Capturing the Moment

Even with a second dose of the Covid vaccine yesterday, and feeling down and out all morning, it didn't stop us from heading upcountry for our first "staycation" as a family of four. We had a fun airbnb way up in Kula (non refundable), so even under the weather we were still going. Luck was on our side though with the vaccine hangover mostly disappearing after a midday nap, and the weather giving us two of the best upcountry days you could ask for.  We woke the kids up and immediately piled in the Kia to drive 3,500 feet up Haleakala volcano to our airbnb. The air was nice and cool when we arrived, which usually would have meant pants and sweaters but instead we changed into our bathing suits....for a dip in our hot tub. There were a couple of views through the trees of the rest of the island below. We could see Kihei on one side and Kahului on the other, with waves crashing on the North shore way down below. A crab cake panini from Kula Bistro, another dip in the hot tub...

Hossmer's Grove   With a powerful rental car hugging the windy road, and Nate and Kelly in tow with the wine and crackers, we sped up the road to the roof of Maui, the 10,023ft summit of Haleakala Volcano. It was late afternoon already and we wanted to get there in time to see the sunset. We ended up getting there rather quickly so we had time to stop for a few pictures on the way, plus a quick nature loop trail as Hossmer's Grove to find the rare endemic I'iwi, or scarlet honeycreeper. Sunset behind the Telescopes     When we got to the summit I was pleased to find no snow or freezing rain and just a little bit of wind. The temperature here often dips below freezing which really messes with your mind since the rest of island is bathed in 80 degree tropical heat year round. Coming up to the volcano has a way to transport you to a distant place far far away.    We found a little nook out of the wind, cracked open the wine and crackers and sat ...

Hiking Trail thru Haleakala Crater   During this rotation off the boat I wanted to do a little high altitude hike training. Contrary to most tropical islands, Hawaii would be the perfect place to accomplish this with its massive volcanoes and beautiful hikes in and around them. I had done the 12 mile hike through the crater of Haleakala Volcano once before and was eager to try it again. I remembered the changing landscapes, different colors of soil, and the silence that comes with hiking through this otherworldly terrain. Roof of lava tube Endemic Silversword   I started out at the visitor center, just under 10,000ft down the sliding sands trail. This eventually lead 2,600ft down into the massive Haleakala Crater. I walked past giant cinder cones, lava tubes, and unique plants that can only be found here on top of the volcano. I even had a close encounter with one of Hawaii's most well known endemic birds, the NeNe. As I filled up my water jug at the wild...

    As spring brings warm temperatures across the mainland the wonderful climate of Hawaii maintains a steady 65-85 degrees every day. Visiting beach goers try to tan before heading back to their 9-5's and surfers load up on sunscreen because no wetsuit is needed. However, for the intrepid adventurer a very different climate is just a short hour and a half drive up a volcano. Looking for a different Hawaii adventure we decided that hiking through the volcano crater was the goal for today.         Ben, Magen, Kelly and I gathered some cold weather clothes and all piled into a cheap rental car. I was pretty confident in my new wool socks and a loaned Patagonia fleece but would soon find out I was vastly under-clothed. About 5000ft up the side of the 10,000ft volcano we entered a rainy, dark, cloud. However hopes were still high that we would emerge above the cloud before reaching the summit. 8000ft....9000ft....still in the cloud I began think...

  Holy snow storm! On our last afternoon we decided to tackle the summit of the 10,023ft Haleakala volcano. Little did we know we were in for a wintry storm complete with lightning, thunder, and sleet.    We could see that clouds engulfed the volcano from our sunny beach down in Wailea. But I know from experience that often the volcano summit will be high and dry out of the tops of the clouds. That was not going to be the case this time. Although once we passed the summit visitor center and started to climb the last 400ft to the top we noticed the rain had turned into hail. Looking around the tiny hail started collected on the lava rocks and in the road like snow. It was very hard to imagine that only two hours prior Heidi and I had been soaking up the warm tropical sun on Wailea beach.   After running around a bit in my shorts and trying not to slip on the ice in my sandals I had all the photo proof of the very localized winter hail storm. So we jumped ...

   Helped by the speed of our muscle car rental upgrade we made it up to the summit of Haleakala volcano just in time for the sun rise. We got to the edge of the vast crater in time to enjoy a few minutes of the pre-sunrise twilight. As the first glimmer of sun rose above the clouds one of the park rangers started a Hawaiian chant which has been used to hail the sun for generations at this very sacred place.   It was one of the least windy mornings I've experienced at the summit. This was a pleasant surprise since we were very under dressed, having not brought any warm clothes from Oahu with us.   The sun cast a beautiful red tinge on the volcanic rocks in the crater. It is like no other place in Hawaii. A definite must experience for any adventurous souls making their way out to this beautiful island. Hiking paths crisscross the Manhattan sized crater below, and a few overnight cabins dot the paths as well. We followed our tradition of a nature walk at Hossm...

   Let's say you only have one more day on Maui... where would you go? I know my answer, Haleakala Volcano. At just over 10,000ft it is a view unlike any other on the island. It can be fierce winds and sub freezing temperatures. There can even be snow and ice. But the view is worth it. And now being the middle of summer it can be downright pleasant finding a comfortable spot and enjoying how the view changes through the different colors of dawn.   We found a spot right along the crater rim to usher in the sun. When we first arrived the stars were out with the constellation Orion visible above the horizon. You can even make it out in the picture above. Look for three bright stars in a line, that's his belt, and three more in a line jutting off diagonally from the belt, that's his sword. Science city where our Maui observatories and astronomers peer into the night sky was lit up with a pink sky at one point. There were so many changing colors it was hard to figure out ...