On the day Nicholas and I flew back from Hawaii by ourselves (because Donica was on her way to Spain!)...I think that was Tuesday afternoon...we got up early to climb Diamond Head! We had been talking about it for a couple days and decided that was the day to do it after the Sunday wedding and when Donica was gone.
So we woke up early and got there at 7:30a to stay as cool as possible before the heat of the day set in. We knew it was a 0.8 mile hike up to the top and would take 1.5 hours to go and come back.
Of course, we went prepared and made sure we had plenty of water!
Besides everything to see along the path, there were fun things to explore, like this winch for a cable to lift things up from the crater floor.
And then a whole bunch of climbing! This stairway had 74 concrete steps leading to the first tunnel.
This stairway had 99 steps with cross-beams to support camouflaging.
Oh, and don't forget the views in between. You can see inside the crater along the crater's rim.
And yes, this was the 225-foot long tunnel, lighted along the way.
See how exciting it is to reach an elevation of 703.556 feet! Not quite the top (762 ft) but close.
When we saw the observation platform, we knew we had arrived. We did it!
And what a view on all sides!
On the left, while looking out over the ocean, is the Diamond Head Lighthouse.
On the right is Waikiki Beach where we could see our hotel. The low pinkish building in the center of the image (squint!) is the famous Royal Hawaiian hotel. The tall building right next to it on the left was our hotel, the Waikiki Sheraton.
When Nicholas first saw the ocean from our hotel balcony on the 15th floor, the day we arrived, he exclaimed, "It feels like a miracle! It's the happiest day of my life!" That's what it felt like to me when I saw it all with him from the top of Diamond Head.
We took our time and really took in the views...before heading back down the same way we climbed up. It took us an hour going up and looking; it took us half an hour going back down.
To put frosting on the cake, a few hours later as our plane was leaving Honolulu, we saw the crater we had just climbed from the sky. We did it. And we both were so proud of each other. If you want to see the entire album (50 photos), check it out.
Reward for a job well done!
