After years of blisters, frozen fingers, starry nights, breathtaking views, RRFs and eating meals out of fancy bags, we’re ready to tie the knot and officially share the same poop shovel. For those of you that don’t know, Paul & Steve first swiped (right) on Tinder. The conversation quickly moved to IRL, the climbing gym. Steve had climbed top rope before, but was out-of-practice with his knot tying, and showed up unable to belay Paul. Luckily, Paul was easy going that first date, but the next time Paul invited Steve to go climbing he “accidently” told him to go to the wrong gym. Suspicious, I know. Anyways, things got serious later that day when they transitioned to a brewery nearby the gym. After sharing drinks, food and stories, Paul remembers the experience feeling like a meeting with an old friend. Meanwhile, Steve was thoroughly impressed that Paul agreed to share his clam chowder with a stranger, spoon and all. From there it was all down hill, up hill, over streams, and through old growth forest. Somehow they always ended up where they needed to be, an ice cream shop. Paul & Steve continued to get introduced to each other's friends, hobbies, and lifestyles. Steve loved the sense of adventure that was Paul’s home, a 34’ sailboat moored in Seattle. “Who’s this sexy adventurous guy living on a sailboat,” Steve thought? While Paul couldn’t believe Steve was fine with freezing at night and walking across the maria in the rain just to pee. Steve’s living situation was more traditional, living in Columbia City, Seattle. Paul was quickly introduced to Steve’s sharp toothed, aggressive but lovable roommate, as well as Steves first love. Courtney and LRMM respectively. While navigating a life on shore and at sea, Steve & Paul’s friend groups began to intertwine, grow, and flourish into the loving and supportive group of friends they have today. Incredibly, both Paul & Steve have similar memories of falling in love with each other. An overconfident Steve had heard of a warm spring nearby that “didn’t have” a defined trail to it. Steve was confident enough in his navigation skills to know they could make it there while following the river, crossing moss covered logs, all while trying desperately to look cool. They successfully made it to the warm spring after what seemed like hours, and it was exactly that…a warm spring of water, barely above 80 degrees on a dreary 40 degree PNW day. Is this the setting for love? We’ll get to that later. When leaving the spring, Paul had the idea to follow a different trail he thought might exist across the river, this turned into a much shorter 30 minute return hike. On the drive home, Steve remembers feeling happy and connected with this silly guy who would put up with his unscripted adventures, and that feeling of love only grew from there. Paul remembers looking over at Steve thinking very clearly that this is a man he could marry. Those thoughts led Paul’s eyes and face to get wet for the next 30 minutes of the car ride back home. This past May, Paul suggested going on an adventure to get out of town. Steve and Paul decided on a remote warm spring in southern Oregon, nearly 12 hours away. Packing of the ten essentials commenced: water, filter, food, fire, sleeping gear, swim trunks, map, rum, beers, and unknown to Steve, engagement rings. After arriving at Three Forks warm spring for an afternoon of relaxing in the warm water and chatting with strangers (of course), Paul suggested making a drink and heading off to a smaller, more private warm spring. Suspicious? perhaps... They got to the smaller warm spring and began to relax, but shortly after settling in Paul set up his phone on a rock to “take a picture of us”, to which Steve asked, “why?”. Little did Steve know a video was being recorded as Paul got down on one knee, their eyes met, and before Paul could pop the question Steve asked “what are you doing?!” “I am literally proposing to you, Steve!” Paul replied. Love was truly in the air.