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Trees

Clemens

Krug

and

Meli

Padilla

July 15, 2026

Big Bend, CA
24 days24 d22 hours22 h41 minutes41 min15 seconds15 s

How They Met

He was "studying" abroad (mostly kayaking and snowboarding). She was taking a 14 month break from adulting. They were spending their first Christmas away from their families together (with 80 other backpackers) in New Zealand. It was love at first sight... for him. She had better things to do rather than say more than "hi" to the new guy who just crutched in. She started to take pity on the crutch kid and so helped him get food and gave him a bit of company. She thought she wouldn't see him again after the Christmas party and the van party group camping following right after. But to her surprise, he showed up at the farm she told everyone about. Their teamwork to run a farm together and survive in a van for a week together was effortless. After 2.5 months of knowing each other they went their separate ways back home. They kept in touch through the pandemic and were fortunate to see each other twice during those lost years. Since then they have traveled to 5 countries in Europe, 5 National Parks in The States, and established a life together in Switzerland.