Good morning! I hope you all had a good weekend! I mentioned on Saturday that I haven’t been feeling very inspired, so today is another Hawaii post. But I promise I am working on a couple of other projects to share with you next week!

Our family visited Hawaii in February and we had the opportunity to see so much of Oahu. If you would like to read Part 1, click here. It was so beautiful and the weather was divine. Our last morning we hiked Diamond Head. It was rainy and windy in the early morning, but as you can see, it was nice once we started out.

Diamond Head was once a volcano. It erupted and left the crater behind, which you can see very clearly on this hike. In 1908, the trail was built as part of the Oahu coastal defense system. This huge pulley system was used to help haul some of the equipment and building materials up to the top.

The trail is 0.8 miles from the trailhead to the summit, going up 560 feet from the crater floor. It is steep and pretty strenuous.

What a view! We made it to the very top! This is looking straight down below one of the bunkers which was built into the side of the mountain.

The lighthouse was built in 1917. Aren’t the grounds around it beautiful?

Looking back at Waikiki, you can see for miles. You can see why this was the perfect spot for the defense system. See the marina? Our hotel was right across the street from there.

The walk down was much easier. 🙂  We just finished walking through a lighted tunnel which is 225 long and includes some very steep stairs.

Can you see the trail and the little ants, I mean, people?

Ahh! The reward for a hike well done! Hawaiian shaved ice! This one had coconut, pineapple and strawberry flavors. Yum!

This was so worth the effort! There were a few times I wondered if I could make it, but then I would look around and see all these others who were doing it and knew I could too. It was a great way to spend part of our last day in Oahu! Hope you enjoyed the hike!