Hiking Along Kuli'ou'ou Ridge

Saturday, 20 August 2005

Hawai'i is basically made up of mountains and valleys, beaches, and water. So, if you love surfing, swimming, hiking, or kayaking, it's all free, as long as you have your own gear to do it. I decided to take Dan on a hike that I'd never been on before (and it's close to my house, about ten minutes away) to Kuli'ou'ou Ridge. It was about a two hour hike up the ridge....a beautiful, cool day, the hike mostly shaded by trees. When we got closer to the top, there was a blanket of pine needles from the pine trees, which are so unusual to see here. The very top had some steep stairs to climb up and rope to help ascend up the mountain. But, it was all worth it because the view of the mountains and ocean below was spectacular! There was a strong breeze at the top, so we cooled off for about a half hour up there and took pictures as other hikers started to arrive. On our way down, two runners came up and down...crazy i tell ya! We got our workout that day, but Dan brought his camera, so we got pictures to show for it too!

After much needed showers, we headed to the beach. We enjoyed a swim, took pictures as the sun went down, listened to live Hawaiian entertainment, and then enjoyed Sunset on the Beach, Hawai'i's version of the outdoor theater on Waikiki Beach. We had dug out our reclining chairs in the sand, bought some dinner from one of the vendors, and watched the entertaining movie "Hitch" after the sun set. Where else can you watch an outdoor movie in warm weather, with the waves crashing all around, a balmy breeze, with palm trees and Diamond Head in the background?