We woke up at 6:00
AM the morning of our journey up Haleakalā, the 10,023 foot peak that engulfs
the southeastern part of Maui. We were going to do the Sliding Sands Trail,
which is approximately 4.7 miles round trip.
Seeing the sunrise
at Haleakalā is one of the most popular attractions. We debated doing so, but
eventually decided that because of where we were coming from (Waiʻānapanapa State Park), it would take us over two hours to reach
the top. In addition, there is heavy traffic to get up to the summit in time to
see sunrise. You’ll then spend at least 30 minutes shivering in the dark before
the sunrise hits, so it is recommended to dress appropriately for the cold and
bring blankets (you’re up at 10,023 feet after all).
Our car trip took
us up the Hana Highway, which was very uncrowded since we were going back
toward the west. However, we used Google Maps to see when to turn up this side
road that takes you to Makawao. It is recommended to fill up with gas here if
you’ll need it—otherwise the last gas station will be Pukalani Town. We then
began a long switch-backing journey up the peak’s face. There were flocks of
birds here and there, and we looked closely to see if one of them was the rare nēnē
goose, Hawaii’s endangered state bird.
Eventually the
ground turned to red rock, and we saw the white dome of an observation tower on
the summit. We had arrived on the face of the moon a little after 8:00 AM. We
stumbled out in the parking lot and took some time to adjust to the altitude
before approaching the lookout to catch our first glimpse of the gigantic
crater. It was super impressive. I could have stared for hours—but then I got
cold.
There are fees to
get into the park. The most current information is here. You can also buy permits for cabins that
are far out in the vastness of the crater. It will feel like there is no limit
to how far you can hike while you are inside, and eventually you will reach a
lush jungle, which is really trippy against the vivid rainbow colored cliffs
and red soil.
We were doing a
day trip: the Sliding Sands Trail. It was a thoroughly enjoyable hike. Going
down was the easy part. Make sure you stay on the trail—a ranger was quick to
appear when we looked like we were straying off. This is because there are many
underground nēnē nests, and if you step on the wrong spot, you could collapse
their burrows. In addition, there is a lot of endangered species growing within
the vibrant vermillion soil, the most striking of which was the ʻahinahina, or silver sword. The sight of this glittering silver
plant really made me feel like I was on a completely different planet.
We saw a trail
that led around an extinct cinder cone halfway down, but the ranger (I swear,
this lady was an expert at appearing out of nowhere) appeared again and told us
that was a sacred place for those of Hawaiian heritage to visit.
She eventually
out-distanced us, and we were able to make our way to a crossroads shaded by
bushes. There, different trails branched out to the three cabins that are
spread across the crater. Unfortunately that was as far as we could go for the
day. We rested and enjoyed our lunch (even though the ranger did show up again
briefly, but her attention was fixated on another group of hikers). There were
plenty of chukar partridges to keep us company, but the elusive nēnē remained a
mystery.
The hike up was
pretty brutal. The sun had hit its high point, so any lovely coolness had fled.
Plus, we were going, well, straight up in some areas for 2,800 feet. We rationed
our water bottles to last—we had two water bottles each. Also, I think the
altitude was affecting us at this point. We were in a strange, hiking zone, and
our minds definitely drifted, while our conversations started to sound
increasingly like we were high. By the time we reached the parking lot, our
delirious state was evident by the fact that Scott* partridges around the
parking lot.
All in all, we
made it out around early afternoon, which was crucial because we still had to
drive all the way out, stop to gorge our faces, and then drive all the way back
to Waiʻānapanapa State Park to avoid nightfall.
Again: plan for how much gasoline you’re going to use.
One the way down,
we have looked for any sign of the Brocken Spectre, which is this insanely cool
phenomenon where you can see your shadow enlarged and encircled in a rainbow
halo. It requires a whole bunch of conditions for it to happen, including the
sun to be low in the sky, high altitude, rainclouds to split the white light
into a rainbow, and then you standing in position on the mountain with the sun
and clouds behind you. As you might imagine, the image is very surreal and
spiritually beautiful.
We didn’t see this
on Haleakalā, but actually a couple months later, I did witness this aboard an
airplane flying in to Honolulu. I looked out the window, and there was the
giant, shadow specter of the airplane illuminated by a rainbow halo against the
clouds. It was pretty majestic.
For our trip down,
we cruised our way to Paia and then chowed down on some deliciously gooey pizza
from the Flatbread Company. It was growing dark by the time we hit the Hana
Highway. I definitely don’t recommend driving this at night. There was a dog in
the middle of the road around one blind turn, and a random man walking down the
road around another. Locals speed down the road in giant trucks with no mercy.
As such, if you ever do find yourself in such a situation, you better be wide
awake and however much caution you think you’re using, use more.
We made it back
safe and sound to our cabin in Waiʻānapanapa and passed
out. I had hiked in a number of different mountain ranges in countries like
Switzerland, South Korea, and of course, amongst the mighty peaks of the
Cascades in Washington, but I really had never seen anything quite like Haleakalā
before. Highly recommended to visit this extinct volcano and see that it is as still as alive and powerful as the days when
it was spewing ash.
Upcoming Day 7: Northern
Maui: Hana and the Red Sand Beach
Read more in the Hawaiian Travel Series:
(0) Intro: Welcome to Maui
(1) Day 1: Northwest Maui: Lahaina
(3)Day 3: Central Maui: Paia and Makawao
Disclaimer: the
above is presented as fiction, not fact. *Names have been changed for the sake
of privacy.
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