Climbing Diamond Head

Yesterday was Sunday, things were slow and Diamond Head has been beckoning so I wandered around the Waikiki area for awhile then caught the number 2 city bus to Diamond Head. Rather, I should say I rode the bus to the Kapiolani Community College, the end of the line. From there I walked about a mile up the Diamond Head Park access road, through the tunnel and into the crater.

Most people drove or rode the trolley to the parking lot near the entrance to the park. I was one of the few who took the city bus and walked through this tunnel built in 1943 by the Army Corps of Engineers. The tunnel was wide enough for cars to go both ways at once but if a trolley came along oncoming traffic had to wait since the trolley drove through the middle of the tunnel. 

There is a small park near the entry booth but most people come here to climb to the top so they pay a five dollar fee to park and a dollar per person fee to access the climbing trail. 

The trail was built in 1908 by the Army Corps of Engineers and was used by pack mules and the soldiers who manned the guns and fire control center.

From this point it looks like a stroll in the park but the sidewalk soon ends and the old trail takes over. If you look between the tree branches at the top right center you can see the lookout at the top, elevation 761 feet above sea level.

The trail winds back and forth up the inside of the crater wall. The corners are wide, I suppose so the mules could navigate the trail back in the day. Here you can see the trail including the empty part that leads to the lower left in the photo.

This tunnel is barely wide enough for two people to pass.

There are several sets of stairs. This is one of the longest.

It was windy on top.

Inside one of the old firing centers.

There are plenty of view points at the top but there are the idiots who ignore the signs, climb over a six-foot cyclone fence and walk the ridge out to another old fortification. I wouldn't mind if they fell off, that would be natural selection at its best. I do mind that they wear down the fragile ridge so future generations won't be able to enjoy the place like we do.

Back down at the bottom of the trail I was headed out the access road when I noticed these cats in a field alongside the roadway. Someone had given them pieces of mackerel and filled the water dish.It's hard to see them but there were several cats along the grass and woods near the top of the photo. I guess they make their home in the woods. 

I've been reading about the conflict between the feral cat lovers and the defenders of the native Hawaiian Monk Seals. Apparently the cats shed eggs of a parasite that kills the seals. There have been attempts to control the cat population but so far no solution has been found. If you're interested you can read more here:  http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/hawaiian-monk-seal-deaths-blamed-on-stray-cats-1.12464034

Leaving the feral cats and the Diamond Head park I made my way back down the access road to the bus stop and then back to our condo.

It was an enjoyable hike up Diamond Head. I was tired and ready for a nap when I got back but I recommend the trip. The view is worth the expenditure of energy to get there.