Brittney & Harry’s Stunning Mountaintop Hiking Adventure Session at Crouching Lion on Oahu
Last spring, I traveled to one of my favorite places ON EARTH, Hawaii, for Brittney and Harry’s gorgeous intimate destination wedding at Hale Koa Estate on Oahu. The day before they gathered with family and friends for their ceremony and celebration, we went out together for an early morning adventure session. Adventure sessions are one of my favorite ways to get to connect with my couples and explore the area a little more before (or after!!) the wedding day, especially for destination weddings!
For Brittney and Harry’s adventure session, we decided to hike the east side of the island on Crouching Lion trail at sunrise. We had to wake up at 5am and meet a little before sunrise to make it up the mountain in time, but it was soooo worth it! When we made it to the tippy top of the mountain, Brittney and Harry changed out of their hiking clothes and we got to work! When the sun came up over the mountains and the ocean, the view was absolutely stunning! We hiked up and down the mountain with them holding hands and giggling and so CLEARLY in love and ready to get married. It was so fun to see them snuggling up on the mountainside, and even though we were all kind of sweaty from the hike and the humidity, they just wanted to be close to each other no matter what.
It was hard NOT to feel all romantic up there, soaking up the warm golden sun, watching the clouds parting over the ocean, lush green foliage surrounding us in all directions. Honestly, it was one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. After we shot for about an hour, Harry offered to take a photo of me while I was shooting them, and it’s so cool to look back at that photo now and remember being up there on the top of that BEAUTIFUL mountain while I was working. It’s such a keepsake memory that I’ll never forget!
I had shot Brittney and Harry’s engagement session in Colorado already, but adventure sessions are such a great way for me to get to spend a little more time with my couples and get to know their story a little better! I connected with Brittney and Harry SO MUCH even before they booked with me, because they’re from the Midwest, but moved to Colorado to have more adventure in their life. They moved into a tiny house so they could explore and live in paradise, which Kyle and I also talked about doing before we had Pfeif. Maybe someday we’ll still do it!
I can’t believe I’ve been lucky enough to take photos of Brittney and Harry all in looove in the mountains of Colorado and now the beaches in Hawaii. I’m stoked that they wanted me to share their day with them, plus some extra time the day before, in the most beautiful place I’ve ever been!
Photographers and hikers, unfortunately this beautiful trail has been indefinitely closed and not maintained by Hawaii Parks since April of 2021. Visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/ahupuaa-o-kahana-state-park to learn more.