After almost 4 years of living on Oahu, I finally hiked Diamond Head, possibly the most photographed and recognizable Hawaii landmark. Back in 1987 (I think) I came to visit Hawaii with a college friend of mine and I remember the Diamond Head hike as part of a package tour we signed up for. I gotta tell you, it wasn’t my favorite part of the tour. All I remember was being exhausted and disappointed that there weren’t any vendors selling water or soda when we got to the top. You see, I was really out of shape then, not that I’m in tip-top shape now, but I’m definitely better.
I must admit, I did not remember a lot of things including the cool tunnel you go through to get to the park entrance or the stairs!! I must have blocked the stairs out of my memory. However, once I reached the slow inclining zig-zag trail, memories of the first time I visited Diamond Head returned. I really enjoyed the hike this time, maybe because I’m in better shape or maybe hiking Lēʻahi (her Hawaiian name) this time as a kama’aina gives it a different feeling.
I also didn’t recall the view from the top being so spectacular, then again, I’ve grown up some since my first visit to Hawaii and I appreciate all the beauty that she has to offer.
Felix Point of View 