Surprise Angel's Landing Proposal in Zion National Park

Crystal thought it was just another day of adventuring with her boyfriend Kaleb in Zion National Park. The day started early as the first shuttles into the park were right as the sun began rising. I first noticed Crystal and Kaleb as they were on the same shuttle as my husband and I. And of course everyone was getting off at “The Grotto.” We all had plans to hike up to the notorious Angel’s Landing overlook. During the rush to get off the bus and start hiking, I lost track of the cute couple and didn’t think anything of it. The hubby and I began our ascent up to “The Landing",” and I’m not going to go into too many details, but trust me when I say SWITCHBACKS! Like a whole bunch of them! A portion of the switchbacks even have their own name, Walter’s Wiggles. Once you reach the “Wiggles” you know you are almost to the top! And then the real fun begins!

Scaling the clifftop while hanging onto chains was definitely a thrill! I have to admit, I totally pretended to be Alex Honnold and by the end my husband was just shaking his head at me! I’m a total heights junkie, I love the feeling of being able to see EVERYTHING! So anyways, fast forward, the hubby and I finally make it to the top and are just taking in the views. We break out our snacks and start munching away when we get over run by a heard of cute, tiny chipmunks! The first one was cute, the second and third and forth that brazenly ran up to us…not so cute! I thought I was going to get my lunch stolen! So there we are sitting, trying to eat and trying to scare these bold chipmunks away when we start to hear cheering behind us. At first I thought it was a bunch of friends cheering on their buddy as he makes the final climb up to the lookout, but upon turning around I immediately grabbed my camera and began shooting!

It was the cute couple from the shuttle! Except this time, Kaleb was on one knee holding the most beautiful ring! I couldn’t help myself and started shooting, the best part was I didn’t even ask! I was just caught up in capturing this moment for them! It only got a tiny bit awkward when they finally noticed me and began laughing. I laughed with them and asked if I could snap a few more tender moments for them. They were so excited and totally caught in the moment! It was pure bliss! By the end we kept joking about how crazy it is when you are at the right place at the right time, and it truly was one of those moments! Totally unplanned and totally amazing! They told me all about their long distance relationship and how they were celebrating Crystal moving to Tennessee to be with Kaleb by taking this epic road trip from California (where she had been living). They had only been out for a couple of days before making it to Zion and I can’t imagine how exciting the remainder of their trip must have been! So I wished Crystal and Kaleb one last congratulations at the summit and left them to enjoy each other’s company at the top. It was such a special moment and I’m so grateful to have been able capture it for them!