Something pretty interesting happened on our Shoes, Brews, & Views Snowshoe Tour last Saturday and I asked one of our guides, Chaney, to share about his experience.
"One of my favorite parts of being a Naturalist Guide here at Wanderlust is that every single trip has the potential for wonder in many forms. Light changes, the weather shifts, and the group of fellow explorers is always different. Last Saturday, everything conspired to create a truly memorable trip out into the snow on Kapka Butte.
Our group had just completed our climb up the side of the cinder cone where we stopped for a break with a marvelous view west towards Mt. Bachelor. Blue skies made for a most photogenic moment, and everyone was posing for pictures at the geographic high point of our journey. Suddenly, gasps drew my attention to one couple in particular, where a man had just knelt down on one knee and was proposing to his girlfriend. She said yes, and our scenic vista transformed into a joyous overlook and a fine beginning to the Valentine’s weekend. We, of course, congratulated the couple, then celebrated with the “brews” portion of our Shoes, Brews, and Views trip.
Eventually, the time came for us to descend and leave our view behind. Final photos were posed for, but once more they weren’t all simply your average photos. For the second time, gasps led me to turn and see another proposal in action! The romantic question was again met with a resounding yes, the future husband and wife embraced, and we jumped right back into our congratulatory spirit. In a span of 30 minutes I’d gone from zero proposals on my trips to two! The two men, who I’m sure had nervously checked their pockets all the way up to make sure the rings were still there, joked with one another, making light of the fact that their engaging intentions had unwittingly but happily shared the same sunlit forest high on Kapka Butte.
I’m not usually one for selfies, but it was too momentous of a trip to pass on a group photo. We bunched up, smiled for the camera, and began our hike back through the snow with beaming smiles all around. It was an unforgettable adventure and an afternoon I’ll always think back on when I see Kapka Butte. Congratulations to both of the happy couples!"
