Doesn’t it feel great to hear positive stories about the impact your location and its activities have on your visitors? Recreation.gov set out to do just that: capture stories from visitor experiences on federal public lands and waterways. In 2021, Recreation.gov launched its inaugural amateur outdoor adventure writing contest called “Share Your Story.” The contest asked visitors to share adventures that touched their hearts, made them laugh and created life-long memories. The call was answered; the contest resulted in more than 1,200 heartfelt story submissions.
The 2022 Share Your Story contest is now underway
Building on the success of the 2021 contest, this year’s Share Your Story contest launched January 5 and runs through April 30, 2022. Amateur writers can recap their experiences for a chance to win great prizes and have their stories featured on Recreation.gov! Below are a few contest rules. Click here to read the complete guidelines.
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
- Stories mush have taken place on a federal land, waterway or monument.
- Trips must have taken place between January 1, 2020 – April 30, 2022.
Messages of “thanks” lead to “Chapters of Gratitude”
One message that resonated throughout so many of the 2021 story submissions was that of gratitude:
- Gratitude for our federal public lands, themselves, by providing us with much-needed solace and pleasure throughout the unprecedented times of the pandemic.
- Gratitude to our rangers and staff who worked tirelessly to keep our federal public lands open and safe.
Other stories shared how young children now dream of becoming park rangers and campers who transcended to become stewards of our public lands. Whether it was a hike in a local forest or a weekend by the campfire, a first-time adventure, or a tradition that had been passed down over the years, these stories inspired us.
A Collection of Stories
“Chapters of Gratitude” is a collection of these inspirational travel experiences, particularly those that express a heartfelt message of gratitude for all that our public lands provide. Below are a few highlights from story submissions. To view more stories, visit the Share Your Story – Story Gallery.
Whether the experience took place on city, state or federal lands, the heartfelt gratitude is universal!
Story Title: We Cleaned It Up!
Location: Kelso Dunes Wilderness, California (Bureau of Land Management)
“We cleaned it up!” is a story about a couple who are now stewards of our public lands. After arriving to a campsite full of litter, they almost gave up on the trip of a lifetime. Instead, they had a life-changing experience after they decided to clean up the campsite themselves.
“4 hours and ten minutes later that site, 50 plus feet by 129 feet, was CLEAN. “… “This experience has never left me; it was life-changing. That 4 hours and 10 minutes gave me the time to reflect on the many times I’d walked past a carelessly discarded container or some broken glass. I can still hear myself saying, “this land is my land.”
Story Title: Past, Present, Future...with Love
Location: Hartwell Lake, Georgia (US Army Corps of Engineers)
Read about how their trip began as a comedy of errors and ended as an empowering accomplishment.
“As a longtime day hiker, I toyed with the idea of backpacking but never thought I was strong enough. Then the pandemic came. I was desperate to find a respite from stress. On social media, I saw plenty of small-framed, not-so-muscular women like me with towering Ospreys and Gregorys strapped to their backs, posing triumphantly by pristine lakes and peaks in the Eastern Sierras. I wanted to know what the wind felt like in the high country. I wanted to dip my feet in the bracing turquoise water. Phil and I booked a permit for the three nights at Treasure Lakes in August, giving ourselves a goal and a deadline.”
Story Title: What a Blessing Nature Is
Location: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, and additional locations (National Park Service)
Sherry looks forward to her weekends in the parks as much as staying in a 5-star hotel. She’s learned to love the simple pleasures of the outdoors, like grilling dinner on an open fire, fishing, and sleeping in a tent.
“Life is so much better now, and we include the outdoors in our life as not only fun, but it is therapy and relaxation.”
