Capturing the Moment

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...

Best Hikes on Maui: The Big Three Adventure Hikes Maui is full of amazing hikes. I am going to go over some of my favorite that I have done over the past three years but keep in mind there are still many hikes left for future exploration.  The Commando Hike   This is the biggest secret hike on Maui. I get dozens of people everyday trying to find out information on my blog about this hike. I am still inclined not to give the location of the starting point but just know that if you find someone who will take you prepare to be blown away. This hike is on the road to Hana but not too far from the bamboo forest hike. For the adventure seeker this can be the ultimate hike. You have creek hopping, waterfall climbing, swimming, lava tube spelunking,   giant cows on the trail, a jungle gym of vines, and the possibility of cliff jumping at the end. Not to mention it’s the only hike where you will have to face a waterfall in a lava tube.Be prepared for some tough mo...