Back in the 1940’s, the military started to build lookouts and gun placements on top of the volcano craters. We were going to Koko crater and go to the base that was built during WW II. The military built a narrow gauge railway track straight up the steep sides of the crater to ferry supplies to the top. The ties and rails are still in place and help to make the steep climb a little easier. It is not very high, but it is almost straight up for the last section. There are no switchbacks to level out the trail. The trail starts out at a 30° angle. There is a bridge about 2/3 of the way to the top. After the bridge, the trail seems to go nearly vertical.
We were a little late getting started and it was getting hot outside. Amid the sound of constant gunfire, we started the hike. Next to the trail was a firing range. There was talk of closing this trail because of the fear of stray bullets. With near constant gunfire, we ducked and tried to find cover as we scrambled up the tracks. Kim was a little hesitant and I was worried that she might not make it. We were doing good until the bridge before the steep final section. Kim impressed me by beating me to the top. I had to stop several times to let my heart slow down a bit. At the top the views were awesome. Compared to Diamondhead, the views around Koko were nicer. It seemed that everything was built up around Diamondhead.
You would think that the way down would be easier, but it was just as difficult. On the way up you needed brute force to push yourself up each railroad tie. On the way down, you have to place your feet exactly on the ties to keep from sliding. If you lost your balance and fell at the very top, you would go a long way before you would stop. Kim was so spooked because I would get too close to her on the way down. She made me go around her. I got scared when she lost her balance and fell. Luckily she only slid a few feet before she stopped.
Before we could go to lunch, we had to get a shower. Both of us were covered in sweat. The climb was a lot of work. There were a few, short rain showers that cooled us off, but we could have used more.
After hiking in the morning, we decided on some driving tours for the afternoon. Our first stop was the Punchbowl National Cemetery. It was difficult to look out on the rows of graves and not think of the sacrifice that they made. Even harder to think about was the ten monuments to the men and women that were killed and there was no body brought back for their families.
We wanted to do a scenic drive on the island and the Tantalus Drive was the most recommended. It is a loop road that goes into the mountains around Waikiki. I was very suspect of our Garmin’s directions at first. We got to see the seamy underbelly of Waikiki for the start of the trip. You could really tell when we went from cheaper properties to the ones that cost quite a bit more. There were a lot of switchbacks on the road and we gave the Challenger a workout making the tight turns. Once we got higher, we were in a beautiful forest with occasional lookouts to the city below. We saw some kids coming down the twisty roads on skateboards. We thought they were suicidal. None of them had helmets or any safety gear.
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