June 10-12, 2022 —
Maria Stiens needs little introduction. If you’re reading this blog post, you’re likely either a family member or close friend supporting my travel endeavors. So, you likely already know how important Maria is to me. And – more importantly – you probably know how wonderful she is. In June of 2022, our relationship reached new heights at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Maria and I met at Purdue through mutual friends during our freshman year, in January of 2017. We spent a couple of months flirting with each other and began dating in March. From there, our relationship progressed quickly. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we had something special, something that would last a long time. By the end of 2017, we were already ingrained in each others’ lives. Each of us were close to the other’s family. We spent countless hours together on and off of Purdue’s campus. Maria supported me in good times and in bad times, and I supported her. We loved each other deeply. Our relationship has continued strong for over five years and has endured through thick and thin.
Maria introduced me to the national parks in 2018, when I visited her in California and we spent several days together in Yosemite. This sparked a passion for America’s national parks that has continued into the present: the reason for this blog. The trip also awoke my general love for the outdoors, which eventually led me to embrace activities – like rock climbing, backpacking, biking, and kayaking – that define me today. It also resulted in a shared goal between Maria & me: to visit every national park.
So, for the next few years, we began to check national parks off the list as our relationship continued to grow. We saw more of America while becoming more and more inseparable. After graduating from Purdue in 2020, we endured the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic together. At this point, we moved to Indianapolis. There, I began a job at Rolls-Royce while she began working towards her Doctorate. Meanwhile, we talked about our futures together and the prospect of marriage.
It’s hard to summarize a 5+ year relationship in a few paragraphs, but that about brings us up to speed. We agreed to get engaged in 2022, so I began planning the proposal early in the year. Before long, I recruited Maria’s childhood best friend – Hannah Wedig – to help me plan. Hannah and I agreed that we should plan a backpacking trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park including me, Maria, her, and her boyfriend visiting from New Zealand. This was the perfect setting for my long-awaited proposal. What better place to propose than in a beautiful example of the passion that connects me and Maria?
Plan your trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park