Wild Romance: Backpacker Editors Share Tales of Love Gone Awry (and Occasionally Right) on the Trail

February 13, 2026 – 03:54 PM PST

The rugged beauty of the great outdoors has long served as a dramatic backdrop for life’s most profound experiences, and for many, this includes the intricate tapestry of love and relationships. As Valentine’s Day approaches, the editors of Backpacker magazine have gathered to delve into the often-hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always memorable stories of romance that have unfolded amidst the wilderness. This special edition features Editor-in-Chief Adam Roy, Senior Editor Zoe Gates, Associate Editor Emma Veidt, and a special guest, Natalie Roy, affectionately known as "Mrs. Backpacker." Together, they recount their most significant romantic escapades, highlighting how the untamed landscapes have both tested and celebrated their connections.

Adam Roy, setting the stage for the candid discussion, noted the pervasive, almost tangible, sense of romance that can permeate the air in February. "It is February, we are about a week away from Valentine’s Day and here at Backpacker we are getting together to share our best and sometimes worst outdoor romance stories," he announced, his tone laced with anticipation. He then introduced his colleagues, each poised to share their unique narratives of love amidst adventure.

The first story to emerge from the collective memory was that of Adam and Natalie Roy’s engagement, a moment that, while ultimately successful, was far from the meticulously planned proposal Adam had envisioned. The setting was Mayflower Gulch in Colorado, during the late spring, a time when the trails still bore remnants of winter’s embrace. Natalie recounted her initial reluctance, admitting, "A little bit of context: I had no idea that we were going to be going in the middle of the night out to Mayflower Gulch to go snowshoeing, so it was not something that he had asked me in advance to do. I didn’t want to snowshoe that night." Adam, ever the persistent partner, playfully confessed to a degree of gentle coercion: "She tried to get out of it. I kind of bullied her into it a little bit because I had the snowshoes and I had everything packed already."

As they ventured out under the cloak of night, the initial discomfort for Natalie began to dissipate, replaced by the sheer beauty of the experience. "So, we get going and it’s actually really nice. So about a mile in, I’m kind of like, okay, this is not bad, this is beautiful. There’s no one out here, it’s, you know, 10:00 p.m. and the moon was out," she recalled. Their destination was an abandoned mining cabin, a relic of a bygone era. It was as they approached this historic structure that the unexpected twist of fate occurred. "Before he proposed, he kind of nudges me, and my leg completely, like, plummets down into a hole," Natalie described. The immediate danger was starkly apparent: "And you know, I look down as I start to kind of pull myself and my body out of this hole and I’m less than an inch away from the rusted-out steel post that was, you know, holding this cabin together."

In the midst of this near-calamity, Adam seized the moment, albeit in a way that surprised Natalie. "So in my head, I’m like, okay, I almost just, you know, nailed my leg, and he does not help me get up. Instead, he just decides that’s the moment to kneel down on a knee. He doesn’t say anything," she recounted, a hint of amusement now coloring her voice. Adam interjected, defending his unconventional approach: "You were on the ground already! I had to get down there with you."

Natalie continued, highlighting the lack of a grand speech: "No nice speech, no ‘Hey, you’re a wonderful person,’ just right away, you know, proposes with the question." The shock of the near-accident combined with the unexpected proposal left her momentarily stunned. "And you know, I was just in shock of the moment, but it was beautiful in hindsight. In the moment it was kind of like I had almost just massively hurt myself and then this guy just whiplashes me the other way," she admitted. However, the story took a sweet turn with the post-proposal celebration. "But it all worked out, and I do remember that we busted out the Jetboil and I got to have a raspberry truffle dessert that night." Adam, ever the pragmatist, quipped, "So I may not have had a speech, but I did have a dessert, and I feel like that’s a fair trade." Emma Veidt humorously chimed in, "Yeah. The dessert was like the highlight, not the proposal." Natalie, with a smile, conceded, "I shouldn’t say it was, but I mean in that moment, yes, the dessert was great." Adam concluded this anecdote with a relatable observation: "Diamonds are great, but you can’t eat them. That’s the problem."

Senior Editor Zoe Gates playfully interrogated Adam about the sequence of events: "So Adam, at what point did you help her out of the hole? Was the ring on her finger already? Like, did you just start making the dessert right away and leave her down there?" Adam clarified, "No, I got her out before I made the dessert. I did put the ring on her finger once, though. She went down in the hole a single woman and came up engaged. Could have been worse; I could have proposed to you on, like, a Jumbotron or something." When asked about her favorite part of the proposal, Natalie emphasized the natural setting: "I think that it was on a trail, it was out in nature. We weren’t around a lot of people, so it felt very special in that moment. I wouldn’t change it; it is just kind of comical in hindsight."

Transitioning to her own tale of romantic misadventure, Emma Veidt shared an experience that, while not resulting in a second date, certainly provided a memorable, if slightly unsettling, start to a potential relationship. "So, there was one time I was planning a first date with a very lucky suitor and I wanted to go on a hike with him, but I didn’t quite know how to describe where I wanted to meet," she explained. Her solution was to send him coordinates, a decision she now views with a touch of dark humor. "And in hindsight, I think that was a little bit murdery. And I thought the date went pretty well, but I don’t think he did because there was not a second date."

The other editors seized on the perceived oddity of her dating strategy. Adam pressed for details: "Where was this trail you were on, Emma? What was this? Like far from civilization? Was this well-trodden? Were there a lot of, like, bushy areas that you could potentially hide a large person-sized object?" Natalie added, "Was it daylight? Was it night time?" Adam continued his playful interrogation, "Did you tell him to bring his wallet and not tell anyone where he was going?"

Emma defended her actions, stating, "I think I was a very normal person during this whole interaction!" She elaborated on the location: "But no, it was middle of the day. There were a lot of bushes, but that’s just normal. Um, it was well-trodden, but it was kind of off the beaten path in terms of there wasn’t an official trailhead. It was more like a side trail that goes into the normal trail. And so I wanted to meet at that specific spot because that’s just the entrance that I like—I had done that trail before. But maybe I should have stuck to something a little less creepy." Zoe offered a seasoned perspective, remarking, "Yeah, Emma, you don’t want to date somebody with subpar map and compass skills anyway, so…" Emma retorted playfully, "It was a test for him."

Adam then turned to Zoe, leveraging her expertise as a seasoned outdoorswoman to gauge the optimal way to convey meeting instructions for a date. "So Zoe, since this isn’t your story here, I want to use you as the expert. If you were invited on a date and someone needed to tell you how to get to the trailhead or how to get to the trail where you were having this date, how would you want that information conveyed for least sketchiness?" Zoe offered practical advice: "Least sketchy? I’d say maybe a link to the Gaia map is a pretty fair way to go. Um, Google Maps pin, really you can’t go wrong. That one’s pretty socially acceptable." Adam, ever the provocateur, then inquired, "How do you feel about going pirate mode and sending them a screenshot of a map with a big red X drawn on it? Is that better or worse than coordinates?" Zoe, with a glint in her eye, responded, "I’ll say I’d be intrigued, you know? That’s the way to catch my attention if you send me a pirate map."

Zoe Gates then prepared to share her own story, one that marked a significant turning point in her life: "I’m ready to share this one. I think, yes. Um, this is the story of the end of my college relationship, which occurred halfway through a cross-country road trip to visit as many national parks as possible. And I, in fact, was dumped in the middle of that road trip just outside of Yellowstone National Park—my very first time there." The revelation elicited immediate surprise from Natalie: "Wait, wait, wait. In the middle of the road trip? So, repeat again, where was this at?" Zoe clarified the setting: "So this was on a road trip from Boston out to Santa Barbara, and the dumping occurred in Cody, Wyoming, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. But we did, in fact, finish the road trip."

Emma, ever curious, pressed for more details: "I’m just dying to know so many details." Zoe invited the questions: "Alright, fire away." Emma inquired about the companionship: "Was it just you two, or was it a part of a larger trip?" Zoe confirmed it was just the couple, emphasizing the significance of the trip: "Nope, it was just us two. This was our big post-college graduation national park extravaganza, but did not end the way I thought it would." Adam, trying to pinpoint the exact timing of the breakup within their ambitious itinerary, asked, "So I gotta ask you, how many parks had you been to before you got to Yellowstone?" Zoe revealed the unfortunate timing: "You know, I think actually we had just finished the boring part of the drive to actually get out West to get to the parks, and we were about to hit our very first national park when the dump occurred." Adam exclaimed, "Oh no, so this was at the beginning of the national park—" Zoe confirmed, "This was the beginning of the fun part, yeah."

Emma then asked about the logistics of completing the trip: "Did you have to, like, finish the cross-country road trip together broken up, or did you just peace out and—" Zoe confirmed they finished the journey together, explaining the rationale: "We finished the road trip. I’ll say the dumping occurred because my then-boyfriend was moving to Africa in a couple of months following. So we decided to make the best of the rest of the trip and finish it out and say goodbye once we reached our final destination." Adam expressed sympathy for the boyfriend but also found the decision perplexing: "I’m sorry to your boyfriend—I hope Africa was worth it—but also this is an unhinged thing to do." Zoe humorously mused, "I think I need a redemption tour of some of those national parks."

The conversation shifted to the atmosphere during the remainder of the trip: "What was the conversation like in the car for the remainder of the road trip? Like, was that just so awkward?" Zoe described the palpable tension: "Yeah, a lot of awkward silence. But you know, beautiful vistas of the mountains—that’s always helpful. Nothing comforts a broken heart like some beautiful snow-capped peaks." Adam, with a knowing glance at his wife, posed a question to Zoe, "So let me ask you Zoe, as the expert—my wife is glaring at me already—what is the best national park to be sad in?" Zoe, reflecting on her experiences, offered a nuanced answer: "Wow. Well, okay, so I was sad in Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Zion. And I would say my biggest memory of the Tetons is just being scared of grizzly bears, so that was a pretty good distraction. That was a pretty good one."

Natalie inquired about the specific setting of the breakup: "Did this happen looking at a geyser? Like what was the setting that he chose to dump you?" Zoe revealed the unglamorous location: "This happened at a dingy motel in Cody, Wyoming, just outside the national park, and then the next day we went into the park." Natalie’s reaction was one of disbelief: "Oh my god." Zoe concluded her story on a hopeful note, stating, "It was all for the best. A few years later I met my current partner, and we’ve visited many national parks together and made many happy memories on the trail."

Finally, Adam posed a question to the entire group, seeking the ultimate romantic gesture on the trail: "What is the most romantic thing someone can say to you on the hiking trail?" Emma’s response was practical and endearing: "’Can I carry the tent?’" Adam then turned to his wife, "What do you think, darling? What’s the most romantic thing I could say to you on a hiking trail?" Zoe, recalling Adam’s proposal mishap, playfully suggested, "’Here, let me help you out of that hole.’" Natalie, initially about to offer her own answer, was interrupted by Zoe’s quip.

Adam then directed listeners to the Backpacker website for further engagement: "Well, if you have any proposal stories you’d like to share or ignorant fiancés you’d like to tear apart, you can go to backpacker.com. We now have comments where you can weigh in on our stories and connect with us directly. We’ll be back next month with more great stories straight from the trail. Until then, I’m Adam Roy and Happy Valentine’s Day from the Backpacker crew." The conversation ended with a lighthearted attempt by Zoe to perform a "Gen Z heart" gesture, a humorous testament to the enduring, and sometimes awkward, nature of human connection, whether on or off the trail.