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| A black gate marks the beginning of the "trail" |
DATE: 7 June, 2010
TOTAL TIME: 30 min
DIFFICULTY:Cry baby
PARTICIPANTS: Myself
REHIKE VALUE: 8
After my unexpectedly brutal excursion up to
La'ie Summit last weekend, I decided to tone it down with two of the gayest 'hikes' on the island;
Makapu'u Lighthouse and
Diamondhead Crater. To make things interesting, I decided to run instead of hike. Throwing on my running shoes and ditching my usual hike-pack, I took off up the paved road to the top. No water, just my camera.
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| Koko Crater, an imposing landmark in the distance |
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| The paved road continues all the way, pretty much disqualifying this one as a hike |
Wow. I was totally surprised to find that I loved running this route. For sure, it was all uphill, but the coastline views helped me keep my mind off of the pain shooting up my almost healed
MCL. I would recommend doing this route during whale migration season, which coincidentally coincides with hurricane season. The view of the ocean is probably one of the best, but sunscreen is a must if you’re the type to catch on fire from sun exposure.
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| Can only be seen during whale migration season which is coincidentally, hurricane season |
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| Makapu'u and Waimanalo beaches, and Makapu'u ridge, the southern gateway to the Ko'olau Mountain range |
The lighthouse is off limits, which sucks because I had the wrong idea that one could climb to the top of that thing. It’s okay though. Seen one and you'd seen them all. Still, the views were breathtaking.
For a hike, this is totally gay, but for an uphill jaunt, it is absolutely fantastic.
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| Ironically, the lighthouse has steered WW2 planes into the coastal cliffs |
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| The gate that blocks access to the lighthouse |
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| Sightseers gaze at the open sea from the lookout |
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| One more look at the ocean to my left as I run back to my car |
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