By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-24 01:42:18 | Updated at 2026-07-27 18:12:57
3 days ago
A marriage proposal for a couple hiking a mountain in New Hampshire was nearly derailed after the girlfriend suffered an injury before the big question was popped.
Tim Dupere had planned to ask for Alexis Hardy's hand in marriage while hiking the Barlow Trail on Mount Kearsarge on July 11.
But while on the 3.1-mile trek, which has an elevation gain of 1,085 feet, Hardy injured her leg to the point that it made it impossible to hike back down, according to officials.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said they were contacted by the State Police Dispatch Center just before 12 pm about the wounded hiker who needed to be carried out.
However, Dupere didn't let his girlfriend's leg get in the way of what he planned to ask.
Officials said that after they arrived and placed Hardy into an emergency stretcher, he pulled out the engagement ring and popped the big question.
The injured girlfriend sitting on top of the rescue litter turned into an injured fiancée after she said yes.
The newly engaged couple even posed for a photo after rescuers helped carry her to the summit, making for a beautiful picture with a scenic view behind them.
Tim Dupere planned to ask his girlfriend, Alexis Harding to be his wife while hiking the Barlow Trail on Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire. While he did pop the question it didn't go exactly as he planned after Hardy injured her leg to the point where she needed be rescued
Rescuers received the call of an injured hiker around 12pm on July 11. As they were securing her Dupere asked for her hand in marriage to which she said yes. First responders also helped carry her to the summit, making for a beautiful picture with a scenic view behind them before bringing her back down the mountain
First responders then carried Hardy down the Rollins Trail before she was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
'New Hampshire Fish and Game would like to congratulate Alexis Hardy and Tim Dupere on their engagement,' read the press release.
According to Hike Safe, falls are responsible for the most deaths while hiking and most often occur during the descent of a trail.
Heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration and hypothermia are also dangerous factors to be aware of while hiking.
In 2017, a similar engagement took place after an Ohio couple needed to be rescued from a mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.
George Begalla and Katie Woodford had hiked to the top of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix when he got down on one knee and proposed, at which point things went wrong.
A photo of Hardy's beautiful engagement ring
The couple were on the Barlow Trail on Mount Kearsarge, which is a 3.1-mile trek, which has an elevation gain of 1,085 feet
'She said yes. We hugged. We kissed. We got the round of applause,' George told AZfamily. 'We were really excited and all of a sudden she started to say, "I'm not feeling good."'
'I could see she was getting pale and she went down slowly and asked for help.'
The pair had been hiking in 93-degree weather just before Begalla proposed, and that, plus the shock of the engagement, seemed to take its toll.
