2022 was full of exploring and adventuring with so many amazing couples and easily one of our favorite experiences was with Lauren and Logan for their adventure elopement session! Funny enough, our story with these lovelys starts way before that in the beautiful town of Jackson, Wyoming! We actually did their engagement session out west which was amazing! These two were the epitome of chemistry on camera and just completely at ease with being themselves. We knew they lived on the east coast and already had their wedding date planned, so you can imagine our surprise when they contracted us midway through last year and asked us if we would be available for their elopement over the fall. We couldn’t say no to these two and after a little back and forth we found a date that worked. Lauren and Logan eventually picked our favorite location in Western North Carolina for adventure engagements and elopements, Hawksbill Mountain Trail.
Now before you jump right in and start planning your Hawksbill elopement, there are definitely a few things to know. It is off the beaten path. The last stretch is all gravel road, and there isn’t any phone signal for probably 30 minutes in either direction. We’ve seen 4x4 trucks stuck in the ditch there because they underestimated how deep the snow was. Personally I’ve gotten a flat tire out there, and on occasion, you have to back down an icy gravel road backwards for upwards of a mile because the snowfall doesn’t let you see where the edge of the road is. All that to say, you have to be pretty self sufficient if you choose to travel here. Once you’ve made it past the drive, then starts the 40ish minute strenuous hike up. For folks from the flatlands, this doesn’t mean a stroll in the park, it means sections of trail that stretch on for a couple hundred yards at a time that are very steep. And then being prepared to hike back down the almost always wet roots and rocks in the dark. All that to say, Hawksbill is NOT for everybody, but but for those who resonate with this location and are willing to make the journey, you will be rewarded with (in our opinion) the best view in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Having gotten to know Lauren and Logan we knew they were going to be just fine on the way up, and to be honest for once, I think we were slowing them down where we’re usually leading the way lol. (thanks for not dropping us guys).
Once we made it to the top, we were greeted by one of the most beautiful golden hours I can remember in recent memory. We also had the entire place to ourselves which is a rarity during popular months. It was so surreal, in my mind at times I was like ‘is this real?’ Usually when we arrive to these mountain locations there is always one uncontrollable variable like crazy wind, or harsh light, smoke blowing right where we are shooting from a campfire, but not on this day! Everything was idyllic, like something right out of a novel. Congrats and much love to Lauren and Logan and we hope you all enjoy following along on this epic love story!
