Out the door at 5 a.m. to walk the fifty minutes to Diamond Head Crater. Arrived at 5:50 a.m., just beating the busloads of tourists. As the buses disgorged their passengers, we hurried up the path.
The trail from the entrance to the summit is 1.3 kilometres of concrete sidewalk, rugged switchbacks and three steep staircases.
The first two are 74 and 99 steps long, separated by a 225 foot long tunnel. The last one, a spiral metal staircase of 52 steps, takes you to the small observation deck where your efforts are rewarded with a spectacular view of Waikiki, Honolulu, the ocean and leeward Oahu.
An elderly gent set the pace. I told him it was our first time on Diamond Head. "Been doing it twice a day for fifteen years," he said. "I think I'm up to 3,900 roundtrips to the top by now. Used to walk all the way from Waikiki, but now I take The Bus to the trailhead."
"Did you say, 'Twice a day'?"
"Uh, huh. It's either that or Judge Judy. Nothing on tv, so this is what I do. Almost died in October, so I don't walk from downtown anymore."
"Almost died? What happened?"
"Burst appendix. Doctor said, 'Bob, yours is one of the worst cases I've seen. Don't know how you survived.' I told him I made it because I've got Jesus looking over my shoulder. The doc said he was a born again Christian but he hadn't thought about it much lately, that he needed to get back on track with his faith."
"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Seventy nine," he said, his breathing even and strong as we continued to climb. "I'm not much of a church goer. I tend to be critical. But Jesus and my bed are my salvation. I like that Joyce Meyer, how she says bitterness is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die."
We lost track of each other on the top because of the steady stream of climbers jostling for space. He met my brother-in-law on the way down.
"Enjoy the view?" Bill asked.
"Didn't stop to look," he said, eyes focused on the uneven terrain.
All too often, that's me.
The trail from the entrance to the summit is 1.3 kilometres of concrete sidewalk, rugged switchbacks and three steep staircases.
The first two are 74 and 99 steps long, separated by a 225 foot long tunnel. The last one, a spiral metal staircase of 52 steps, takes you to the small observation deck where your efforts are rewarded with a spectacular view of Waikiki, Honolulu, the ocean and leeward Oahu.
An elderly gent set the pace. I told him it was our first time on Diamond Head. "Been doing it twice a day for fifteen years," he said. "I think I'm up to 3,900 roundtrips to the top by now. Used to walk all the way from Waikiki, but now I take The Bus to the trailhead."
"Did you say, 'Twice a day'?"
"Uh, huh. It's either that or Judge Judy. Nothing on tv, so this is what I do. Almost died in October, so I don't walk from downtown anymore."
"Almost died? What happened?"
"Burst appendix. Doctor said, 'Bob, yours is one of the worst cases I've seen. Don't know how you survived.' I told him I made it because I've got Jesus looking over my shoulder. The doc said he was a born again Christian but he hadn't thought about it much lately, that he needed to get back on track with his faith."
"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Seventy nine," he said, his breathing even and strong as we continued to climb. "I'm not much of a church goer. I tend to be critical. But Jesus and my bed are my salvation. I like that Joyce Meyer, how she says bitterness is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die."
We lost track of each other on the top because of the steady stream of climbers jostling for space. He met my brother-in-law on the way down.
"Enjoy the view?" Bill asked.
"Didn't stop to look," he said, eyes focused on the uneven terrain.
All too often, that's me.
- Pastor Peter
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