Kootenay Bride Blog
Surviving Boot Camp Bliss
By Andrea Miller-Ryman
After six hours of paddling I was ready to quit. This wasn’t a relaxing excursion to the waterfalls named in my honour; this was boot camp! A few weeks prior Chris had kayaked a first descent over a waterfall on Enterprise Creek and had named it “Andrea Falls” after me. He then asked if I would come and see the falls with him. Of course I immediately said “yes!”
We had parked the car in Silverton, north of where we live in the Slocan Valley, and set out. Little did I realize the waterfall was over eight kilometres away! The hot July sun beat down on us and more than once I was ready to call it quits. But I kept my composure and continued to paddle in the name of love. And sure enough we eventually came to a gorgeous waterfall. To my surprise, though, this was not the one we were looking for. “Andrea Falls is just up the hill,” Chris told me. In fact, it was an hour hike up the side of a cliff!
Finally I felt a cool mist and looked up to see the most amazing waterfall in the midst of an unknown paradise. The forest was so moist and vibrant I instantly forgot my exhaustion. Chris then approached me with a small box and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised I was speechless! Tears filled my eyes and eventually I managed to whisper, “yes.”
The following summer we bought a kayak shop, built a cabin and got married. It’s been smooth sailing ever since.
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