Eco-walks and Insights

At The Dunes, optional nature walks or eco-walks immerse clients in the natural beauty of the local environment. People evolved surrounded by and according to nature for millions of years. Caught up in lives ruled by addiction has destroyed the connection many felt with nature.

Today it’s a common experience for people to feel barraged by media, often unsettling news, advertising, crowding and traffic which, when compounded by the destructive cycle of addiction, often leaves people in an anxious disconnected state of mind and experiencing emotional chaos.

Research lead by Essex University in the UK concludes hiking in a natural environment for an hour a day can have the same effect for low to medium depression as taking antidepressant drugs (Pretty J., 2009, Essex University).

There are more than 44 different hikes in the Hamptons that meander through nature preserves in the area. Dunes eco-walking clients will be tantalized by rare orchids, beautiful birds and breathtaking views, gorgeous coastlines and natural phenomena that help foster a degree of serenity that is essential to recovery from addiction.

Examples of Dunes eco-walks include:

The Walking Dunes
A one-mile loop trail brings Dunes eco-walkers through fascinating landforms and plant communities featuring animals and exceptional scenic vistas.

Fresh Pond Loop (Hither Hills State Park)
A stunning eco-walk consisting of a three and a half mile loop, which clients can elect to partially walk or complete. The Napeague section of the walk is characterized by primeval woods filled with Russian olive trees, oak, shad and pine with undergrowth of wild grapes.

Seal Haulout Trail
A one mile long walk though the northern section of the Point Woods is a beautiful and tranquil trail even if our clients are not seal-spotting, which takes place at low tide, December through March.

Eco-walks are centered on people’s intrinsic connection to nature. With a focus on healthful exercise and inner peace while leaving only footsteps and good will Dunes clients literally contribute to their recovery’s strength—one step at a time.

“A quiet session of observation, punctuated only by the cries of gulls and muffled barking of seals across the water, can restore one’s sense of time, patience and well-being.” (Valerie Rough, seal researcher from Maine).