Grace and Tom wanted to get married somewhere they had been together, and they had hiked Overlook Mountain on their second date. The trail is a little over two miles each way with about 1,400 feet of climbing, so we planned for 80 minutes up in the dark and checked the sunrise time (7:17 that morning) the night before.

The hike

We met at the trailhead at 5:40. Grace hiked in her dress with the hem pinned up and her boots on. Tom carried the thermos, the rings and a wool blanket. Their friend Callum, who was ordained online for the day, carried the dog treats and forgot his headlamp, so I lent him my spare.

The ceremony

They read their vows on a ledge below the summit while fog filled the valley. Callum signed the license on a rock, and I signed as the witness. Afterwards we sat for half an hour with coffee, and Juniper fell asleep between them.

We were back at the car by 9:30, and they went to breakfast in town in their wedding clothes. If you are thinking about eloping in the Catskills, I wrote a guide to trails, licenses and timing in the journal.