Hi,

My name is Noah.

I’m a self-taught outdoor photographer and writer on the Island of Oʻahu, living with my miniature dachshund, Eleanor!

Hiking, and really my love for being outside, has taken me to some of the most beautiful places here at home and around the world.

It has taught me skills beyond hitting a typical trail, which eventually led me to mountaineering, and mountaineering eventually led to an amazing two-week unguided expedition up the highest peak in North America with a really fun group of friends!

At home in Hawaiʻi, I’m always looking for great ways to give back, and I’ve been amazed by the overwhelming support as I continue to tell others about our native landscapes with my ever-growing native Hawaiian plant article. Working on this post has continually been one of my favorite things about this blog.

My Story & Background

I did not study photography or go to school for writing.

In fact, when I was 18 years old, I decided to enlist above all other options.

I come from a family with a long line of military service that first began with my grandfather, who left the Korean War with a Purple Heart in 1951.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marines knowing that he’d be going into combat, and after landing on the Korean Peninsula in January 1951, he was wounded less than 6 months later as his unit fought to capture Yanggu in modern day South Korea to push enemy farther north. He was the true embodiment of what it means to be an American hero, and God willing he did not succumb to his injuries—or I would not be writing this here today!

After all this, he spent a short period of time in Hawaiʻi, recovered, went back to the States, and was subsequently discharged, where he went on to farm for the next five decades—again, a true American war hero and the most humble man you could ever meet! There’s a reason we still call them the greatest generation that ever lived!

I write about his story in such detail because, following in my grandpa’s footsteps, more in my family than can be counted on two hands decided to raise their right hand for this country, each for their own individual reasons, and none being pressured by an older generation. These include my dad, numerous uncles, cousins, and then me, the youngest—and trust me when I say the deployments I went through were bush league compared to my grandpa!

However, I quickly learned over the course of my first deployment that it wasn’t for me, which ultimately led to my decision to separate after my first contract.

Following this, my academic journey led me to a graduate degree in natural resources, with a focus on rare and endangered native Hawaiian plants—almost unrelated to what I do today. This explains my love for the subject and why I encourage all to be responsible wherever you may travel.

That said, I am—in the truest sense—self-taught in this field, which is one of the biggest reasons that I believe my work has the success that it does! I learned to write and publish through trial and error and constant mistakes, so by no means am I an academic when it comes to journalism. However, it is because I am not an academic that I believe my writing is easy to read, easy to understand, and written for the average person to digest.

Above all else, Hawaiʻi is my home, and I hope that if you live here or have the opportunity to visit, you will come to love and appreciate these beautiful islands as I have!

Thank you for reading,

Noah

HE>i

About This Blog

I pride myself and my work to be my truest and honest opinions.

These are lived experiences, and my content is not, and never will be generated by AI, or another contributor.

Every image on this blog, with the exception of select images taken of me and for very specific projects, came from my own camera.

That said, I’ve generally found that there are three types of travel writers. First, you have the big guys with no personal experiences. These are your TripAdvisors and big news outlets that like to write about travel. Then, you have the person or couple with a mix of personal experiences and some recommendations that they didn’t have time for on their trip, so they usually link out to someone else—sometimes me! And finally, there are a few individuals, like myself, who write only about personal experiences and never resort to stock photography.

However, these days we’ve entered into a whole new realm of AI-generated content, giving readers the least-authentic recommendations out there. I unfortunately think it’s a shame to see some individuals, including some who are my friends, turn to AI to write their articles.

A good way to know if you’re reading content like this is to do a reverse image search on Google to see what other websites are using the same image. If you don’t see images of the people living what they’re writing about, it’s pretty safe to assume they were never there.

Overall, I hate to see individual bloggers who once wrote the best kind of content on the internet ruin what was pure for the sake of making more money. However, this is not, and never will be me!

I live what I write, and thankfully, search engines have caught up and now penalize what is commonly referred to as "AI slop!"

If you enjoy the outdoor and travel content I create, please consider buying me a coffee!

I appreciate your support, which helps me continue to keep this blog alive!

Regardless of age, your bucket list should never be complete. Throughout your life, it should change, adapt, and grow as you grow.

ᨒ