We were sitting on a bench at the Aloha Towers when the rain came pouring down. We were covered by an awning so luckily we didn't get wet. I thought to myself "maybe today isn't the best day to go hiking..." With me, was my friend Corrine. I mentioned the thought to her and she agreed that hiking in the rain wasn't a good idea. We were waiting for my old friend from high school to pick us up. She has been living in Oahu for a few years now and always jumps at an opportunity to entertain visitors to the island.
I looked to the Southwest where I could just see the top of Diamond Head and it looked less rainy. I figured if its clear down there, it might still be do-able to make the hike. Just as I had the thought, Mindy pulled up.
We got in the car quickly to avoid the rain. I introduced Mindy to Corrine and we then we drove off. On the way to Diamond head, Mindy and I played catch up. We mentioned she moved out of the city and now lives in a town in the middle of the island. She was able to get cheaper rent and avoid the chaos of the city.
As we were talking, she kept taking "short cuts" that would not always work out. She would talk to herself out loud as she tried navigating the busy streets. She would take one side street and realize that it wouldn't go through and have to take another street to get to where she needed to go. She apologized and said that since she had moved out of the city, she sort of forgot how to navigate through the city.
After a few minutes (and wrong turns), we made it to the Diamond Head State Monument parking lot. We got out of the car and luckily for us, the sky cleared up and was actually sunny! My greatest fear was that I was going to have to hike up the muddy trail in my sandals. Now I get to hike up the dry trail... in my sandals.
The three of us started hiking up the trail. The trail for the most part was a paved sidewalk. Mindy told us the hike will take about 30-45min so it's really a simple hike. I admired the green scenery around us as there were several tree groves around. As we gained elevation, we got better and better views. When we got to the first look out, you could see the Southeastern part of the island and a view of Koko Head (another popular hiking spot on the island).
I took a few snap shots and moved on. The concrete trail gave way to uneven dirt and felt finally more like a trail. The trail then went through a dark tunnel which went through a section of the side of the hill. At the other end we came to a fork in the road. on the right, was a 99 step staircase that would take us to the top which looked VERY steep and unpleasant. To the left was a continuation of the dirt trail that took us around the hill to the top. The trail that went around look slightly longer but in the back of my mind, I had already decided: we're taking the long way. I didn't want anything to do with those stairs. We took the trail for maybe about 10 minutes and just as I was started to get a little winded and heavily perspired, we made it to the top.
The view from the top was everything people described. A grand panoramic view of Waikiki Beach and Downtown Honolulu. In the far distance you could see the other islands in the distant fog. The sun was shinning and I couldn't be happier (Probably running on the adrenaline high from the hike). I took a few shots from my phone and then noticed I had full cell phone reception at the top? What trail do you know has full cell phone coverage at it's summit? Awesome! I immediately posted a few shots right to Facebook.
After taking a few minutes to soak it all in, I was ready to head back down. Underneath the lookout was what use to be a military look out. We went inside and all that was left was some concrete slabs that were heavily cracked and discolored. Through a doorway in the lookout, it took you to and old metal spiral staircase. We walked down it and managed to squeeze by a gentleman who was coming up it. The staircase seemed to only be built for one person at a time.
At the bottom the staircase, it emptied out to the top of the 99 staircase of death that I saw earlier. I carefully started to make my way down and always kept my weight on my heels out of fear of losing balance and falling down and breaking my spine and skull. When I made it to the bottom, I said out loud to Mindy and Corrine that going down the stairs reminded me of that scene in the Exorcist where the priest jumped out the window and tumbled down the stairs to his death. Right as I finished the statement, a fellow hiker who was a 60 something year old woman turned to me and said "Oh great, thanks a lot!". I apologized to her profusely but couldn't contain my laughter.
We made it down to the car within about 15 minutes. It was a very enjoyable way to spend and afternoon. A nice short workout with a great payoff at the top. I can see why the hike to Diamond Head is such a popular thing to do when in Honolulu. The warm sun on your back and a feeling of accomplishment, adventure and culture all rolled into one. -DB
