This morning (Sunday), Charlotte and I took advantage of the fact that our bodies are still on East Coast time and decided to watch the sunrise somewhere cool!  I did some digging and found that the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail has some rave reviews, not only for the hike, but also for the views.

We got up at 4:15am Honolulu time and headed out shortly afterwards.  We set our GPS (because I am really lost around here still) and off we went with flashlights, water and snacks.  Along the way, we stopped at a “scenic area” and caught a gorgeous glimpse of the moon getting ready to set.  It was so bright – no filters – just bright moon light!

We arrived at the trail head entrance but the gate was still locked, so we, along with tons of other people venturing out to see the sunrise, headed around the gate on foot and began our trek.  It was about 5:30am and it was still very dark – but we kept our flashlights off most of the way to enjoy the feel of the place.

About halfway, we started to see the first rays of sun.  It was a great trail, traveled so much that it was paved some time ago to make the trek more accessible, but still, we were huffing and puffing our way up the hill and enjoyed the occasional stop to take a picture (catch our breath).

We made it to the top (we were the first ones there) around 6:10am, did a video and waited until sunrise – 6:26am.  The sky lighting gradually was really pretty and peaceful and it was sweet to share this with Charlotte.

We watched not only the sunrise, but also waves of rain move across the ocean towards the land.  The showers missed us but on the other side of the point, we were treated to not only stunning vistas, but also the tail end of a rainbow.  How pretty!!!

Our journey back down was like a gift – our way up was mostly dark and we really could only see the area immediately surrounding the path, but the journey down revealed all that we had missed.  It was rather poetic – when our mind is focused on a singular task, we are often blinded to what is around us.  Sometimes it is only after the goal is accomplished do we take the time to look around and marvel at what we missed!

This was a great way to spend an early morning and I encourage everyone who visits to do this in some way – either take the hike or find an easterly facing beach and catch the first rays of sun.  Every day is a new opportunity to be a better version of you; to love people more; to cherish others more; to look for the beauty you passed by while focused on your goal.  Don’t miss out!