Stories

Where I Live

The South Mountain landscape is our home. And despite the different opinions, perspectives, and worldviews that each of us carry, we all share a common trait: we call the South Mountain landscape home. We believe in the power of this common ground to build conversation around the future of this landscape – and our future while living within this landscape. Add your voice to the conversation!

Previously, we released a video that explores the South Mountain Landscape’s meaning as our home and as the place where we form memories that last a lifetime. Now we are asking for you to add your voice to the story! The “Where I Live” Series is intended to communicate our love of our land through the writing of personal reflections. We are asking you, our Partners and fellow residents in the South Mountain Landscape, to read the stories shared by others and to share your own story of why the land is special to you. We hope that you will enjoy these stories of home – and perhaps reflect on what this landscape means to you. Ultimately, we hope that these stories inspire you to join us in action around our efforts to conserve the Landscape Resources (Agricultural, Cultural/Historic, Natural, and Recreational) of the South Mountain Landscape!

Submit your own story

Is there a place in the South Mountain landscape that is your home – where you have a deep, strong connection with the land? What is the character, or sense of place, of that area? Do you care about the future of this landscape? We encourage you to reflect on what is so meaningful about the landscape where you live, and to share your thoughts in a brief “Where I Live” story.

Instructions:

We encourage you to start your essay with the sentence, “This is where I live.” Continue by describing this place and exploring the theme of “home.” What is it about the South Mountain landscape that gives you a feeling of home – are there specific features or elements that stand out?

Please aim for an essay of 250-500 words in length. We encourage you to weave this reflection out of personal stories, memories, moments, and/or experiences that capture or exemplify why it is that this landscape is special and unique. We are looking for intentional, authentic reflections “from the heart” on what it is that makes this landscape a special place to live.

While you are certainly welcome to focus on a specific town or community, we encourage you to utilize the concept of the broader South Mountain landscape that covers portions of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties. Diverse natural, cultural/historical, agricultural, and recreational resources converge within the South Mountain landscape. To what extent is one or more of the resources central to what makes this landscape special and unique to you?

Some prompts to consider: What are the particular elements or features of the South Mountain landscape that you personally feel tie the region together in a unified sense and cause it to stand out as a special, unique place to live? If you moved here from elsewhere, was there a particular moment or experience that caused you to pause and say to yourself, “this really is home.” If you were raised here, do you hold particularly vivid memories from your childhood or youth that remain clearly imprinted in your mind and that continue to root you in place?

Where to submit your story

Completed essays should be sent to:

Katie Hess, South Mountain Partnership Director, at khess@appalachiantrail.org