5:45am. 26 degrees. Sunday morning. Blevins Gap, Huntsville, Al. In the pitch black, I sat in my car sipping the my last drop of coffee and giving myself a pep talk. A pep talk about the hike that would prove to be one of the most memorable engagement sessions (for several reasons) I had had so far. The hike started out pretty uneventful and pretty flat, but about 15 minutes in—my lungs and legs were burning. I was having the hardest time keeping up with Shaylee and Ryan, but I just kept telling myself it was going to be worth it.