A Beautiful October Waterfall Hike
Katy and Ethan got the date of a life time on this beautiful Fall day! I mean we're talking a beautiful boat ride, a luxury picnic on the beach, a cute continued picnic on a canoe (YES you read that right, a picnic in a canoe!!!), and a beautiful short hike to one of my favorite waterfalls located on Bear Creek Lake!
The Lake-side Beach Picnic
Katy and Ethan started their day with a beautifully laid out gourmet, luxury picnic from the amazing Picnic Pop-Up located in Asheville, North Carolina. The owner of Picnic Pop-Up is Makenzie, a kind, fun, and adventurous Asheville native who's mission through Picnic Pop-Up is to "create space -- whether it's for romance, friendship, or family time."
For Katy and Ethan, Makenzie made space for a super cute, intimate, and romantic lake-side picnic. They were totally secluded from anyone else on the lake, and you could only get to their secret beach hide-away by boat. Their picnic consisted of beautiful, locally sourced charcuterie, and the food was curated by April of Urban Graze Co. April literally creates edible art, and you're almost hesitant to touch the food she's laid out because of how beautiful it looks! But she'll tell you herself that "everything on the plate is edible!"
This picnic did not take place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. GSM does not allow props of any kinds to be included at events within the National Park Boundaries. Be sure to educate yourself on guidelines associated with weddings in the park, and follow all park rules when on National Park or National Forest land. When in doubt, make sure to ask someone like us what is and isn't allowed at my wedding in the National Park!
Yes, a Canoe Picnic!
After Katy and Ethan enjoyed their picnic for a while and had time to themselves, April came up with the idea of being able to enjoy the picnic out on the water of Bear Creek Lake. We had a canoe sitting on the beach for the two of them to canoe later, and Katy and Ethan jumped at how much fun it would be to take this party to the water. So with the help of the team, Katy and Ethan set sail and didn't leave the picnic behind!
The Waterfall
After the picnic, and the continued picnic in their canoe, we took Katy and Ethan to hike up to one of my favorite waterfalls in North Carolina. This waterfall is nestled on the side of Bear Creek lake, which is right in our backyard. It's a short 20 minute hike, and you come out right at the mouth of the waterfall. Katy and Ethan brought with them love letters written out on notebook paper to read to each other at the waterfall, but the falls were flowing so powerfully this day that we were all soaked within 5 minutes of just standing at the bottom of it! This waterfall and trail is not located within National Park or National Forest boundaries.
So instead of the love letters, Katy and Ethan just got to stand at the base of the waterfall and admire it. They clung onto each other both for warmth and comfort! But they had so much fun adventuring with each other up to the waterfall and back. The photos of their adventure together show all of their emotions and their adventurous spirit throughout the entire waterfall adventure.
Eloping at this Gem
If you're not only wanting to go on an adventure with your significant other, but you also want to tie the knot with them while you're out on the trail, this is such a cool place to do it. Due to it's location, you have to have a boat and a spirit of adventure to elope at this waterfall! But it's so much fun, and very hidden. You're almost guaranteed not to see anyone on the trail, we didn't. Waterfall elopements are such a cool experience because you get to hike to a beautiful, secluded spot, and just stand in awe of the power and velocity of one of the natural world's coolest creations.
You and your partner are so special and so much different than anyone else. Your personalities are so different, and the way that you two interact can't be replicated by anyone else! Isn't that freakin crazy! So you deserve an elopement just as wild, just as unique, just as special, and maybe just as crazy. That's why waterfalls make for some of my favorite elopements here in the mountains.
And it's never the same experience twice. Every time I've visited this waterfall, it's a different hike, and the waterfall is always flowing differently. If you hit it during a rainy season, you're in for such a powerful falls.
Are you thinking about eloping?
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With Backpacks and Bow Ties, you can CHOOSE WILD!
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