Santa Rosa nudist camp is celebrating 10 years. Their campers might surprise you.
Up yonder north of Chumuckla, south of Jay, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, there's Hidden Lake Resort.
The resort ? a beautiful, sprawling 110-acre spread with a lake and lagoon amid pine boonies ? truly is hidden away from signs of civilization. The people who live there aren't hidden though. You can see them ? head to toe.
Naked chores. Naked meals. Naked showers, duh. Naked laundry ? though honestly, there's not that much laundry. Naked volleyball. Naked hiking and fishing. Naked golf cart riding. No clothes, except maybe some sandals or some type of shawl.
Hidden Lake Resort is a nudist camp resort that has been serving nude people in the area for 10 years. On April 20, Hidden Lake will host its annual White Tail 5k Walk/Run, a clothing optional run ? most will be nude ? that is open to the public. The run coincides with Hidden Lake's annual spring season reopening, which begins April 19 and runs through April 21. Though the campground is occupied year round, the true activity season won't begin until April 19, with the reopening of Blue Moon Lagoon, featuring beachy surroundings and a volleyball net over the lagoon for water volleyball.
If you're looking to downsize and embrace a minimalist lifestyle, this might be an option.
"We had a woman that came out here who had 80 pairs of shoes,'' said resident and Hidden Lake Resort social media manager Jamie Kane. "She didn't wear anything but flipflops after that."
Jamie, a retired medical professional, along with husband Johnny, are pretty much full-time naked people.
"It's just a relaxed lifestyle,'' she said while sitting at a picnic table overlooking the lake on a nippy morning when she did have a loose wrap top on. (Owner Tim Nowling said folks do wear clothes if they're cold. "We're nudists,'' he said. "Not stupid.")
Jamie and her husband have been living at Hidden Lake Resort fulltime for about five years.
"It's like you're living in a therapy session,'' she said. "I never felt like a had a mental (problem), but this is just really calming for the soul."
Nowling first opened a typical campground on the grounds around 2000, continuing with the endeavor until around 2011 when another Santa Rosa County nudist resort, and some of the folks from that place, leased Nowling's campground for three years, operating it as a nudist camp.
In 2014, Nowling took control again, continuing the nudist theme, and opened Hidden Lake Resort. The resort has RV hookups where many guests, mostly couples, live long term. The Resort also offers annual memberships for folks who might not want to live out there permanently, but still wish to take advantage of the chance to get out in nature, get nude, and enjoy the resort's beauty and activities, which include potlucks, live music, karaoke, swimming, canoeing, hiking and more. Members range in age, from young couples to older retirees, though most of the full-time residents are middle-aged and maybe a tad older for the most part.
"It's just a peaceful place where you can get away from the sirens and the noise and all the junk you have in the city,'' said Nowling, 63. "We've got some good people out here."
Hanging around nearby is the Hidden Resort handyman/resident/nudist Hammer Abbott, 70 years old.
He's got clothes on at first ? chilly but warming as we spoke. Soon enough, he's naked and hanging around the picnic table.
"It's peaceful, it's quiet,'' Abbott said. "I work at my own pace because I'm older. But the people are wonderful and it's just a great place. I love it here."
If you're interested in the White Tail Run, wondering about being naked, or just curious about Hidden Lake Resort, go to www.hiddenlakecamp.com or check out the group's Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa nudist camp Hidden Lake Resort near Chumuckla turns 10