Postmortem

June 22: For this story we actually need to start before the wedding day. Consider it the final test. We packed up our bags and headed to San Francisco International Airport, en route to Anchorage! Between normal travel supplies, wedding clothes/supplies, and outdoors gear (we were planning on doing some extra hiking) we had quite the haul. But luckily my soon to be wife plays the credit card game so free checked bags made things alot more manageable. Thanks United. We got to Anchorage, had some food and headed to sleep.

June 23: This was our second time in Alaska so we kinda already had our bearings. There is so much to see and do right out of the gate. We planned the trip to have some extra time before and after the wedding day. We did not spend much time in Anchorage. We hit Flattop Mountain (classic), hiked around Far North Bicentennial Park (where we found a bunch of moose!), and did the wildlife viewing boardwalk (where we saw an eagles nest!). All awesome. Then we proceeded to head south towards Homer which is where we were going to fly out of for the wedding day.

June 24 - 25: One of the stops along our way was the fishing town of Whittier. I got to say, this is kind of a strange place. Interesting history, crazy weather, not a ton to do if you live there. But pretty sweet to stop in for a day or two if you are traveling by. The weather during our time here was pretty bad. The locals say "it's always shittier in Whittier". Pouring rain and howling winds. We attempted a hike on our first day but up around the halfway point it was becoming too much. Low visibility and pouring rain. We were soaked and getting pretty cold so turned around. I'd like to come back someday to finish that hike. We dried off and got burgers at Wild Catch Cafe (I recommend). The next morning we woke up to the same weather. So what did we do? We went for a glacier jet ski tour. Rad. There was supposed to be a group of 8 but everyone else turned away. Not going to lie, it was pretty gnarly. We had never done this before and the ocean swell was easily 4 or 5 feet in spots. But our guides took us out and we made it happen.

June 25-26: After heading out of Whittier we moved to Cooper Landing and finally the Homer area. We checked out the local fishing scene at the Russian River, and the beautiful glaciers on Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park which is only accessible by ferry. The next day was the big day! June 27, 2023...Taco Tuesday! Originally, Magdalena proposed Monday the 26th but I insisted on Taco Tuesday. If you have not figured out already, the date marked at the top of this page is June 29th. We got a call from our pilot Zack that weather was looking 50/50 for tomorrow. I think you can probably see where this is going.

June 27, 8:30AM: We got the call from Zack that weather would prohibit us from flying. We were totally bummed but it was the right call. It would not have been safe, nor fun. But we planned ahead for this and had factored in extra days in case weather struck. The next weather window looked to be Thursday the 29th and both Zack and Nick would be ready. We knew this risk going in. This is Alaska. We spent the next 2 days exploring the surrounding Homer area at a leisurely pace which was still great. We found more moose! I definitely enjoyed it but always had this thought in the back of my head on whether or not our Thursday date would pull through. We sat down the night of the 27th and agreed that we would proceed with the wedding on the 29th no matter what.

June 29, 8:00AM: The weather had cleared, blue skies were in the forecast - we were a go! We spent the morning getting ready and at about 1PM did a first look shoot with our photographer Nick. A little after 2PM we drove over to Sasquatch Adventures to meet Zack. Right from the moment I saw Zack I could tell he was a proper local Alaskan. He basically howled at me. I knew we were in the right place. He was taken aback by the fact that we were dressed in full wedding attire, that was a new one for him. He asked if we were still planning on doing the full bear tour to which we said, "of course!" We suited up and boarded the plane. Magdalena had purchased some cute rain boots with antlers printed on them. They were too short for the river crossings however, and Zack insisted that they be traded in for full length wader boots. Bummer. Maybe next time. Note the wooden bowtie.

June 29, 2:46PM: We were officially airborne and on our way to the wedding spot! Zack took us along a more scenic route which included some fantastic coastal and mountain formations. One of our favorites was this glacier lake that sat on the top of a volcano. Nick continually captured the moment through some fantastic aerial footage. I think I remember him saying that by the time we landed he had already taken close to the normal amount of photos he takes at "normal" weddings.

June 29, 3:45PM: The eagle has landed. Out of respect for Zack and Sasquatch Adventures I cannot specify the exact location.

After a brief safety lesson we headed out on a search for some bears! It was not long before our first sighting. It's worth stopping here for a moment. This was not some #instagram influencer nonsense. This was the real deal. We have experience in bear country, and are educated and aware of the fundamental rules you must abide by when you are in their home. If you do not respect the wild then the wild will not respect you. But given what we were trying to achieve we hired an experienced professional guide who has literally developed relationships with these bears and still carries protection in the case something goes wrong. But for over a decade he has never needed to fire the gun. Always be open to talking to professional guides and national park staff when in doubt.

As we moved along we noticed how varied the terrain was. We encountered meadows of tall bright green grass with blooming flowers, to different types of sand and beach, to deep muddy glacial streams. Snow covered mountains surrounded us in the distance. Luckily Magdalena had thought ahead and found a special lifting skirt to hold the dress in place above her knees when we were moving around. One slip and that would have been game over! No issues to report and that white dress stayed surprisingly clean the whole day.

June 29, 5:18PM: After walking around for a bit we found a location to conduct our ceremony. It was the perfect Alaskan mountain backdrop combined with a lively grass meadow and of course...alot of bears! I think we counted 10 at one point. I love the next set of photos. Here you can see Zack keeping close watch on the bears and keeping us safe throughout the vows. It allowed us to stay calm and focused on each other in the moment.

June 29, 5:43PM: We had finished exchanging our vows and were married! Bears everywhere! A magical moment, captured perfectly by Nick.

June 29, 6:51PM: We made a loop back in the direction of where we landed the airplane, but headed along a river to watch some more bears this time. One particular bear said hello and got within 30 feet of us. It was far more interested in fishing. The bears in this area are pretty relaxed because the ratio of resources to bear population is really high. There is not much competition and the bears know it is in their best interest to eat the grass or fish rather than use alot of energy taking on something else (like a human).

June 29, 8:03PM: It was time to say goodbye and get back on the plane. Our visit to this amazing place went by so incredibly fast. We were genuinely sad to be leaving, but we both want to come back some day! We got on board and took a more direct shot back to Homer. It was getting darker and cooler but still no rain. The marriage license was signed upon arrival and we were eating celebratory cake by 9PM.

June 29, 10:15PM: It was late and everything else was closed. Nick needed some food for dinner so we all stopped by the local Safeway grocery store. Magda only got some berries because we had steaks waiting for us back at the Airbnb. There were some looks and congratulations made to us! Sometimes you can't be too serious.

July 1, 4:46PM: We summited our first mountain (Hope Point) as Mr & Mrs! The journey lives on. Keep moving, keep searching. Thank you great state of Alaska for always keeping us humble. You truly are next level.