and sensorial perception while considering evolutionary and neuroscientific approaches to the human/nature connection, and learning how to cultivate it more deeply.
Under the spectacular night skies and elsewhere, we’ll also enjoy informal conversations centered around a couple of impactful and fun-to-read books that will be optional pre-reading.
Heidi Sherk from The Nature Conservancy in Colorado will join us for part of the workshop to share the conservation history of the Zapata Ranch, and TNC's ongoing efforts to protect this wonderful landscape as well as other important lands and waters across Colorado and the region.
This retreat is designed for people of any fitness level who enjoy the outdoors and are ready to re-connect with nature on a richer, more meaningful, and reciprocal level.
About Florence Williams
Florence Williams’s book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative (2017) was an Audible bestseller and was named a top summer read by J.P Morgan. Her latest book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey (2022), was called “show-stopping” by Publisher’s Weekly and named a top book of 2022 by Apple Books, Smithsonian, The Times, Literary Supplement and Prospect Magazine. Florence has led workshops and retreats all over the western U.S. and is a certified forest bathing guide. The recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science and Technology, she is also a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for the New York Times, National Geographic, and numerous other publications. She is the writer and host of two Gracie-Award-winning Audible Original series, Breasts Unbound and The Three-Day Effect, as well as numerous episodes for Outside Magazine’s podcast. Her public speaking includes keynotes at Google, the Smithsonian, the Seattle Zoo, the Aspen Ideas Festival and many other corporate, academic, and nonprofit venues. A fellow at the Center for Humans and Nature and a visiting scholar at George Washington University, Florence’s work focuses on the environment, health and science.
Rates
$2,280 per person and include all lodging, meals, and activities. Tax and gratuity not included.
Presented in partnership with Swarovski Optik.
Zapata Ranch
Set back in a shady cotton woodgrove beneath the majestic 14,000-foot peaks of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains lies the historic Zapata Ranch headquarters and lodge, which was established in the late 1800’s. Elk, mule deer, migratory birds, eagles, and black bear also call this area home. The rooms are beautifully furnished and have an elegant southwestern decor that gives them the feel of home. All rooms have individual tiled bathrooms and views that are private, peaceful, and beautiful in any season.
learn more about Zapata