Mike and I had a fun hike from the yacht club to the top of Diamond Head today. Originally it was our plan just to walk the length of Waikiki Beach from the yacht harbor at one end to the base of Diamond Head at the other. However we kept going, and going, and going – and then just a little bit farther on than that! So when we arrived at the entrance to the crater we were tempted to take things to their logical conclusion and hike to the top.
There is a park inside the crater with an admission fee to enter ($1/person), restrooms, and a catering wagon (last stop for water). Lots of signs everywhere, including one that said it was a “First Amendment Area” where we were free to practice our First Amendment Rights (life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, I presume) but that the Parks Department did not endorse, encourage, or discourage our activities! Also lots of signs saying the hike to the peak was strenuous, steep, rugged, not a stroll in the park, and required good health, heart and respiration. Quite the build-up!
Of course hundreds of people were on the trail ranging from toddlers to grey-hairs. In actual fact the trail was only 1.5 miles round trip (of course we had already walked four miles just to get there). We saw lots of huffing and puffing and sweaty faces, but we ourselves found the hike relatively easy in actual fact. It was a steep climb up the side of the crater, and included in addition to the dirt path (with handrails), some 300 steps and two tunnels. However once we reached the top (after a spiral staircase reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty ascent), the view down Waikiki Beach was just breathtaking. Of course I didn’t have my camera as we hadn’t planned this excursion in advance. I may even have to do a repeat, just to get the photo. I did snap a couple of pictures with my camera phone.
The scenery inside the crater was a surprise. It made me feel like we were climbing Picacho Peak back in Tucson. Very dry, brown and desert-like, with dead brown grass and, of all things, mesquite trees!
By the way, we took the bus back to Raven. Enough is enough!