As many would guess, beach volleyball was the reason Danielle and Brett met! Both loving the sport and playing as much as 6 times a week, Brett and Danielle developed a close friendship that slowly transitioned to something more. Although it took a few tries, through Brett’s determination and unwillingness to accept ‘no’, they started dating in March of 2015. Four years later both are still passionate about volleyball and regularly play together in leagues and tournaments throughout New England all year long.

Early on in their relationship Brett introduced Danielle to backpacking. Starting locally with hikes in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, they eventually set their sights out west to explore the country’s most scenic landscapes. From the Grand Canyon to the Grand Tetons, Brett and Danielle have now backpacked in 10 national parks (and counting!), and have covered over 300 miles of trail through their travels.

It was during a hike of Maine’s Bold Coast trail (Cutler Coast Public Land Reserve) that Brett decided to propose. Brett had completed the hike solo in 2012 and had noted how beautiful the sunrise was over the Atlantic Ocean while camped directly on the rocky coastline. Although the forecast called for clouds and potential rain, the weather held out the morning of April 28th. That morning Brett set up the tripod so they could take a picture of them and the sunrise. Little did Danielle know this was all part of his plan to capture the moment on camera. Once Brett had set the timer, he ran over to her and instead of posing for the picture, got down on one knee popped the question. Of course she said YES! Making her feel like one of the luckiest women alive. See pictures of the hike and proposal on the Photos section of the website!

The story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning their loving cat Ollie, who, although shy to most (all) strangers, loves Danielle and Brett and enjoys playing with all his toys and cuddling up on their laps for a nice nap.