In the summer of 2021, Michelle and her sister Chelsea were casually paddling 700 miles from Ketchikan to Haines. Two weeks into their trip, they woke in their tent on a beautiful dock at Anan Bear Observatory outside of Wrangell, Alaska. They spend the morning looking for bears without luck and by the time they got back on the water the wind had come up and they were tired, they didn't want to have to do all the work to make bear hangs for their food. They spotted a little forest service cabin in Berg Bay on the map and decided that they'd try their luck asking whoever was staying there if they could put their food in the bear box and pitch their tent out front. Meanwhile, Brian and his coworker were watching their group of high school boys jump off the dock in front of Berg Bay when he saw two kayakers headed for the beach. Brian and his crew were there working for the Forest Service assessing the cabin and doing drone mapping of the area for a summer program. When the kayakers asked if they wouldn't mind sharing their bear box, he enthusiastically said yes! They all had a great evening together around the campfire and the following day, Brian invited Michelle and Chelsea to stay with him and his colleagues in Wrangell. They would not refuse the offer for beds, showers, and laundry after many weeks on the water. It was a fun Fourth of July weekend in Wrangell, biking and boating and sharing enthusiasm about the outdoors and education. At the end of the four days, Brian stood on the dock realizing he probably should have said something about how much he liked one of the Mermaids. Fortunately, Michelle and Chelsea had done the old "leave your tent stakes behind" trick so that they would keep in touch (don't worry, Michelle and Chelsea had backups). Michelle eventually invited Brian to join them for the finale of the trip, hiking the Chilkoot Trail in Skagway, Alaska. By the time Brian had flown from Cordova to Juneau to Ketchikan to Sitka to Juneau, overnighted there and then took a ferry to Haines due to weather delays, Michelle had an inkling that Brian was interested in being more than friends. Over the next week, they bonded under close supervision of Michelle's chaperone, Chelsea, while they hiked the famous Chilkoot Trail during a 20 year record flood. Michelle was impressed by Brian's endless enthusiasm and helpfulness and Brian was impressed by Michelle's physical prowess as she happily waded through icy floodwater in sandals. Ending eight miles of hiking through thigh deep water, teeming with salmon and sticks in good spirits seemed like a good sign that this was a good team. Once summer was over, Brian began making regular trips to Oregon from Alaska until a year later he was making trips from Oregon to Alaska. They spent the next few years traveling to share their favorite places, people, and activities. This includes Brian's first international travels, and Michelle's first operation of a motorized boat and chainsaw. Their mutual love of the outdoors, harvesting food, and their love of their families has made it easy to entwine their lives. Michelle proposed to Brian on the rainiest day in his hometown of Cordova while fishing for silver salmon. He is the best catch she will ever land. Brian continues to work with the Forest Service and High School Students of Wrangell, AK. Last spring, after a co-leading a student field trip to the Anan Bear Observatory, Brian and Michelle were married on the small airplane dock in the Wrangell boat harbor where it all began. We are hugely excited to celebrate our marriage with you all! This love story would not be possible without Michelle's sister, Chelsea, who is the best wingwoman you will ever meet.