New 52 | Week 51: Hiking Diamond Head

My new thing for week 51 was hiking to the top of Diamond Head volcano while we were in Hawaii. This was our third trip to Oahu and we had never hiked to the top of Diamond Head, so we really wanted to do that this time.  We signed up for a guided hike with Oahu Nature Tours, because we love getting the history, nature, and stories while on the hike.

We had to get up at 5:15am in order to make it to the pick up spot down the street at 6:00am.  Our guide Jeannette picked us up and it was still dark!
 

We picked up more people and then we drove to the base of the Diamond Head crater.  Diamond Head was not a lava flowing volcano.  It was a steam explosion volcano and it all happened from flat land to explosion in two weeks, 150,000 years ago.  It has had no activity since then.  When we got to the "base camp" it was still dark.  Even when we started hiking it was still dark. 




As we climbed and climbed it got lighter and lighter. 


Along the way, there were some gorgeous views.  The lit area in the middle of the crater was where we parked.


A view around the rim of the crater.


Jeannette took a photo of us at a lookout point.


We had to hike through a dark tunnel at one point.


As it got lighter outside, we got gorgeous views.


We got to the very top just as the sun rose.  It was spectacular! 


Look how many people climbed up to see the sunrise.


The orange glow of the sun over the water and the land.


The view to the west was Waikiki.


We were all sweaty from hiking… but this was a pretty cool photo as the sun rose behind us.


The panoramic views and the rising sun was a sight to behold.  We took lots of photos and savored every moment.  Well, except the flying ants that kept bothering us. 





Soon after, it was time to head back down.


I love taking photos in this light… such golden magic light.


The path we took to hike up to the summit and down.


The sun rising further.


There were a couple of large set of stairs that we had to climb up and down on.


More view from within the crater.


Going back through the tunnel.  Todd took this cool photo.


The hike down was a LOT easier and we made it down in 20 minutes or so. 


We were so glad that we got to experience the sunrise and panoramic views on this trip to Oahu.  It was truly gorgeous and well-worth getting up in the dark to do it!

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About This Project

New52 is a project started by Peppermint and I to encourage each other and others around us to try something new every week in 2011. The "new" each week doesn't have to be something big. It could be something as simple as ordering a new dish instead of old standbys at your favorite restaurant. It's simply opening your heart up to NEW possibilities.
Don't worry if you're late getting started on joining in. It's totally OK if you miss a week here or there. We encourage everyone to keep an open mind about trying something new. This is a life project, and a photography/blog and even scrap challenge if you wish. If you participate this week, please leave a link to your blog post in the comments of this post.