Magic in the Mountains

Moments of Our Life Together On and Off the Trail

Steps Towards Each Other

August 6, 2021

My pack is heavy as I slowly place one foot in front of the other. I have shifted and adjusted the weight countless times, but no matter what I do my shoulders ache in protest of carrying the backpack. Sun filters through the tree cover and I pause in the unrelenting climb to catch my breath. Only a couple more miles to go I tell myself over and over again. It feels like I have been ascending Mount Moosilauke for hours, and in truth I have. Climbing 4000′ has been brutal, my quaking legs attest to the strenuous climb.

The last time I saw my trail family was several hours ago when I told them to go on just past the trailhead. It’s no secret I’m the slowest hiker in the group. I’m self conscious about my speed and have found it better to let the others go ahead, they know I’ll catch up eventually. The rocks underfoot plague my tender feet and I stop to take a long pull of water. I can do this I chant as my breath grows ragged as I begin my slow trudge once more.

Finally I turn a corner and there on a rock lounging under a spruce tree is Truffles. He looks like he grew there, nestled comfortably at the truck of the tree. He still has his pack on, but I know he’s probably been sitting here for the better part of an hour waiting on me. He always waits for me. The smile of acknowledgment breaths new life into me and my cadence increases. I cross the distance to Truffles and throw my arms around him as he stands. “Welcome to the Whites,” he says as he plants a quick kiss on my lips. “The others are just up ahead.”

A Mountaintop Proposal

October 29, 2022

My eyes sprang open as the alarm clock blared. It was still dark outside and my bed was oh so cozy. Why had I set an alarm in the first place? I smacked the clock to silence it and rolled over to burrow deeper into the sheets. My heavy eyelids were drifting shut as the bedroom door swung open. Light streamed into the darkened room and I pulled the covers up over my head. “I’m not going.” I slurred in a sleepy state. Cade walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to me. He attempted to gently pull the covers back from my head, but I tighten my grip and sank lower beneath the comforter. “Anna, you have to. Come on, it’ll be fun. I made you breakfast.” He said as he stood up and began walking towards the door. The smell of eggs and sausage wafted through the room. I had been silencing my alarm for nearly an hour, pretending each time that I would get up by the next eruption of sound. I hadn’t realized how long I had put off the inevitable and clumsy swung my legs out of bed. The wood floors were cool under my feet and I grumbled and stretched before slinking into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

An hour later we were officially running late. “I can’t believe we are having to hike on our day off.” I said for the umpteenth time that morning. Cade and I were wrapping up our first season working as backpacking guides in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We had grown accustomed to the dizzying schedule of being out on the trail for days at a time and tried to soak up every second of quiet time at home that we could. This week, however, our home life was not so quiet. We were in the process of moving and our rental house was littered with boxes and packing tape. I also had just begun a yoga teacher program and had spent the weekend prior at training. Our final trip of the season was approaching and I felt my energy and enthusiasm slipping away. As an end of the season hurrah we had invited Cade’s family to visit, but I woefully regretted agreeing to hike with them while they were in town.

Caleb, Cade’s younger brother, had been insistent that he wanted to hike up Alum Cave Trial to Mount LeConte. “It’s a Saturday in October,” I had argued, “it will be too crowded.” I was determined to be a pessimist even when I was outvoted and it was decided that we would indeed be joining the throngs of people venturing up to the iconic peak. With the promise of breakfast and coffee Cade had lured me out of bed and now I sat pouting in the passenger seat as we drove to the trail head to meet Caleb and his girlfriend, Mikenlee.

GSMNP is the most visited National Park in the US boasting nearly 15 million visits annually. October is the busiest time of year with over two million tourist flocking to see the fall colors. I didn’t want to contribute to that statistic, but here we were, circling the overflowing parking lot looking for a spot. We parked, unloaded our daypacks, and were off.

As we followed the creek and began climbing in elevation, my sour mood lightened. It was a picturesque day- the sky was clear with white fluffy clouds lazily floating across the blue expanse of sky. It was sunny and warm, a rarity in late October. Cade had been overly sweet and patient with me despite my morning tantrum. I was hiking with some of my favorite people in my favorite place, shame on me for not wanting to be there. I mumbled an apology under my breath and let the clacking of trekking poles carry me up the mountain.

Hours later we had ascended through hardwood forests and were deep in the high elevation ecosystem. Spruce and fir trees waved their needles at us as we hiked by. Red squirrels darted by on branches and we heard the songs of Dark Eyed Juncos high up in the canopy. We rounded a corner and looming in front of us was the infamous LeConte Lodge. Posed on top of the mountain at 6,593′, the LeConte Lodge is an icon in the Smokies. “Do you want to go to the Lodge first or head up to the Clifftops?” I asked the group. It was decided that we would hike the steep quarter mile trail past the lodge up to the Clifftops, a rocky outcrop that offered unparalleled views of the mountains. I shouldered my pack and bounded up the trail, Cade, Caleb, and Mikenlee close on my heels.

As I broke through the trees and the panoramic view spread out in front of me, I turned to see a familiar and unexpected face. Pimento, our friend from Indiana whom we had met on the AT, was sitting on a rock. He was bundled up and staring expectantly at me, like he was waiting for something. Confused but excited, I made my way over to him asking “what are you doing here?”. After our embrace, I turned back to the group and my mouth fell open. Time slowed and suddenly the day’s events clicked into place.

There in front of me was Cade, bent on one knee, holding a small turquoise box. Perched inside of the box was a beautiful silver ring with a diamond winking in the sun. Tears began filling my eyes and my vision blurred. I wiped them away with the back of my arm as I brought my hands to my mouth in an expression of shocked wonderment. “I think you know how I’ve felt about you since the first time we met thousands of miles ago.” Cade said. “Will you marry me?”

Through tears I nodded yes and Cade stood to embrace me. A small crowd was gathered at the summit, all strangers there to enjoy the spender of the Smokies. As our group began to cheer, strangers all over the mountaintop turned and let out shouts of excitement. Together we basked in the glow of celebration and the breathtaking view. Atop Katahdin I had known Truffles was the one for me, but standing on LeConte I knew we would be together forever.

Soggy Ceremony

June 20, 2023

The rain was a constant drum pounding against the windshield as we sat at the trailhead. Carvers Gap was deserted except for our small caravan. Caleb turned the key in the ignition and the truck powered off, taking with it the heat. The chill of the mountaintop quickly invaded the cab of the truck, and I pulled my dress around me to fight off the cold. Carvers Gap sits at 5512′. Shrouded in clouds and underseged by the thunderstorm, this afternoon on the mountain felt less like a summer’s day and more like a blistering winter’s night.

I shifted in my seat and reached for an umbrella. Some good this will do, I thought as I prepared for the inevitable. I was about to get very, very wet. “Are you ready?” I turned to ask Cade. He sat next to me in the backseat, looking handsome in his suit. I reached over to adjust his corsage. This was the first time I was seeing Cade in a suit. His white button down shirt had been ironed by his Mom that morning. Together she and I had helped Cade pick out his suit months ago in his hometown in Mississippi. His mom now sat in a car parked next to ours, keeping my parents and Cade’s Papaw company as we tried to muster the courage to venter out into the storm.

“Looks like Jared just got here, we better go.” Cade unfurled an umbrella and opened the passenger door. Rain immediately began pelting him as he jumped out of the truck and rushed to shut the door. I gave myself a final once over in the rearview mirror to appreciate my hair and makeup before I too pressed open the door and stepped into the rain.

The shock of the cold was immediate. Goosebumps rose on my skin, there was little protection from the elements in a wedding dress. Rain beat against my umbrella and the wind tore at my dress. Jared, our wedding photographer, was trying his best to look excited despite the torrential downpour.

Caleb and Mikenlee, my soon to be brother and sister in law, spilled out of the truck behind us. “Are you sure you want to be out in this? Cade and I can take pictures and we can meet back with y’all and our parents later for the actual ceremony.” I tried convincing them to stay in the refuge of their vehicle, but they were adamant that they wanted to help. I shrugged and handed Mikenlee my bouquet and umbrella. The wet fabric of my wedding dress clung to me and the lace of my train was already turning brown with mud.

Our unofficial wedding party began the trek up the mountain. Dense fog had settled on the ridge and it felt like we were walking through a cloud. Sticks latched onto my trailing train as I sloshed through puddles. Icy mud caked onto my sandals and I could hear an audible “splat” with each step I took.

I had been shaking violently from the cold when we began our ascent, but slowly my body began to warm and I felt myself relaxing. I smiled and reached out to take Cade’s hand. He gave it a squeeze before bringing my hand to his lips. “This is very appropriate trail weather.” He laughed. “This feels like the day we submitted Katahdin.” I reminisced. The conclusion of our 2021 thru hike of the Appalachian Trail had been another miserably wet and cold day. We seemed to be cursed with bad weather on monumental occasions.

Unfazed by the storm, Jared was in his element. He told us where to go and how to pose, all the time snapping away on his fancy camera. Caleb and Mikenlee became his impromptu assistants, holding my gigantic (and heavy) bouquet and helping to fluff out my dress. We ambled up the trail following the white blazes, reflecting on how Truffles and Magic had followed those blazes to each other several years ago.

Eventually I could no longer ignore the chattering of my teeth. We decide it was time to wrap up photographs and get on with the ceremony. We hiked back down the trail to Carver’s Gap, splashing through mud puddles and laughing with each slip and near fall. Reluctantly our families emerged from the shelter of their vehicles and congregated around the only area with some reprieve from the rain- the parking lot pit toilet.

Our original plan had been to hold the ceremony on Round Bald, a grassy ridge with panoramic views in the Roan Highlands. Because of the inclement weather, Jared suggested we instead have the ceremony in a grove of conifer trees just behind the parking lot. That also meant we would be holding our wedding ceremony just behind the pit toilets. Given that we were hiker trash, the weather and the location suited us just fine.

Tucked between spruce and fir trees, a skinny dirt path littered with needles cut through a clearing. “There.” Jared pointed towards the trail. “Caleb will stand there and you two stand in front of him.” Caleb was officiating our ceremony. As Cade’s little brother he knew Cade even better than I did. The two had hiked and fished seemingly every stream in the Smokies, and they grew up to pursue their dream of thru hiking the AT together. This meant as I was falling in love with Cade on the trail, I was also befriending my future brother in law.

“It’s very fitting for us to be here today in the mountains,” Caleb began. A sentence into the ceremony and I already started to cry. I was standing in a place I felt a connection to deep in my soul. Before this mountain and my family I was about to proclaim my love and my life to the man I had walked hundreds of miles to find. The tears were of joy for our life together and excitement for what was to come.

“Cade,” my voice shook as I read my vows. “We have already lived more life together than couples who have been together for decades. Our story isn’t conventional, but neither is our love…” With each sentence I had to stop and gasp for breath. I was crying so hard but felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude for the man standing before me. I looked up at him as I drew another shuttering breath and he smiled.

I choked through my vows and felt overcome with emotion. The cold touch of raindrops against my skin kept me grounded in the moment. “Anna,” Cade’s voice was steady, like he was sure of his place in the world. “I always knew this day would come…” He continued on in his confident proclamation of his love and commitment to me. “I promise to live a life worth living for you, and I promise we will always be Magic and Truffles.”

The next few minutes were a blur. Caleb pulled rings from his pocket and I clumsy pushed a ring onto Cade’s finger. With unwavering hands Cade slid a matching ring onto my finger. Caleb’s voice rose over the persistent patter of the rain. “One final word, I know that there will always be rainy days like this. There will always be problems, and there will always be more adventures to go on. It doesn’t matter what hardships come your way, always remember that just like on the AT, never quit on a bad day.”

I gazed into Cade’s brown eyes, seemingly sharper in the dim light of the forest. I saw forever staring back at me as I heard “I now pronounce you man and wife. Cade, you may now kiss your bride.” Cade’s hands rose to cup my face and pulled me close. Our lips met and our families whooped and whistled as Mr. and Mrs. Smith embraced.