Tara & Mike ~ Mountain Vows
photography
Location
september 7, 2021
The Canadian Rockies
Fifteen hours of driving and six hours of hiking for a twenty minute photo session. So worth it!
Neil Slattery
Tara & Mike
Renewing their vows on top of the world
I received a call from Tara one afternoon regarding an idea she had of hiking to the top of a mountain, where she and her husband, Mike, would read their vows to each other. Before she finished her first sentence, I immediately understood that she was asking me if I would be willing to photograph it.
Of course I was.
The day of the Mountain-Top photo shoot would require a car ride of a couple hours, as well as a three-hour hike. Since Tara and Mike live eight hours away by car, I left Kelowna the day before. It was around supper time when I arrived at Tara and Mike's place and all I could think of was getting something to eat. Tara had other plans. She had recently received a wedding gown she rented for the photo shoot and was itching to wear it. She told me to grab my camera bag and hop into her little Suzuki Sidekick. I’ll admit, I was confused, the sun had already set in the valley.
"It's a little late now, isn't it?" I said.
"Not up there," she said, pointing to a hill above town.
Okay sure, there was sunlight on the hill-top, but I was dubious we'd make it in time. Tara was determined though. She did slightly more than the speed limit through town, but once we hit the dirt roads, Tara turned into a seasoned rally-sport driver. By the time we got to the end of the road, the sun was kissing us goodnight. We quite literally had minutes to capture what we could. Tara did a quick change into her gown and off she went, barefoot and giddy.
Day of the Journey
Long. Hot. Scary. Sore. And so worth it!
The next day was a bit more deliberate. We packed Tara's Suzuki with all our hiking gear, food, camera bag, dress, suit and our three bodies, and off we went. The car ride its self was a couple of hours, ending around lunch time. We enjoyed our sandwiches beside this beautiful, wide open meadow. I recall now how it had been a really long time since it was quiet enough that I could hear insects. It was awesome.
This was only about twenty minutes into the hike. Two hours later and no one was wearing a smile.
Tara is packing her dress as well as Mike's suit. She also had a cool hat she's holding, which she held for the entire hike.
I think Mike is packing food and water, as well as Tara's bouquet. Quite often, Mike forgot he had it, and that it extended beyond his head. Consequently, he came close to destroying the flowers as he ducked under branches, or traversed narrow trails. Tara was good at reminding him, though. Not sure Mike will be taking another bouquet on any future hikes.
The flat meadow was a welcome reprieve from all the up and down (mostly up) of the trail so far, but it was short lived. Leaving the open meadow, we entered a steep and dark portion of the trek, but we were rewarded with a beautiful blue pool. Sadly there was no time to go for a dip. Someone (not me) misjudged the time it would take to drive, hike, rest and hike some more. The sun was not going to wait.
The next portion of the hike was pretty tricky, and I was going to have to put my camera away. Before I did, though, I snapped one last photo of Mike and Tara looking at the camera. As the shutter clicked I instantly got the ominous vibe of - last photo taken of couple before tragedy strikes.
Okay... It wasn't too bad. Once we reached the peak, all my concerns vanished. The view was breath-taking, the light was gorgeous, and for the first time in a very long time, I experienced awe.
As I waited for Tara and Mike to change, I thought about how funny it is that we can spend weeks of planning, days of travelling and hours of hiking, all for minutes of fleeting opportunity.
