Cleveland National Forrest Anniversary Hiking Couples Session

Let me tell you a little bit about this wild weekend.

Sarah, Vilas, their dog Sagan, and I were all supposed to meet up in Idyllwild for a shoot to celebrate their 7 year anniversary.

Sarah and Vilas love to adventure and make a point to do a weekend trip once a month. I wanted to go somewhere meaningful to them so we settled on Idyllwild. The plan was - do a sweet hike with some views, document the hike, then end our time at a nearby lake with a little charcuterie board.

Well, there were still a ton of wildfires in CA but we were holding our breath that the parks would open in time for us to do some epic hiking.

I had a plan B which took us closer to Palm Springs but when I checked on the parks the day before our shoot (they were supposed to open up that day) both of the spots were still closed. OKAY, I thought, WHAT NOW?!

I drove over to the general vicinity early and just explored, pulled out my trails app, and went into major scouting mode.

I found this random mountain biking trail and since it was the only thing open, that was the new plan!!

We showed up and let me tell you, it was the perfect little adventure. We hiked, we talked about life, got pretty sweaty, opened up some whiteclaws, and we ended the night with their first dance song and some cheese. (Cheese is always a great way to end the night, amiright??)

Thank you, Sarah and Vilas, for trusting me to capture this season of life. Plz tell me when I can cuddle your dog again.

Are you a planner like me? Or are you a go with the flow person? Or a mix?