The Proposal – Part 25 min read

Click HERE for The Proposal – Part 1.

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Constantly thinking about the proposal potential of places you’re visiting is a great way to ruin traveling… Instead of being in the moment, you’re in your head, analyzing the pros and cons of the location:

– (On the one hand, the Segrada Familia is a pretty impressive place. On the other, it is a church and we’re not really religious. The colors and lighting are really spectacular. But those gargoyles and people being decapitated by Satan on the walls may not be the vibe I am going for…)

– Wow! We can see the ocean from here! Do you see that Joël?

– (Realizing I am being spoken to…) Who’s doing the what now?

– Boy… You’re really zoned out since we got here… You were really due for a vacation.

– Yes, yes… Tired… I am very tired. (Hey! We can see the ocean from here. That could be good for proposing)

Deciding on Where to Propose

The flight to Spain was uneventful. We landed in Barcelona where we were spending a few days before heading to the Canary Islands. After a day or two of the above mental torture, I settled on proposing a few days later during our hike of El Teide, the highest mountain in Spain. My girlfriend had booked a hostel near the very top of the mountain so we could get up early to go see the sunrise the next day. I figured this was just the right level of “cheese” and that I would be able to find an intimate moment in this setting. I have never been a fan of the “Jumbotron proposals”… At least not for myself… It always seemed to me that a proposal should be an intimate moment between two people.

Phew! With that settled, I could now enjoy the next few days without feeling like I was planning a bank heist everywhere I went. I really wanted it to be a surprise and always being on the defensive when my girlfriend interacted with me wasn’t helping my cause:

– Hey! What are you doing?

– NOTHING! Why are you always in my bubble? Give me some space! (She definitely knows something is up!)

– (Wow! Lovely start to the trip… What a lovely and laid back travel companion… NOT!)

The Hike

The morning of the hike, we packed our backpacks and I made sure to have the ring in an accessible pocket for all Quick Release Proposal™ eventualities. It was a beautiful sunny day. There weren’t many people on the mountain. I was feeling pretty good about my plan until about an hour into the hike… Oh man… The sun is blazing… I am sweaaaa-ty. Plus, for the next few hours of the hike, we constantly kept passing people…

For anyone who knows my girlfriend, you know this woman is always on a mission when walking… I’m always “walking after her”… I once heard that people who walk faster than average are less happy. Seemingly because they don’t have time to take things in. When I shared this theory with her, she said: “Of course we’re unhappy! We’re always stuck behind slowpokes! WALK FASTER!”

Anyways, the point is there were no “ideal” moments for a proposal popping up… Plus, I was nervous so any excuse was a good one to procrastinate a bit longer…

– (Hmmm, that rock looks like it could spoil the mood.)

Suddenly, the hostel building came into view. I started to panic!

– (Oh crap! That’s the finish line! I have to propose! Rip the Band-Aid off, man!)

The Proposal

The group of hikers ahead of us had just gone into the hostel and all the fast walking had bought us a few minutes alone… Now or never. I stopped. I told my girlfriend I needed to get something from my bag and needed her help. She turned around and I timed it just right to pull the ring out as she was getting to me.

Ring appearance timing is a very important consideration. Pop it out too quickly and the person is walking up to their proposal which is just awkward (and I hear it diminishes the odds of a ‘Yes’ by 20%). However, pop it out too late and the person is there waiting for something to happen… LAAAAME! Thankfully, I got the timing just right.

I can’t remember what I said or how she responded but the outcome was a “yes”! VICTORY! I could finally relax… I was fairly confident on the outcome since we’d been discussing it for months… However, in the weeks leading up to the trip, I had been making a concerted effort to dismiss marriage discussions to help setup the surprise. Thankfully I had not changed her position on the idea by being a jerk.

But Was It a Surprise?

Once the ‘Yes’ was secured, I immediately wanted to know if she saw it coming. In the last couple days, I had wished happy travels to an airport security agent, acted continuously suspicious and had an above average heart rate… Damn it! It was going to be for something!

– “No, you totally surprised me!”

– “Oh yeaaaaah!”

As we were wrapping up our moment, a professional looking hiker dude appeared from over the horizon, heading towards the hostel. Perfect! I asked him to take a photo. He did not speak English or French… I pointed to Julie’s ring and made a ‘camera click click’ motion. He didn’t understand what the heck I was talking about. At this moment, I realized my girlfriend and I were bringing way too much excitement to this interaction… I finally got him to take the picture… He left thinking we were REALLY proud of ourselves for completing this fairly easy 4 hour hike, probably. All I know is he did NOT understand that he took an engagement picture…

As we entered the hostel, my girlfriend and I were shot up with endorphins and adrenaline. Little did I know, there were two things that would soon spoil the party. First, the hostel had group rooms that held 24 guests a piece (you remember what I said about intimacy, right?). Second, the ring was about to have an adventure of its own…

Check out Part 3 HERE!

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Last Updated on February 5, 2022 by Joël Collin-Demers