Helicopter Tour of Columbia Glacier | Valdez, Alaska
the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers
Bob + Kristin’s Surprise Proposal in Alaska | Helicopter Tour of Columbia Glacier | Alaska Wedding Photographer
This surprise proposal in Alaska is probably one of the most memorable shoots we’ve ever done, and no, not because of the helicopter or the giant glacier we flew over or even the fact that Bob proposed on top of a mountain overlooking the ocean…it’s actually because for 10 solid minutes the ring was lost in the wilderness of Alaska, but before I give you a heart attack I will spoil the ending and say that we FOUND THE RING, she said yes, and we all lived happily ever after 😂
Starting from the beginning, Bob reached out to me to plan a surprise proposal in Alaska, which we knew was a big ask considering they were coming from Utah and a spontaneous trip to Alaska might seem a bit suspicious to some people. We planned everything far enough in advance that Bob was able to casually suggest the idea of an RV road trip in Alaska that summer with their kiddos and get the ball rolling on it. After the trip was booked and such, Bob told Kristin some of his old friends (us) were going to be in Valdez around the same time as them, and these friends were photographers. He said we’d asked if they were down to model for us because we had this area in Valdez we were dying to shoot, and it is always easier for us to show our couples places if we’ve already photographed a couple there (which is totally true!!). She agreed, and we even met up for breakfast that day just to get to know each other. She had no idea about the helicopter, and of course no idea about the proposal, but it was great because she was already planning for a photo shoot and was dressed up with that in mind!
We all met up at our of our favorite glacial lakes to do some photos, and then as planned, I said the light wasn’t quite right but I knew of a different spot, and we all piled in and drove to the airport. She obviously knew *something* was up by then because why would I take you to an airport for a photo shoot 😂 but the helicopter ride itself was still a huge surprise! We got into the helicopter and went on such a beautiful tour to our first location — it was absolutely stunning flying over the glaciers, the bay, and seeing Valdez from the sky! It’s one of our favorite towns in Alaska, and now one of our favorite places for helicopter tours! We landed on our first spot, on the slope of a huge mountain that drops right into the sea. It was literally 360 degree views of mountains, ocean, and multiple glaciers!! I asked Bob and Kristin if they wanted to hike to the summit, about 10 minutes up hill, and they were stoked. We took some photos as we walked, and we knew this was the spot for the surprise proposal!
They were so adorable at the top, spinning around and taking everything in. After a few moments, Bob knew it was time, he said some really sweet words to Kristin, and then got down on one knee, and I kid you not…this was one of the most terrifying moments of my life because I could tell immediately he didn’t have the ring even though I knew he’d had it when we got in the helicopter!!! He had these special socks designed to hold the skinny ring box so it wasn’t visible in his pocket and well, the socks are apparently not hiking-in-alaska-friendly 😅😅😅 So he reaches around a bit, and then looks right at me and goes “I can’t find the ring” and I was like…okay we need to look for it now haha! Kristin was definitely a bit in shock, but she handled it super well!! And let him know her answer was yes, ring or not :) But then we started searching. And let me tell you, finding a skinny tiny black ring box in the Alaskan tundra is NOT an easy task! We searched for about 10 minutes and then — bragging on myself here — I found it! In the tundra!! It had fallen out when we hiked up!!!! So wild. So we laughed it off, and Bob brought Kristin back to the spot for a proper proposal with the gorgeous ring 😊 It was so special, and like I said, VERY MEMORABLE!
SO anyway, after that fun little adrenalin rush we all got back in the helicopter and made our way to our second location, a little black sand beach at the face of the Columbia Glacier. The flight alone was absolutely stunning, and then the sunset from the little glacial beach, surrounded by icebergs, was one of my favorite sunsets of my life! We hiked around, climbed onto beached icebergs, and watched the 400 foot face of the glacier as pieces would calve off and echo through the bay. It was such an incredible experience and we had so much fun soaking in the gorgeous landscape together. I also made friends with our helicopter pilot, Abbie, and she and her husband Curt are now some of our life-long buddies! This was seriously such a fun day and I’m so happy for how everything worked out. The logistics were not easy to plan (we love a good challenge), and we all could have gone without that ring scare haha, but we had a blast and I loved getting to know Bob and Kristin, and experience such an incredible thing alongside them!
via Instagram July 22, 2019:
Needless to say, she said yes! Oh my goodness, yesterday was incredible. An iceberg lake, a surprise helicopter, a proposal at the top of a mountain, a briefly lost ring (yes), a found ring (thank God), the most amazing flight over the mountains, a calving glacier, a black sand beach dotted with bergs, and a sunset that lasted three hours. Alaska...you are too good to us.
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Bob and Kristin, thank you SO much for this incredible day. And shoutout to our pilot @abigailstogdale for the epic flight ✨ I can’t wait to tell the whole story, but for now...enjoy these previews while I drool over the rest of the photos 😍
via Instagram July 25, 2019:
This July has been cold and icy and I couldn’t be happier about it. Something about these glacial landscapes intrigue me more than any other...part of it is definitely the scarcity and wondering how many more years they’ll exist, but even that devastating thought aside, just looking out and seeing how absolutely impassable they are, how nothing (other than microscopic beings) live in them, how much they shift and change. Glaciers are not silent. Sitting near one you constantly hear crashing and moving as they shift and fall apart. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to see them break apart into the ocean, but most times you just hear it. It’s so eerie and amazing. Flying over this glacier was absolutely wild in itself! The walls behind them rise 400 feet out of the ocean...it’s impossible to understand the size of everything, even looking right at it.
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I want to spend a lot more of my life exploring glaciers.
via Instagram August 17, 2019:
We’re headed back to Valdez later this week for another engagement session and I am sooo stoked 😍 we don’t really have a favorite place in Alaska (it’s so hard to pick!) but Valdez is way up there for us. The fact that our go-to bivy is parking next to an iceberg lagoon, the town is safe and relaxed, and there is access to so many different adventure sports within an hour radius make it kinda feel like the Alaska version of Moab, which is a huge compliment coming from us!!
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Oh also...totally unrelated but we just booked tickets to Iceland next month with our Alaskan friends @theadamsco @hmariethegreat and @quillanruf sooooo needless to say we’re stoked for more glaciers and to explore hot spring mecca!! We rented a little 4x4 rig, so any recommendations for places off the beaten path would be so appreciated 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 And we won’t be booking any elopements or sessions while we’re out there (we really wanna fully experience this place for our first visit!) BUT if you wanted to do a shoot out there @theadamsco are booking a limited number of them and I can’t recommend them enough!! 🖤 it’s almost like we get to extend our Alaska trip even more!!
Photographers: The Hearnes Adventure Photography
Valdez, Alaska Helicopter Company: VS Helicopters
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. Unless stated otherwise, all blog and social media posts are written from the perspective of Abbi! Our photography style is adventurous, full of stoke, and centered around telling a true story. We are nomadic wedding photographers living on the road, which allows us to photograph your adventures anywhere in the world. We especially love the sierra mountains in California, southwestern desert in Utah, and the glacial landscape of Alaska. We have updated passports and are willing to travel anywhere in the world.
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