While skiing on Mt. Bachelor in eastern Oregon 27 years ago, Melissa de la Mare pulled off her mitten standing under the Pine Marten Quad. When she put her mitten back on and skied away, she unknowingly left behind her wedding ring in the snow. She never found it, despite asking around at the resort and even at pawn shops in Bend, the town where Mt. Bachelor is located.

Years later, in Alabama, Heather Langley had a friend who had a ring he had found while working at Mt. Bachelor. There were two sets of names and wedding dates engraved in the ring, but since they were only first names, he had no information about who those people might be. Langley is a jewelry maker herself, and the two sets of names made it clear to her that this was a special ring with a lot of meaning to someone. She asked her friend if she could try to track down the owners, and he agreed.