the neighborhood regulars:

banana slugs, bald eagles, deer, crows, ravens, chipmunks, ground squirrels, rabbits, toads, ground snakes

You know them, you love them, they're always around. We love these guys.

uncommonly exciting:

salmon, foxes, sea lions, river otters, mtn goats, porpoises, woodpecker, marmots, pika, harbor seals, elk, grouse, heron, coyote, porcupine, raccoons.

We might see one or two of these types of animals on a given day, which is exciting enough. Three or more and we're really feeling like your wedding has been blessed by the wildlife gods.

epic and rare difficulty:

bobcats, moose, martens, orca, whales, sea otter, black bear, snowshoe hare, rattlesnake, beaver

I can count on one hand the amount of weddings we've had where these animals have made an appearance! While they encompass the spicier category of wildlife, it's a beautiful, rare, and exciting encounter, if you're lucky enough to spot them.

just shy of impossible:

mountain lions, wolves, wolverine, fishers, grizzly bear, lynx, big horn sheep, pronghorn antelope

While all these animals do live in Washington state, most of them are endangered, exist in very small numbers, and are very avoidant of humans. You can pretty much guarantee you're not going to be seeing any of these fellows out on the trail. And if you do? Well, buy a lottery ticket when you get home.

Before we get into the megafauna & safety, a quick tip I want to talk about first is proper wildlife viewing & interaction! Never ever feed the wildlife, keep your food secure and away from little critters. For all wildlife, give them plenty of space. Don't try to pet the deer, feed the chipmunks, hassle the birds, or god forbid, try to take a selfie with a mountain goat (yes, I really did see a tourist try this once). Always give wildlife plenty of respect, space, and if possible, a safe route to get around you. Remember, you're a big, noisy stranger in their home, and you getting up in their business is almost certainly going to stress them out! Adverse wildlife encounters almost always happen because humans aren't aware of the stress they are inflicting on a wild animal that feels trapped, threatened, or is too habituated to human food for its own safety.

Bears

Let's start with the stars of the show, the BEARS! Mostly because I love them, and also because I know you've all got lots of questions. This type of wildlife safety & information is by far what we get the most questions about, and where we find there are the most misconceptions about wildlife and eloping! Here's some important things to know about Washington, bear country, and best practices for hiking & recreating, especially in terms of eloping and adventure weddings:

1. We will not be encountering brown bears (ie grizzly bears). While there are some exciting conservation plans and efforts to reintroduce grizzlies to their native range of the North Cascade Mountains in Washington, grizzlies were unfortunately extirpated (hunted to extinction) from the area over a hundred years ago. Today, there fewer than 10 grizzlies remaining in the entire remote wilderness of the North Cascades that have all migrated south from Canada into the wilderness zone.
2. Washington is prime black bear country! There are a lot of black bears in Washington, but even so, it's very unlikely we'll be seeing any during your elopement. Even the times we have seen them, they're usually far off in the distance, and I cannot emphasize enough that black bears just like to stay out of our way. Most of our black bears are pretty avoidant of humans, and you're far more likely to mutually startle each other if you stumble upon one on the trail. Again, they're not common sightings for us, and if we do see one, we can just admire them from afar before moving on.
3. Bears are crepuscular (which means they are more active in the dawn, dusk, and nighttime hours). So! Some things to keep in mind while hiking before sunrise or after sunset for wildlife safety: carry lights, for your own visibility obviously, but also to alert any wildlife to your presence. You'll also want to keep your dogs on leash, and make some kind of regular noise as well. Bears have a sense of hearing that's roughly on par with a human's sense of hearing, and studies have shown that bear bells and playing music from a speaker while hiking don't help them identify humans moving through their area. The best option is actually to carry on a nice, regular toned conversation with your hiking partners as you hike to alert wildlife to your presence, so you can get safely to your destination, and the wildlife can happily stay out of your way.
4. If you're eloping in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming, you may encounter a brown bear! Brown bears are more prone to viewing humans (and human food!) in a predatory manner than black bears, mostly because they are far larger and can afford to throw their weight around. This is not, however, mean certain doom or danger, or that you need to be afraid to elope, hike, or camp in these places! What it does mean is being more intentional with how you recreate, getting familiar with basic bear safety practices (all the national parks have great resources on how to safely recreate in bear country), and having at least one member of your party carry bear spray and know how to use it if needed, leash your dogs, and to always store food securely and away from your campsite.
5. Bears, wolves, and mountain lions all tend to get a lot of very bad press, and people have become incredibly scared of them as a result. In reality, outside of movies and TV, bears, wolves, and mountain lions are all just regular ol apex predator dudes, doing their best to survive in a rapidly changing, human-dominated landscape, and they aren't interested in attacking you. The fatality statistics for mountain lion, bear, and wolf attacks are all so low as to be almost negligible. Even combined, they still end up at far less than 1 fatality per year across the entire North American continent. (for context, the chances of just being injured by a bear are approximately 1 in 2.1 million).

Moose

Let's talk MOOSE! I frankly used to be terrified of moose, I will admit it. They were just so...big. And their legs were too long. I dunno, they just used to terrify me. But, the more moose I encounter, the less terrified I get, and now I'm practically besties with them (just kidding, they're still scary, but I no longer feel the urge to run away when I see one). Moose are large, powerful, and have quite the reputation for tossing people, vehicles, obstacles, and chasing dogs, bears, humans, etc. away very effectively when they want to. So what's the secret to recreating safely in moose country?

1. In short: do your best not to startle moose, and give them plenty of space. Keep your dog leashed, and if you see one close to you: stay calm, don't move quickly, don't try to scare them off or intimidate them.
2. If you do accidentally startle a moose, it's likely to take one of two approaches to the encounter: it will be scared off by you, or it will scare you off (by charging at you). If a moose decides it would like to scare YOU off by charging at you, the best thing you can do is to politely and speedily comply (ie run away), and ideally try to get a tree between you and the moose.
3. Moose are most agitated during mating season (September-November), so be sure to give any moose you see during this time a little extra respect and space.
4. Moose do live in Washington, but they're not as common here. You're far more likely to encounter them in other parts of the Rocky Mountains & Alaska.

Now that we're done talking all things wildlife, let's talk general outdoor recreation safety! Not that eloping is super dangerous, but there are some good safety basics to know and be prepared for. First up, you'll want to have an understanding of Leave No Trace principles, so you can have all the knowledge you need to be respectful stewards of the area you're eloping in and supporting all the plants, and animals who call it home. We've got a handy Leave No Trace guide specifically for weddings & elopements for you to check out exactly for this purpose! You'll also want to keep in mind your 10 Essentials, especially if we're going to be hiking for a ways, or in a remote area. The 10 Essentials are basically all things any hiker or outdoor recreationist should have handy in case anything goes awry during their visit, or in case they encounter someone else in need of help on the trail.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is to come prepared for the weather on your elopement day! We have a whole packing checklist for folks, so they know what to pack in order to stay comfy, safe, and prepared. Plus we also make sure to bring tons of extra supplies too 😉

Let us know if you have any questions about safety, wildlife, outdoor recreation, or anything wilderness elopement related! I'm always happy to chat about wildlife and the outdoors with folks, it's one of my favorite parts of this job. Happy trails & may you have many delightful wildlife encounters!