Michael Baker had big plans when it came to proposing to his now fiancee Tracie Wyson. In fact, they are so big that Baker walked (sort of) 500 miles from his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Utah to propose.
“I didn’t actually walk 500 miles, but rather just used editing and a clever idea to make it appear as such,” Baker said in an email. “I wanted to illustrate to her that I would be more than willing to do so.”
On June 13, Baker marched to The Proclaimers’ song, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” where he “walks” 500 miles — through the mountains, across the plains and even past Sasquatch signs — to propose to Wyson at Thanksgiving Point.
While Wyson is from St. George, Utah, she was working on her CNA certification in Utah County. She was planning on visiting Baker in Colorado Springs, but Baker wanted to surprise her early.
Baker got the idea for the proposal from brainstorming with his dad. He wanted the proposal to be both special and memorable. Baker said it took some planning to figure out how to get Wyson to Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point, where the proposal took place, but it worked.
“I didn’t actually walk 500 miles, but rather just used editing and a clever idea to make it appear as such. I wanted to illustrate to her that I would be more than willing to do so.” — Michael Baker
Baker and his father took a day off work to film. Unexpectedly, they travelled about 150 miles while filming for the video, and that did not include the shots taken in Utah. Baker also purchased and learned how to edit his own video, which turned into quite the adventure.
After a lot of hard work and planning, the last step was to propose. Wyson was brought to the Ashton Gardens where Baker proposed. She was completely surprised and, of course, she said yes.
“Tracie didn’t see it coming at all, so it was a nice surprise. She was very excited and it was a very special moment for us,” Baker said in an email.
The two met eight years ago on a boating trip. Wyson’s aunt and uncle were close with Baker’s family, and they brought the two together not knowing it would turn into a lifetime together.
At the time, they were too young to date with Baker being 16 and Wyson being 13, but when Wyson returned from an LDS mission to Paris, Baker reached out and the two fell in love. The connection was instant and only took two months after Wyson was home to get engaged.
Wyson is from St. George, Utah, which is going to be the location for the upcoming wedding. They will be getting married in the St. George LDS temple on Aug. 18 of this year.