Two months ago, I was just finishing up my trip to Hawaii. My best friend and I roadtripped around the Big Island for two weeks and had a blast and a half. We camped for about half of the trip and ended up rotating our cooked meals between chili and veggie burgers (hey, there’s only so much you can do with a campfire and a vegetarian diet!).

The highlight of the trip for me was our overnight hike to Waimanu Valley. It was the thing I was most looking forward to, albeit with slight trepidation. Getting there required a daunting drive down a 45-degree incline road (would our car make it down and up?), parking in a spot that’s known for break-ins (would our car still be there when we returned, a few days later?), schlepping down a long muddy path to the beach, and – oh, yeah – an all-day hike with a big-ass backpack strapped to my back (containing our tent, my sleeping bag, clothes, camera, and foodstuff).

IT WAS NOT EASY… but it was SO worth it. I spent two days lounging in my hammock on the beach, cracking open coconuts that had fallen off trees, and getting lost trying to hike to a waterfall nearby. It was everything I wanted, and about as far away from NYC living as it gets.

And as for the rest of the trip? Beaches. Lots of beaches. Brown sand, white sand, green sand, black sand beaches. Volcanoes. Natural steam rooms and volcanically-fed ocean pools. Coffee so delicious you can drink it black. Free birthday drinks. Unruly tourists. Perfect weather. Perfect EVERYTHING.

It definitely goes down as one of my favorite trips to-date.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOUR HAWAII WEDDING, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! PLEASE DROP ME AN EMAIL… I LOVE TO TRAVEL, AND WILL GO ALMOST ANYWHERE TO SHOOT A WEDDING! :)