Diamond Head

Diamond Head, the iconic Hawaiian volcano, is probably one of the most photographed mountains in the world and, as a good tourist on O’ahu, I tried my best to do my part.

From sea to summit, Diamond Head rises 762 feet; fortunately, the hiking trail inside the crater already spots you two-hundred feet of elevation for a modest 560 foot climb over a 3/4 mile to the top. I say ‘fortunately,’ because after the roughly 160 steps to the top and an odd little ladder scramble to the summit, my knees felt like they were made of molten iron, and not in a good ‘molten iron’ kind of way.

But the views from on top were worth it.

After drinking it all in, my wife & I started our descent, but not before purchasing the official tourist trinket document that ‘certified’ our climb. I made the off-handed remark that the clerk behind the table had one hell of a commute just to get to work in the morning, but then I realized that it was a joke he’d probably heard a thousand times before….

We started our hike early in the morning to beat the crowds & the heat, both of which increased exponentially as the day progressed. It took us longer to get down the mountain than to the top, as caravans of buses arrived and unleashed throngs of hasty tourist, all pressing upwards, perhaps missing the subtle details here and there that truly make it a memorable experience.

Sometimes you just need to step back, relax, and enjoy the view.

In other news: I’m (im)patiently awaiting fresh developer & film that I ordered from Freestyle Photo last week. It’s due to be delivered sometime tomorrow… so I should have some non-Hawaii related images to post in the coming weeks, including my Holga Hike shots.