Backpacking Wedding — Fernweh Food Company (2024)

By: Daniel Carter & Ashley Lance

We wanted to get married in a unique and wonderful place, on an adventure, in a place we've never been before. We wanted it strictly on our terms: out in the wild. Only the bare essentials like tents and backpacks, whiskey, pocket knives, and friends. All the good things. We were going to get married under Jacob Hamblin Arch, in Coyote Gulch, in the middle of southeastern Utah.

Now we'll admit it took a lot of planning. A LOT. Rental houses and vans, flights, meals, 6 hour drive, hikes, meals, topographical maps, vows, gear lists, you get the picture. The logistics I think, in the end, easily rivaled that of a "traditional ceremony" but that's just how it goes with us. We're not necessarily known for "taking the easy route" or the path most traveled. Just ask anyone who knows us. We'll take the path least traveled, thank you very much.

So we were on our way. Us and 14 friends flew into Vegas and eventually we all came together at our house for a BBQ and catch up.

The next morning we set out on our long drive to Utah, followed by a 4-hour hike down into Coyote Gulch where we would stay the night, and tie the knot the following afternoon. Ambitious, we know. The traveling went smoothly, despite a little later-than-expected departure from Vegas, a stop or two for gas and snacks, and some repacking at the trailhead.

We got on the trail behind schedule. Not too big a deal. We meandered through the towering red walls, stopping frequently for photos together. Setting up camp in the dark was not as easy as it sounds. But with more than a dozen best buds, beers, and meandering headlamps, it was perfect. We all piled into one cozy (small) site together, had dinner, and went to sleep.

The next morning we awoke to Ranger-something-or-other, who had a message for us: No, we were not getting married today. See, we researched and planned this trip for 6 months. When he asked us if we had a marriage permit I responded, "we have a marriage license, but something tells me that's not what you mean." Turns out, a 'marriage permit' is required to get married in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on top of a marriage license from the local County Recorders office. In all our months of research we had never heard of a 'marriage permit'.

His compromise was that if we wanted to do it in the canyon we'd have to do it right then and there, in our campsite and in our jammies, or we couldn't do it at all. And on top of that, once the ceremony was over we would have to split in to two groups so we wouldn't exceed the group size and camp and hike 1/2-mile from each other for the rest of the trip. That sounds like an awesome wedding reception, right? He also informed us that if we were caught doing it any other way -and we would be caught- that we would be fined and immediately escorted out of the canyon.

After some calculated debate, we decide to wait. We figured we would enjoy the rest of our time in the canyon hiking around and exploring. We had our final day planned (there's that p-word again) in St. George, including a day hike in Snow Canyon, so why not wait and do it then? We would have a nice 3-day backpacking trip, and for the grand finale: a wedding in Snow Canyon!

A quick word about our friends. Our kind, thoughtful, adventurous, supportive, patient, and resourceful friends. They did not skip a beat. We didn't hear a single doubtful comment, negative remark, or complaint. They were nothing short of the most amazing wedding party any two humans could ask for. When plans changed, all we heard was: "what do you need?", "how can I help?", and "don't worry, I'll take care of it." We love those people so so much! Also, everybody had to poop in bags.

There is one big caveat to hiking in Coyote Gulch and Glen Canyon National Rec Area that we have not yet mentioned: Leave no trace rules strictly apply. Hike out everything you hike in, even your food after your done digesting it. Yes, it's gross, but it is a natural area for flash flooding and waste left behind is waste later dredged up by distant storms. Pack it out, tie it to the top of your van, drive it at least an hour on a washboard road and then a little bit further, to the nearest garbage can. It can be a nasty business. And no, you cannot just put it in the back of your van and "deal with the smell". Trust us, tie it to the roof.

On our new wedding day initially, our plan was to sleep in, find a breakfast spot, go for a beautiful day hike in Snow Canyon, and then fly home. However, this day was now to be our wedding day so we went back to work, planning. We quickly found a promising hike, donned our wedding attire and hit the road.

Snow Canyon is gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact, we could have been married at the guard shack while paying the entrance fee. It's incredible! A half mile into the hike we decided we found the spot: the Petrified Dunes.

We stood on a strangely rocky, layered, gently undulating landscape of tan and red and white. We overlooked a huge canyon with beautiful, starkly contrasting stratification and made our promises to each other.

We celebrated our life, our love, our future, and our friends. We left our tears in the desert with all intention of returning again in the future to say our vows once more.

If it wasn't for that uncompromising ranger we never would have experienced this resounding feeling of love, friendship, camaraderie and a little serendipity too. So take this story for what it is and just try and make your plans knowing full well that it could all go to hell. Go out into the world armed with an open heart, an open mind, and a few close friends and all the failed plans in the world won't stop you.

Here are a few more of our favorite shots from the wedding. All photos are courtesy of our fabulous friends: Justin Brauner, Ryan O’Connell, Nerissa Zahora, and Brad Nelson as well as a few from Ashley & Daniel.