In late May of 2012, Hillary and a friend were finishing up their European backpacking trip. The girls decided to visit Iceland for a week before returning back home to Virginia and needed to rent a car to get around the country. They were shocked at the cost of a rental car with automatic transmission; they didn't know how to drive stick and their budgets were stretched thin. This posed a big problem; a car is really necessary to experience the stunning scenery of Iceland. The girls looked on CouchSurfing.com, a website where people can find hosts, other travelers to explore with, and free places to stay. Mike had just made a post on a forum that week - stating that he was a solo traveler from Seattle, Washington looking for a companion or two to cover the cost of a car rental during his trip to Iceland. They all met up at a bar named Kaffibarinn in Reykjavik and determined that there were no serial killers in the group. Plus, Mike knew how to drive stick! The three of them travelled around together for several days. Hillary's friend for some reason wasn't too impressed with the diverse natural wonders of Iceland, including glaciers, dramatic fjords, and iconic waterfalls, often staying in the car or sleeping. This gave Hillary and Mike the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. They quickly learned that they both possessed the same adventerous spirit, sense of humor, and a lot of commonalities. When departing ways at the end of the trip, Hillary told Mike, "see you later" as he was getting ready to fly back home to Seattle. Mike was pretty quick to say, "you probably won't", knowing that Hillary was on her way back to Richmond. They both shrugged, hugged, and said goodbye. Every year after that, Mike would write a "happy birthday" on Hillary's Facebook. Sometimes she would respond, sometimes not. He was persistent. In mid-December 2018, he was able to convince her to come out to the PNW to visit him. He curated an incredible trip, showcasing the best that Washington has to offer. They saw some of the world's largest trees in the Olympic Peninsula rainforest, natural hotsprings, snow-capped mountains, the works. A few weeks later, Mike came out to Virginia. Hillary was on a plane back to Seattle a little over a month later. The two realized that this back-and-forth was not sustainable. Hillary, seeking something new, gladly decided to pick up her life and move to Washington. In June 2019, Hillary packed up all of her belongings in her Subaru and the two of them drove across the country, stopping at as many national parks as possible along the way. The rest is history!