When I first met Leah and Seth and found out they met at the very end of independent hikes of Pacific Crest Trail, I knew we were going to be a good match. You see, I also hiked the PCT, about a decade before them. But it’s a formative experience that bonds participants for life, no matter when you do it. Also, I KNEW Seth’s name on the inquiry form because he’s a well-known trail-running photographer! I have some friends who are big trail runners (they were at the wedding – we hiked part of the CDT together a decade ago!) so I pay attention to that world and have seen Seth’s name often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was no surprise that Leah and Seth chose a venue off the beaten path. Falls Creek Guest Ranch is pretty far off the road and without signage in Condon, Montana. It’s also where they stayed the night they got engaged (story below). It was a great retreat where many guests could stay and do recreational things, like a hike to Holland Lake Falls on the morning of the wedding or a paddle around the pond on the property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have to share Leah’s story about the proposal, as it’s exactly what you might expect from them: “I planned for about a month to surprise Seth to propose to him. Around the time of our 3 year anniversary, I\u00a0took us on a “winter expedition” in the Southeast Missions. I was hoping to get to Turquoise Lake, but that proved to be wildly impossible. The truck got stuck in the snow\u00a0on the road 5 miles short of the trailhead\u00a0and we spent 45 min digging it out. Then we cross country skied up the road, and switched to snowshoes once it got steeper. I proposed on top of a burned knoll with a wonderful view, with a dog tag on Baloo’s collar that said “Marry me?”\u00a0All in all a 5 hour slog, which is exactly what I\u00a0wanted :)”<\/p>\n\n\n\n