We'll see if I'm still smiling on the way back down.

Several years ago on a quick visit to Honolulu for a wedding I ventured out on my own and hiked to the top of Diamond Head. So you would think having done it before, given the opportunity to do it again, I would make the smart choice of appropriate footwear and plenty of sunscreen. You would be wrong on both accounts.

Last Saturday Piero, Jen, Larrance and I set out on adventure to get to the top of Diamond Head. Rance was busy doing headshots for some local actors and Mike was meeting a friend at the airport. Piero did some research and found a city bus that would take us to the turnoff to Diamond Head State Park and all we would have to do is walk about a 1/2 mile up the road to get to the entrance to the park itself. So instead of paying a huge sum of money for a taxi or rental car we paid $2.25 to the number 3 bus and enjoyed a 45 minute ride to take us six miles. Along the way we got to see bad neighborhoods, good neighborhoods and a guy who woke up out of a sound sleep so angry that he slammed his fist into the pole in front of him and yelled. Talk about night terrors!

I’ve gotten pretty comfortable walking around in flip-flops. They’re my shoe of choice on this itinerary, in fact it’s most people’s shoe of choice here in Hawaii. They’re for any occasion!! If you have foot issues this is not the place for you or you need to just get over it and get with the program.

Still hanging on to my flip-flops

But during the planning process for the day when I slipped on my wafer thin flip-flops with absolutely no foot support for a hike up 760 feet to the summit of an inactive volcano you could say I wasn’t thinking right.  I don’t think I whispered a voice of complaint during the very hot hike up, but I did realize quickly that the action of upward stepping really makes you grip tight with the little piggies to hold onto a useless shoe. Also, when the smooth paved surface gives way to rocky pathways with jutting rocks and craggy surfaces a little cushioning would be nice.

We made it to the top and took lots of pictures, did even more bits and I came home with bruises on the bottom of my feet and a sunburn on the back of my neck where sunscreen didn’t seem needed. Take it from me, I’ve learned my lesson this time around, I won’t need to go a third time.

Piero with the less fashion forward but smarter shoe choice.

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