Proposal location

[Dustin]

Hi everyone, I’m a long time lurker and first time poster. I thought I’d reach out to the community for a proposal location where I can ask my fiancé to marry me. I’m not sure if she could handle altitude though and this would be her first backpacking trip. I was thinking about asking her the question after she catches a fish and I can pretend to find something in the fishes mouth or something like that. I would prefer somewhere that is private and with few bears. I’m thinking about emigrant wilderness and trying to get to emigrant lake from Crabtree. It seems like an ok location and fairly easy hike. Not sure about the elevation though. Would love to hear some ideas. I’m coming from the Bay Area and I’ve mostly done eastern trailheads with the exception of emigrant wilderness from Crabtree and Yosemite from hetch hetchy. Im thinking somewhere in Yosemite may be nice but I’m not sure about bears and getting solitude.

[The Other Tom]

There are several places in the Yosemite Valley if you want to avoid altitude. If you go early in the morning (like close to sunrise), you might be able to find solitude as well. Yosemite Chapel, or perhaps Yosemite falls come to mind. Or, still avoiding hiking at altitude, you might consider somewhere along Tioga Road, like Tenaya Lake or maybe May Lake (May Lake would require a short hike). You can camp at May Lake if that's part of your plan.
I wouldn't worry about bears. They're more afraid of you than you are of them.
One suggestion would be to pick your place and have a photographer discretely meet you there to document the event.
Good luck!!

[Gogd]

First time backpacking may not be such a great idea. Many like a day hike, but not a fan of backpacking. I've introduced half a dozen GFs and over a dozen other people to backpacking. A few really liked it, about half found it interesting, but not their thing, while the remaining dreaded it for a variety of reasons. IMO, there too many unknowns associated with first timer packers; you don't want these issues affecting THIS experience. Instead try car camping and avoid the more troublesome issues of backpacking, or better yet book some lodging for the weekend. (Don't bother breaking the bank if on a budget, the lodging is not what this is about). In either case take her on a day hike to your romantic destiny. Once there, have a picnic that includes some sort of packaged food item (in which you concealed the ring in beforehand), and "discover" the prize, a la Crackerjack style. I suggest a small box of Forest Gump Chocolates, with the perfect line before opening: "Life is like a box of chocolates"...

My first inclination for a location is the Sequoias. They are so grand, and the forest spiritual. It isn't difficult to get away from the tourists. A little research will reveal some nice vistas, etc, suitable for the occasion. Alternatively you can opt for a canyon vista. About 3½ miles along the Pear Lake trail an expansive vista opens up (ref GPS: 36.60630, -118.69942). Look for a flat spot somewhat above the trail, beyond visual and audio contact. The thing about a day hike is she'll feel less sweaty, less fatigued, and the setting sets the mood. Neither of these suggestions are at high elevation. Bring a large blanket for that picnic and some towels and water to freshen up...

Ed

[astrogerly]

As someone who was proposed to (I did know it was coming) and got married on High Sierra backpacking trips, the key is to be flexible. There are plenty of great locations and you may just have to go with the flow. I'd say don't totally worry about making it perfect and sweating all the details. Key thing would be having a good time no matter where it is. My husband had planned to propose on the summit of Mount Goddard, but the Rough Fire blew up on our trip and it was not so ideal for a summit. He ended up popping the question at Evolution Lake when he felt the timing was right. Best of luck!

[creekfeet]

I proposed to my wife in Joshua Tree at a location that was super close to the road, my thought process being if she said 'no', the awkward walk back to the car would be much shorter. But in all seriousness, I feel like a proposal should be more of a front country thing. While it may or may not matter to you guys, for a lot of couples getting some good photos of the proposal is an important part of the process, and looking your suave best is kinda difficult when you're bathing in alpine lakes, and sleeping in the dirt. I'd also recommend any non-Yosemite location if you don't want to propose in front of hundreds of other people.

[c9h13no3]

Agreed on being front country. It is nice to revisit the spot we got engaged. So maybe lean towards putting it somewhere not too far from the road so you can return when you’re 80. I took my parents down the Old Big Oak Flat Road (sometimes called the Rockslides Trail) and found solitude in Yosemite Valley.

Also, rehearse your lines! It is difficult to say the things you want to say in the moment.

[giantbrookie]

I'm in agreement that it might be a bit chancy to do this on your first backpacking trip together, but you know your fiance best. I proposed to Judy after returning from a dayhike with her (in Desolation Wilderness) in 1987. By that time she'd been on several backpacking trips with me and a bunch of dayhikes. She is still my all time no. 1 backpacking buddy (and went on more trips with me than anyone else on Earth by a long shot) even though our daughter is my current ace. First backpacking trip together? It should be an easy one and if you also want to add some probability of catching fish, here's a few suggestions (note these work as dayhikes too):

Elevations in 8000s'
Weaver Lake, Jennie Lakes Wilderness.
Upper Twin Lake, Kaiser Wilderness.
Winnemucca Lake, Mokelumne Wilderness (easy from Carson Pass but note camping restrictions).

Elevations <7000'
Round or Milk Lakes, Grouse Ridge area (N of I80)
Secret Lake (N of I80)---you can 4W to this if you have 4WD
French Lake (N of I80) reservoir but gated off 1 mi from it (access to this point via graded gravel road, but high clearance probably good idea). 1 mi hike along dirt road and shockingly few folks there.
Round or Silver Lakes, Lakes Basin area near Mt Elwell and Sierra Buttes.

PS My best friend in high school took his fiance on her first backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness (this would have been sometime in the mid 1980s I think?). He consulted with me looking over topo maps before the trip and asks me what I thought of his itinerary. I told him he should cut his hiking distance in half (on average) for each day and he said his fiance was a great athlete so it should be no problem. She had a miserable time, owing to the severity of the trip and hiking distances. She did, however, still marry him, but I'm not sure she ever went on another backpacking trip.

[Dustin]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and giving me advice. It really means a lot. I see the appeal of location with a short hike especially since this is her first time. We have the rest of our lives to explore together. I just have to do more research and decide on a location now. I’m not worried about her saying yes though because we’ve already started talking about getting married. She’s her on a fiancé visa so our time is limited now and we’re feeling a little rushed.