December, and Christmas, just isn't the same in Hawaii as it is in the midwest. Christmas Eve, we decided to go hike Diamond Head. This is a state monument. It lies just past Waikiki, along Honolulu. It is a 760-foot crater. In Hawaiian, it's called Leahi, which means "brow of the tuna". In the 19th century, British sailors named the crater Diamond Head. They thought they had discovered diamonds, but what they discovered were really shiny calcite crystals. Instead of diamonds, these crystals were worthless.
This crater is really old. It has been used as a strategic military lookout, and now is a popular hiking destination. If you ever get to Oahu, this is where you can see a great view of the South Shore.
The hike is fairly easy, though it does involve 175 steps and underground tunnels. My knee held up pretty well, though I was thankful that I wore my knee brace.
Views walking up to the crater. In part because of the Kapiolani Community College Farmer's Markey, parking was ridiculous, but we were there to hike anyway.
About 2/3 of the way up, looking out from under an overhang. This was after a few steps.
From here you can see the ocean and buildings along the coast of Oahu's South Shore.
After our hike, we relaxed at the beach a bit before heading home to get ready for Christmas Eve church services. After church, I made a pecan pie for Christmas day. (yes, I do make some amazing PIE!) We decided to hold the opening of any gifts until Christmas morning - a new tradition for me, but I really enjoyed just spending time with Eric and having a few special snacks.
Oh wait, wondering where the pictures are from our view at the top? Well, when we got to the top, it started raining. Cold, in-your-face sideways rain that cut like sleet. I was thankful for my sunglasses as eye protection. We were both shivering and my knee was screaming, so we just wanted to get off the mountain. (Of course, when we started back down, it cleared up - even enough to head to the beach later.) At the top, we took a minute to look around and perhaps have a kiss, but we didn't even bust out the camera. Guess we will just have to climb this crater again. Wanna come join us?
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