August 8, 2019

Highline Trail Hiking Adventure Elopement | Destination Adventure Wedding Photography

DESTINATION ADVENTURE

Highline Trail Hiking Adventure Elopement | Wind River Mountains Wyoming Destination Adventure Wedding Photographer | Continental Divide Trail Wedding | CDT Hiking Elopement | Continental Divide Trail Adventure Elopement | Green River Lakes Camping Elopement | Jamie + Nick

As Seen on featured Justyna E Butler Photography C M Daily Project.

In order to ensure plenty of beauty rest the night before Highline Trail Hiking Adventure Elopement, continental divide trail,  Jamie and I splurged on a hotel room in Pinedale, Wyoming, which was a welcome change from our nightly routine of pitching a tent in the dirt. Justyna, our adventure elopement photographer, was already in town the night before, and we couldn’t wait to finally meet her. Above all, She’s been incredibly communicative leading up to the big day, and we could sense her excitement over the phone, which fueled our own.

Getting Ready For Highline Trail Adventure Elopement

Before we could meet her we had to do some last minute errands. For instance, we got up early to make it to our appointment for manicures, which Jamie had wisely booked several weeks in advance to address the generally terrible state of our hands from being on trail for months before any closeup pics of our rings.

First, however, we stopped in at Pine Coffee Supply for a delicious artisan roasted brew to ready ourselves for the day’s events. As we sipped our piping hot coffee, we both commented on how relaxed we felt.

Everything was falling into place, and soon we’d be in Justyna’s able hands to capture all the love and emotion of the day.

The Highline Trail Adventure Elopement

The logistics of walking the Continental Divide Trail and trying to make it to the Wind Rivers on time for our elopement have been complicated to say the least. But we were finally here. As a result, we couldn’t wait to see the towering granite peaks and deep flowing waters we’d fallen in love with a few years ago when we traversed the 90 plus miles of the range.

Meeting Our Adventure Wedding Photographer

After a somewhat frantic dash to get the bouquet, food, bbq supplies, and of course the kegs from the local Wind River Brewing Company, I was no longer relaxed, and in desperate need of a shower with only 20 minutes before we’d meet Justyna. And so, with my hair still dripping, and Jamie with fresh makeup, we finally met Justyna in the parking lot.

She was so warm, and vibrating with energy, gushing about how good we looked and how she couldn’t wait to start shooting. I was immediately put back at ease, and, with all the pieces in place, couldn’t wait to make the hour and a half drive to the Green River Lakes. We hopped in the vehicles, including Reverend J Jackson, our best friend from the Pacific Crest Trail, who’d ridden his motorcycle all the way from Kansas City, and skipped Sturgis, to conduct a little ceremony to make things official.

Once we left the highway, we thought we’d lost Justyna behind us, and went back to see, but she was already enamored with the place, and was stopping at every opportunity to start shooting the scenery. Once we arrived at the campground, we were met with cheers from hikers who’d made it to share in our celebration.

The First Look

All of a sudden, things felt real! This was happening. Justyna gave us instructions to get ready in the trees before our first looks. I had butterflies, and I didn’t know exactly why. There were several opportunities to sneak a peak at Jamie’s dress, but I had shown some serious self control, and really just couldn’t wait to see her. I donned my shirt and vest, brushed the beard, and pulled on the boots, and Justyna coached me through some deep breathing to control the nerves. She told me where to wait for Jamie for the first looks, and I made may way down the trail, crawling out of my skin with anticipation.

It wasn’t long before Jamie and Justyna came along behind, and I waited, staring out into the backdrop of granite and shimmering water, as Jamie slowly approached and finally embraced me from behind. All the nerves melted away at that moment, and we enjoyed a long embrace before I turned and finally laid eyes on my stunning bride. She was a sight to behold in that dress, and we lingered for a long time just lovin’ on each other.

The Adventure Experience

Eventually, Justyna coached us through some awesome lifts and moments. I felt like a boss twirling my lady around and seeing the mountains spin 360 degrees behind my lover. At one point, I thought I was surely going for a swim trying to walk out on a log on the water with my traction-less leather sole cowboy boots for an epic shot, but thank goodness, we stayed dry.

More hiking, more snuggling, and more photos, then we made our way back to the camp, and our guests. We tapped the kegs, and lingered awhile over snacks and good conversation. Justyna floated in and out, sneaking awesome candid shots as we partied.

The Ceremony

Soon we gathered the hikers together, and we made the procession down to where we’d chosen to do the ceremony where the Continental Divide Trail meets Lower Green River Lake. It wasn’t until we looked over our shoulders that we realized how many people had made the effort to join us. Nearly 30 hikers accompanied us, and we were overwhelmed with the love and excitement that rippled through the procession.

The ceremony was short and sweet, and our hiker family made a tunnel of trekking poles for us to run through at the end! We sent the crew back to the camp to light the coals and get the party started. We stayed back with Justyna to catch a few more shots in the late afternoon light. Now it was time to celebrate. We joined the party, and danced the night away by the campfire, enjoying good eats, amazing brews, and epic company. Even more hikers arrived through the night, fresh from the trail, some of whom we hadn’t seen for a thousand miles. All in all, the impromptu registry a hiker made showed that our guests had hiked a combined total of over 120,000 miles.

The day was everything we’d dreamed it would be, and more. We couldn’t be happier with our adventure, and after seeing just a couple of amazing photos Justyna sent along, we cannot wait to see how she captured our day.

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