Capturing the Moment

Looking down on a cloud    Driving to the mysterious Polipoli hiking trails 6,000+ft high on the southern slope of Haleakala volcano is an adventure in itself. The 4X4 dirt road to get to the campgrounds at Polipoli state park is sometimes accessible by smaller cars but not today. It wasn't too wet to drive, in fact it was so dry with each footstep little clouds of dust stirred up. But the road had degraded during wet periods forming some pretty deep holes. Driving our little sedan we decided to stop and walk the last few miles instead of risking getting stuck in some hole. I think we could have made it but it worked out in the end. Coastal Redwoods on Maui The trail map at the campground is a little confusing showing different trails in different colors that are all a little to similar. The wooden sign has faded a bit making the colors and trails blend even more together. We decided to try and hike down and out to a trail marker we saw way back by our car. But witho...

Forest in the Mist Welcome to the Maui cloud forest   Hiking through a cloud with soaring trees slowly fading away into the mist makes you feel like you are no longer on a tropical island. The temperature can plummet below freezing overnight and the wind makes the cloud come to life like a slow moving white river flowing through the forest. Enter the cloud belt, 7,000ft up on the slope of Haleakala volcano. Endemic birds like the I'iwi or scarlet honeycreeper chase each other from tree top to tree top bringing a stark red contrast to the misty green of the cloud forest. Juvenile I'iwi (Scarlet honeycreeper) A bright red flash hails the coming of an I'iwi bird Hossmer's Grove is a beautiful campground and nature trail through a one hundred year old experimental forest. Pine, spruce, cedar, and eucalyptus still stand and wage war against the native fauna in the delicate ecosystem. It borders the Haleakala national park where rangers fight hard to hold the...