Sydney and Hank had never been on a plane before, let alone seen any mountain landscapes like we have here in the Pacific-Northwest. So seeing the North Cascades in peak fall season with the larches popping? It was a pretty stunning introduction to the PNW to say the least!
These two were so casual with their elopement and just trusted us to take them on whatever hikes would make an amazing adventure. It was so much fun getting to show them one of our all-time favorite hikes in Washington. The Fall season in North Cascades National Park is definitely moody and less predictable. So we ended up changing our plans to do their vows in the early morning and going on their next hike right after! They were real troopers and we were able to get the best of both worlds.
Sydney actually ripped off part of an REI paper sack to write her vows–which is just the perfect symbol for a spontaneous adventure. And Hank somehow managed to notice a geocache hidden away in a boulder. I don’t think we would have ever found it without him! You’re supposed to “add or swap trinkets” to a geocache, so we put an Instax photo of them in the box to share with anyone else who finds it. It was the cutest, spontaneous thing that’s ever happened on an elopement. We were all so excited!
For their sunset hike, Sydney and Hank changed out of their wedding attire for the steep hike up above the lake. You can read more about hiking attire for your elopement and see our tips for that! They brought delicious snacks and enjoyed the cool moody weather as we made our way up into the mountains. The views were stunning in every direction and reminded us again how much we love this hike!
The weather was starting to get ominous and we were pretty exposed up there, so we opted to find a secluded spot for them to have their first dance to end the day. It was such a peaceful moment and we were incredibly grateful to show them our home state of Washington. And if their first flight wasn’t enough of an adventure, they flew off to Belize to adventure more after their elopement!
Leave No Trace Tip: The “popping champagne” photos below were done with sparkling water which has significantly less impact. Plus, you can get the photo while saving all of the good champagne to drink! π
