. hawaii highlights – diamond head .

I’ll spare you the graphic details of what I see when I look outside, but rest assured… it ain’t pretty. Spring is, what… less than a week away? Lies I tell you.

That being my current weather situation, I spent the majority of yesterday holed up at home drinking copious amounts of warm tea in an effort to stop myself my poor shivering limbs from flailing about wildly. I also decided to torture myself partake in a little escapism by starting to sort through some of the pictures that I took on our trip to Hawaii; and I figured it was just about time I shared them with you.

Since there’s no way for me to put all of them into one post without creating an epic photo-ladden monster that might threaten to overload your poor computers, I decided to start a mini series on Spoons that I’ll be calling Hawaii highlights, where I’ll devote the occasional post to talking about one of the bigger highlights from our trip. Sound good? Good stuff. So without further ado, let’s talk about… Diamond Head.

Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. It is believed to have been formed about 300,000 years ago during a single, brief volcanic eruption. The broad crater covers 350 acres, with its width being greater than its height. The southwestern rim is highest because winds were blowing ash in this direction during the eruption. Since the eruption, the slopes of the crater have been eroded by rain, wind, and the pounding of the sea. A coral reef now protects the seaward slopes of the crater. Today, Damond Head is the most recognized landmark in Hawaii. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1968.

In a nutshell, Diamond Head is a beautiful volcanic crater that makes for a pretty awesome hike and rewards you with gorgeous panoramic views of Honolulu and its surrounding areas. As an added bonus, it’s only a short drive away from downtown, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time stuck in a car to enjoy it.

The hike itself isn’t too difficult, and only took us about 30 minutes to climb and a little less to descend. It’s a distance of 0.8 miles (1.3 km) and climbs about 560 feet from the crater floor, following a pretty tame and well-traveled trail. No huge boulders to scale; no trees to climb around; no brambles to navigate through; no steep muddy slopes to cling for dear life to. It starts out super easy…

… gets a little bit more interesting…

… involves a 225 foot tunnel [that I don’t recommend for claustrophobic people]…

… and offers a lot of beautiful views along the way…

But the absolute best part? Definitely the views from the top…

Ah.maze.ing. Overall, it was a really enjoyable hike and I definitely recommend checking it out if you ever find yourself visiting the area.

Some tips:

• Go early. Diamond head is a major tourist attraction and brings in some pretty decent crowds. The earlier you go, the less likely you are to get stuck behind a group of slow-going tourists. As an added bonus, the [slightly] cooler morning temperatures make the hike a little easier.
• Wear appropriate shoes. Even though the trail isn’t difficult in a traditional sense, it’s still a good idea to wear a pair of running/hiking shoes. I saw people walking it in flip-flops and they looked a little goofy.
• Wear sunscreen. Hawaii sun is no joke.
• Bring water. I didn’t find myself feeling overly thirsty or dehydrated, but having water on hand is always a good idea.

. – . – . – .

Do you enjoy hiking? <3
What are your favorite snacks to bring on a hike? Trail mix, dried fruit, and sandwiches. Anyone else notice that even the most boring, plain-Jane food tastes amazing when you’re hiking/camping? I swear I could eat bologna between two pieces of stale bread and think it was incredible.
Unrelated: are you celebrating St.Patty’s this weekend? Aside from maybe throwing in an additional spinach leaf or two into my salad, I won’t be doing anything special. St. Patty’s isn’t really one of those holidays that I’ve ever celebrated, so it’ll be just another Sunday for me.