Today's blog is worthy of extra large photos. The Grand Daddy of all hikes is Diamond Head. The military first used the crater for storage and the crest as an outlook.
The military still uses Diamond Head but it is also a state park (at this link). Kama'aina and tourists alike climb Diamond Head for the best view of Waikiki Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
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| The path ascends along the interior crater walls. |
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| Then we came to a series of stairs! |
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| As soon as we emerge from the WWII pillbox, we spot these words of encouragement! |
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| View to the east - Koko Crater in the distance. |
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| Waikiki Beach to the west. Notice the other pillbox to the right. |
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| Waikiki Beach up close. Notice the pink hotel in the middle - it is the historic Royal Hawaiian. |
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| The green is the upper edge of the crater. |
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| The crest overlooks the Coast Guard Lighthouse. Now obsolete, it remains a part of Hawaiian history. |
Do you have a place to climb for panoramic views? One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs will win a book choice from my convention stash. This giveaway is open to all readers. Comments are open through Saturday, March 3, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 4.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
I can't think of a place to climb in the city for panoramic views.
ReplyDeleteWe had the pleasure of having lunch at the Getty Museum in L.A., fantastic views when the air is clear! Thanks for sharing your pictures, I have never seen Diamond Head up close and I salute your fortitude in hiking there!
ReplyDeleteI love these pics they look incredible thanks Kim I am not a big climber so I do not have any panoramic views I am more a spend time looking at the ocean while sitting on the sand kind of person
ReplyDeleteDesere
Aloha Kim! I did not climb a lot but there's a special mountain that will always be in my heart called hua shan. I climbed it years ago in china:). Love the mountain so much , when u climbed there I felt like I was in the middle of fairytale land :), Aretha z
ReplyDeletei love watching korea movie and i really want to go to same place (i'm forget the name of that place) to see all city in korea ;)
ReplyDeleteThose pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done any climbing in a while but a few years ago we went to Mount Charleston and from there it's cool to look down onto the surrounding areas.
Ahh I remember having a wonderful view of Diamond Head from our hotel room. We have a place in Pittsburgh called Mt. Washington and it gives you a glorious view of our city and the converging 3 rivers. There are two historical cable cars that take you up and down.
ReplyDeletecatslady
I agree with catslady, the view from Mt. Washington is beautiful! It's especially nice to sit in the outdoor parts of the restaurants and enjoy the view while having a meal.
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful. Y9uo will not know where to look first.
ReplyDeleteI've hiked the Diamond Head Hike once and loved it. We have a panoramic view on one of the local mountains.It is near the ocean so there are great views of it, as well as views of the city.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't a lot of places in Texas where you can go for a view (unless you want to go to the top of a building). The places that I've been to fairly recently and come to mind would be Sugar Loaf Mountain in Greer Bay, AR, and the view from the mountains near Cloudcroft, NM. I know if I thought about it some more, I could name more. These pictures are just breathtaking - thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI do not here, those are great pics, Thanks
ReplyDeleteKimh
BEAUTIFUL!
ReplyDeleteNo, there aren't any places to climb here.
ReplyDeleteKim too late to win but nevertheless here is nothing like Hawaii lol. I don't know if they have anything at Fort Hood to climb or not. I do know they have a lot of interesting things to see and I hope to make it down to Austin one day soon to the State Capitol and see it. I think if you head west towards the mountains in El Paso you will find great views, Karen C.
ReplyDeleteKathy, you are right! I'd completely forgotten about the mountains in El Paso. We lived there for about 4 months a few years ago, too. Thanks for reminding me!!
DeleteBeautiful photos!! Looking forward to my next trip there...
ReplyDelete