Dana likes to tell people they met at the Digital Farmer’s Market (a.k.a. dating apps). When she saw his profile, the first photo was of him at the Canadian terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. Having stood on that monument herself almost a decade earlier, Dana was well acquainted with the thru-hiking crowd. She didn’t quite know what to think of this guy all the way out in Yakima—but figured, why not? They could compare trail names and share a few laughs over messaging. Leigh’s first thought was: She likes mountains. I wonder if she’d take me to that lake. After a few weeks of messaging and chatting on the phone, Leigh let Dana know he’d be visiting his sister in Spokane and maybe they could get together for a wintry hike. They met at the Super One in Athol and carpooled to Farragut State Park, where they hiked, talked, and laughed while looking out over Lake Pend Oreille. The next day, Dana invited Leigh for a January cold plunge in the lake. Leigh’s sister, a bit concerned, jokingly warned him that Dana might be trying to harvest his skin—but admitted that if it was just a cold plunge, maybe they really were crazy enough for each other. The ice on the lake was two inches thick, so Leigh brought an axe. They stood in the water up to their necks for five minutes before heading home to warm up. Fresh blood from the cutting ice trickled down Leigh’s numb legs, though he didn’t notice. Later, they sat on Dana’s carpet and talked for seven hours before heading to Rathdrum for some Mexican food. That night, Dana came down with a horrific flu—one she kindly sent home with Leigh. Despite this less-than-ideal parting gift, Leigh returned the next weekend. They haven’t missed one together since. There’ve been hikes through snow and sun, more cold plunges, yoga, burritos, ginger shots, kombucha, skiing at Mt. Baker, backpacking through Hells Canyon and the Olympic Peninsula, a joint birthday week, helping Dana build sets for the spring play, Leigh’s electrician apprenticeship (application, interview, and a strong start!), training for and completing a 25k together, and lots of moments with friends and family. It's been a jam-packed, joy-filled year. The Pacific Crest Trail spans over 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, and hikers earn trail names along the way. In 2015, Dana was named Ice Bath after calmly jumping into a freezing stream near Forester Pass. In 2024, Leigh earned the name Type 2 for his love of intense, often uncomfortable experiences that are somehow “fun” in hindsight. (Is this why he fell in love with Dana? Joking, joking. Mostly.) On July 11th, in the Sawtooth Mountains—overlooking Twin Lakes on the Alice-Toxaway Loop—Type 2 asked Ice Bath to marry him. Dana and Leigh are excited and grateful to be building a life with one another, and they invite you to meet them at the trailhead to initiate this journey together.