We're getting married!
Our Story
How We Met
The day after Thanksgiving in 2020 we had both signed up to go for a hike organized by the Backpacking Western NC meetup group. The hike started at Black Balsam parking area (mile post 420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway) where we first introduced ourselves and immediately started cracking jokes. The hike took us up to the Black Balsam Summit, over Tenant Mountain, and we did a section of the Mountains to Sea trail for probably a 10ish mile hiking day. We immediately clicked. We talked and hiked together the whole day sharing about our lives, adventures, and recovery. The hike leader encouraged us to exchange numbers and carpool to the next backpacking trip. The rest is history.
The Proposal
I knew Tyler had a ring when he went to Atlanta near the end of Jan 2024 for a "hair cut," but I had no idea when he was planning to ask the big question.
Our 3 years of dating anniversary hiking weekend in Feb 2024 started off snowy at the Beacon Heights parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our goal was to hike 40 miles and get to the Hwy 421 bridge on the MST (Deep Gap) by Monday, President's Day. The first day was frigid and windy. Rough Ridge, normally an awesome view, had gusting winds at probably 40-50mph. Another day passes and the weather is slightly better but there aren't any views or spots Tyler felt inspired about popping the question.
The last day rolls around and we're hanging out at our lunch spot for the day, the Grandview Overlook, with probably 5 more miles to go. It's sunny, slightly warmer, and there's a clear and beautiful view. Truly grand.
After all the cars leave we both sit contently enjoying the view and the sunshine. Then Tyler says "I'm just going to do this here" and gets down on one knee in front of me. He opens a small wooden box to reveal a dazzling diamond ring. "Will you marry me...Hobbit?" he says sweetly and intently. I am completely surprised and overwhelmed with joy and excitement. "AH! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! YES! YES!" I exclaim and kiss him.