Mount Everest Expedition Ends in 2 Surprise Engagements at 17,600 Feet 

Cecilia Lundberg and Kyle Morton didn’t know Dayna Champion and Zac Rub before joining the same Mount Everest expedition—but by the end of the journey, the four shared a remarkable milestone. On the same day, during the same trek, both men proposed.

On Dec. 13, the group reached Everest Base Camp on the eighth and final day of their ascent, arriving at the iconic staging area on the mountain’s south side in Nepal. As Champion and Rub stood atop the famous Everest Base Camp rock, their guide quietly signaled for a photo—just in time for Rub to drop to one knee.

“When Dayna turned and realized what was happening, she was so overwhelmed she couldn’t get her answer out at first,” Lundberg recalls. “But very quickly, through happy tears, we heard a ‘Yes.’”

Unbeknown to Lundberg, Rub wasn’t the only one with a ring tucked away. Morton had been planning his proposal for nearly a year. After the newly engaged Australian couple climbed down from the rock, Lundberg and Morton stepped up for what she assumed was a simple photo.

“I had been filming, but I turned off the camera and noticed Kyle had a suspiciously box-shaped lump in his pocket,” Lundberg says. “He caught my eye and joked, ‘I guess great minds think alike.’ Then he took my hand, led me up the boulder, knelt down, and asked if I would be his teammate and partner forever. Of course, I said yes.”

Both couples—each together for about four years—were thrilled to share the moment, celebrating their simultaneous engagements amid the thin air and sweeping Himalayan views.

“It took a while to sink in,” Lundberg admits. “I was so happy for all of us, but it wasn’t until we started the hike down that it really hit me. I remember thinking, ‘I need to call my mom—I’m engaged!’ Then the tears came. Kyle was very prepared with tissues.”

There was little time for formal celebration. The descent proved grueling, with exhaustion and altitude sickness affecting the group. Champion and Rub struggled the most, but Rub stayed close, running alongside Champion and carrying both packs despite feeling ill himself. Lundberg and Morton fared slightly better, though she jokes that frequent pauses to admire her ring didn’t help their pace.

Once they reached a lower elevation, spirits lifted. The trek concluded with a lively celebration in Lukla, where the group closed down the only bar open so late in the season. Back home, Champion and Rub celebrated with family in Australia, while Lundberg and Morton marked the occasion with dinner at their favorite restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, where they work as professional equestrians.

Though the expedition brought together people from many walks of life, the two couples bonded quickly. “By the end of the first week, it felt like we’d known each other far longer,” Lundberg says. “Kyle and I especially connected with Dayna and Zac—we were at similar stages in our relationships.”

For Lundberg, the journey was unforgettable in every sense. “Nepal is extraordinary—from the energy of Kathmandu to the stark beauty of the Himalayas,” she says. “The people we met, from fellow trekkers to local guides and porters, made the experience truly special. And, of course, getting engaged to my partner—someone I share my work, travels, and now my life with—was the most life-changing moment of all.”

She adds with a laugh, “Altitude sickness and all, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect proposal.”