While talking with A & C about their wedding, they brought up how much they love backpacking in the North Cascades together. While they would have loved to elope to the North Cascades, they knew that having their family in attendance was worth the possible stressors of planning such an event. I mentioned the idea of doing an adventure engagement sessions where we could backpack into the North Cascades and document them in their favorite locations, doing what they loved together.
This idea did not need much convincing.
Fast forward to mid-July, and it was time for the early morning start to the Marblemount ranger station for the competition for permits.
Unfortunately, we did not get the camp spot we wanted, but did get one at the base of the trail head. We decided to day hike our original backpacking route, then camp all together after our hike.
The hike was absolutely stunning, and gave us the opportunity to talk about the real stuff in life. We felt like we truly got to know one another, and build a certain level of trust being in the outdoors together. While not quite the same as packing into a more remote location, the hike was no joke at about 4,500-5000 feet of gain (including a detour we added in to go swim in a lake).
We even had a very special moment where C got to spend some time with a mountain goat!
One thing that I find special about this shoot is that it truly was THEM. We didn’t pack in any special outfits, and I didn’t control or overtly pose many of the portraits. While it definitely warmed C&A up for being documenting on their wedding day, they described themselves as a bit camera shy, which I took into consideration in how I documented them while hiking. It became more of a story of the whole adventure and exploration together.
Thank you for a wonderful time exploring the North Cascades together for your engagement session!
