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Bryant and Elisabeth first met in 2010 while working at Evergreen Lodge outside of Yosemite National Park. As an avid climber, snowboarder, and angler, Bryant was drawn to the granite peaks and crystal clear water of the Sierra. Elisabeth had just finished a solo thruhike along the Appalachian Trail and was drawn to the region for the 800 miles of hiking trails and Yosemite’s pristine backcountry. They both spent the next few years learning the other’s outdoor passions, taking road trips throughout California to climb, hike, snowboard.

 

After a debilitating injury that altered how Elisabeth could experience the outdoors followed by major regional fire, Elisabeth and Bryant decided to break off their relationship in 2014 and independently explore new opportunities away from Yosemite. 

 

Bryant returned to Yosemite very quickly, but Elisabeth would not return to Groveland until late 2015 after losing her sister to a drug overdose. Bryant immediately reached out to help her through the difficult time and rekindled their deep friendship. They immediately began exploring the Sierra together and Bryant was finally able to teach Elisabeth how to fly fish. On their adventures they would talk about starting a sustainable guide service, which eventually led them to begin Echo Adventure Cooperative with two friends, James and William. Starting a business was incredibly stressful, but Bryant and Elisabeth’s bond grew stronger and they leaned on each other to develop specific skills that complemented the other’s - which they both credit for their company’s continued success during the COVID 19 epidemic.

 

Over the winter of 2020, Bryant and Elisabeth traveled to the Channel Islands and stopped to explore Big Sur on the way home. They repeled into Jade Cove on that trip and found a few small pieces of dark jade on the beach. A few months later, Bryant would commission an artist to make an engagement ring out of one of those pieces of Jade and he proposed on December 24th 2021 in the presence of Elisabeth's mother.

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They decided to share their sense adventure with their friends and family by having their wedding on the Big Island of Hawaii along an active lava flow in Pahoa. Much like the Elisabeth and Bryant, their wedding will be as unconventional as their lives and their relationship.