Mount Rainier Vow Exchange
In the dark, sitting atop a 5,900-foot-high summit, a faint outline of the base of Mount Rainier was showing beneath a layer of clouds. I pointed it out, and Patrick said, “If I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing, then Mount Rainier is huge.”
At 5:00 am, when Patrick, Jesse, and Todd saw all of Mount Rainier in the day’s first light, they gasped. It is indeed huge!
By the time the sun rose, wind was moving the clouds so quickly that Mount Rainier would show itself and be covered again, sometimes within seconds. Watching the clouds go by was mesmerizing.
Having planned a traditional wedding back home in Ohio, Todd and Jesse had hoped to exchange vows privately in the wilderness. They love hiking, so when Todd had a conference scheduled in Washington, they knew it was the perfect opportunity.
They had plans to change at the top of the hike into dressier clothes, but the cold gusts of wind kept them in their hiking attire which they said “felt more like them, anyway”.
Patrick, their childhood friend, served as their unofficial officiant for their vow exchange. Jesse shared her vows first and Todd got one sentence into his vows out before tearing up.
Post-vow exchange, we headed back down the trail to the lake below. Now, amongst the trees, it was much warmer, so Jesse changed into her dress for a few shots. Everyone shared summit beers and snacks while listening to pikas squeak in the distance.
Congratulations, Jesse and Todd!
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