Luck, Cold, and a Milestone: Margaret and Zak's Proposal
Winter came back for a visit.
As April approached, the Smokies saw some glorious weather and the forest is getting greener and greener by the day. More importantly, with snow and ice not threatening, important roads - like US 441 that transverses the mountains from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC - were open.
BUT . . . as I have said many times before, the Smokies will make its own weather. And springtime in the South is when we can see some stormy weather. Lots of rain. Lots of thunder. And then . . . followed by a cold front.
When Zak contacted me initially, his plan was to spend the day hiking to Mount LeConte with Margaret. That is no small feat - Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the Smokies and the only way to reach it is by hiking. Unlike Clingmans Dome, there is no road to it. There are, however, several trails that one could use to make it to the summit and Zak planned to bring Margaret along the Alum Cave Trail - the shortest trail but one with significant elevation gain, which meant some steep trails. He would propose at either the Alum Cave Bluff or Arch Rock, two landmarks along the trail. After seeing some of my scouting pictures, Arch Rock was chosen.
And then that cold front slipped in after a day of rain, lightning, ad thunder. Sure enough, I saw the notice from the park rangers - the night before the proposal, US 441 would be closed starting at 7:00 pm due to snow and ice. And when that happens, who knows when it will reopen. And if it is closed, there is no access to the Alum Cave Trail.
There was some frantic surreptitious texting going back and forth between me and Zak to come up with Plan B. Zak wanted a unique setting and knowing any trail would be icy with temps in the 20s, we agreed to make it happen at Abrams Falls, located in Cades Cove.
On my way to Cades Cove the next morning, I kept checking the rangers’ Twitter feed and calling the road condition hotline, afraid that Laurel Creek Road or the Cades Cove loop road would be closed. Sure, we could have waited a day or two but I also know from experience, when a fellow has a date set in his mind, the anticipation is building and building, and a delay is a hard decision. I get it - he wants the moment to be perfect and he also is looking forward to getting it done, not because it is a chore but because it is his plan to give her a unique experience.
So, I kept checking . . . and whaddaya know, the rangers reopened US 441. I texted Zak and turned my car in the other direction to make it to the Alum Cave trail. Luck!
With the increase in elevation as I drove the temperatures outside dropped. I got to the trailhead and saw it was 25 degrees with a stiff breeze. Cold!
No matter, it was game time and I raced a mile and a half to the Arch. I set up and waited.
And as I waited, it started to snow.
And then this happened . . .
And let’s roll video!
Margaret and Zak are high school sweethearts, hailing from Michigan. Zak is a mechanical engineer and Margaret is finishing up her studies at Ohio State in nursing. Margaret’s reaction to Zak’s proposal was priceless: total shock. While she thought maybe it would happen on their trip to the Smokies, she honestly did not anticipate it on an icy trail. A lot of people who had went through Arch Rock before Margaret and Zak got there had turned around, citing dangerous conditions on the trail further. The idea to summit Mount LeConte was rescheduled, which gave me the opportunity to walk back to the trailhead with them. What a delight! Yeah, I know, I am old as dirt, but it brightens my day to be able to meet members of the next generation that are intelligent and mature as these two are. And I can say, the hikers who witnessed the proposal - their day was made warmer by the joy that shone from these two.
Luck . . . cold . . . oh yes, and the milestone! Well, that was mine - Margaret and Zak are the 50th couple whose proposal I have photographed. Time now to shoot for the 100th!