One of the most popular items that I put into gift bags last month took 30 years to germinate and sprout onto coffee tables. Happenstance, shared passion and hard work made “Okefenokee Swamp Wild & Natural” bloom into 150-plus pages of full-color, just in time for Christmas.
So, how did it get started?
Experts say the swamp has been around for 6,500 years, growing out of the Atlantic coastal plain in Southeast Georgia. The headwaters of the Suwanee and St. Marys Rivers are in the swamp, and most of the watershed flows toward the Gulf of Mexico. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The swamp has an ancient history. But the latest book about Georgia’s natural wonder that slips over into Florida is a relative newcomer, stemming from a chance meeting of Don Berryhill and Wayne Morgan. As a summer worker 35 years ago, Wayne fell under the supervision and spell of Don, who is a resident expert on the 438,000 acres making up “The Land of Trembling Earth.”
Both men knew—right away—that they had a mutual love for the Okefenokee. What they didn’t know was that Wayne, almost by accident, would become a world-class nature photographer who could team eye-popping illustrations with Don’s encyclopedic knowledge of the swamp.
This book wouldn’t have happened unless Wayne hadn’t “died” twice in 1999. His doctor explained that in both of Wayne’s falls following heart attacks, hitting the ground hard restarted his heart. With a pacemaker installed, the 35-year-old had an epiphany and a new hobby. Picking up a Nikon camera, he put down his hunting and fishing gear.
