Ways to Preserve Your Adventure Memories

By Sylvia Karcz, Contributing Blogger

Outdoor adventures, no matter the complexity, location, or mode of human-powered movement, often come ripe with lasting “a-ha moments.” They offer perspective, challenge, inspiration, and endless insight not only into what we are capable of, but also into how connecting with nature can restore and revitalize us at our core. 

Point being: time in the outdoors leaves an imprint long after we leave the trailhead. And finding ways to bring ourselves back to that adventure through a little tangible keepsake—be it to remember our strength, our peace of mind, or special moments with friends or family—can do wonders. 

Read on for a few creative ways to preserve those valuable adventure memories!

Painting a Moment in Nature 

No matter if you’re a trained watercolorist or have never lifted a paintbrush before, bringing a compact paint set—or colored pencils, pastels, etc!— on your next outdoor adventure is such a unique way to document a special vista or moment. The rewards are two-fold, too: creating art in nature allows you to be super present and appreciate that moment in a very intentional way, but also, to have a tangible piece to take back home with you. Then, you can frame it!

Instead of drawing or painting, you can use your art tools to paint a poem or make a creative journal entry, too.

Preserving Leaves from a Hike

For those less-intensive hikes where shedding weight isn’t as crucial, try this: carry a small journal with you, and collect unique leaves you find along your path in it! While we never recommend removing wildflowers or live foliage because of Leave No Trace principles, finding fallen leaves that have naturally shed is usually simple and safe enough. When you come across ones that catch your eye, place them between the pages of the journal to “press” them and maintain their shape.

Later, when you get home, the options are endless! It’s usually best to start by drying the leaves out, which can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on where you live. Once dry, paint the leaves with a matte medium—this seals them and helps preserve their color and overall integrity. Then, you can decoupage them onto a picture frame, a flower pot, or into a hiking journal, and have a lasting reminder of your hike!

Capture Memories with a Bit of Mystery

Taking photos with your phone or digital camera while adventuring outdoors has become a pretty straightforward and reliable way to preserve memories, sure—but some trips warrant a little something extra special, don’t you think? Well, that’s where Polaroid and disposable film cameras come into play!

There’s something about the mystery of film that makes taking a photo more purposeful, spontaneous, and fun.  It may result in closed eyes, an imperfect angle, or even a grainy or washed-out haze…but therein lies the excitement! It’s all too easy to have a phone glued to our sides and snap hundreds of photos during an outdoor outing, but with film, we have to take a moment to actually think about what we’re capturing and why it’s valuable. What are we hoping to preserve with that moment, after all? 

So, next time you have a special trip planned, opt for a little experimentation, why don’t you? Borrow a poloraid camera or buy a disposable 35 mm, and dive into the mystery of film to preserve your adventure. 

Adventure Shadow Boxes

Sometimes, adventures leave us with physical remnants that hold hours worth of stories in their seams. Maybe it’s a beat-up jersey from a long-distance bike race or ultra-marathon in the mountains. Or, maybe it’s a fishing license or hiking permit for a mountaineering expedition, thru-hike or backcountry hiking trip abroad. It can be as simple as a note or doodle someone left for you, taped to a tent or car or trailhead log, even. Whatever the circumstance, it’s all too easy to take those noteworthy items and tuck them in a drawer, only to be forgotten over the years. 

There is a solution, though: starting an adventure shadow box to properly display these special traces of your adventures! From permits and tags, to a journal entry or gloves that summited a dozen peaks, the options are limitless. Choose a shadow box (or make one yourself!) and let it fill up, one adventure at a time.