For the last three years, I’ve been doing an Engagement Session Giveaway in February. This year, I decided to up the ante and give couples the opportunity to win an Adventure Session. Adventure Sessions are 4-8 hour sessions that take place anywhere in Washington that we can travel to in one day. It could be a hike, a day of skiing, exploring a new area, or simply spending the day visiting your familiar locations in your own neighborhood. Really the opportunities are endless! Whatever couples choose, I encourage them to make it personal to them and choose locations that help reflect who they are as a couple. This year, one of my winners was this fabulous couple, Matt and Lisa. To win, couples must tell a story about one of their favorite adventures they’ve shared together. Matt and Lisa were on vacation in Hawaii and Lisa was snorkeling for the first time. During their tour, they came across a pod of dolphins! I loved the story and their name was drawn out of several other couples who had entered with awesome stories. When the time came for their session, we decided on Mount Rainier for the location. They had planned their wedding in the mountains outside of the little town of Leavenworth and hoped to continue the mountain wedding theme with their Mount Rainier engagement photos. I have been to Mount Rainier many times and am always so excited to be back there. If you haven’t been, it’s a must-experience. The size of the mountain is absolutely breathtaking and if you’re lucky enough to hit it on a clear day, you’re in for a real treat. Matt and Lisa’s session was nothing short of spectacular. The mountain was slightly covered by clouds but to me the incoming weather really added to the mood of the scenery. Wildflowers were out in full force, only adding to the beauty. We did a small loop hike to an alpine lake as well. About halfway through we came upon a beautiful meadow with a stream and lush field of wildflowers. As we were prepping for our next round of photos, I made the comment, “Man if I was a bear, I would definitely hang out in that meadow!” Not even two minutes later, a small black bear came leaping out of the woods. What a treat! We were a little startled but were a very safe distance to be able to watch the bear from afar. In all of my years of crazy backpacking and hiking, I’ve only seen one bear ever. I guess maybe it should come as not surprise that I saw one during an unexpected moment on a crowded trail. But like any good adventure photographer, I was prepped with bear spray just in case. Cheers to you, Matt and Lisa! Congratulations on your recent wedding and thank you for including me as a part of your journey and fueling my endless desires to make beautiful images of couples while I adventure in the mountains 🙂