Day 5, Thursday:We had barely fallen asleep after our long day on Lanai when our alarm went off. It was 3:30 in the morning, and we were heading to watch sunrise from the summit of
Haleakala.
Sunrise was scheduled for 6:04, and we were hoping to get there around an hour earlier. Since we were staying in Kula, our ride up would be an hour shorter that most other people's. The road up is great, well paved and marked. There are no lights, so you don't really get a sense of how high up you are or how close you are to a ravine. Even at this crazy hour there were lots of cars sharing the road with us.
On the way up it's really cool to watch the outside temperature display if your car has one - every minute or so it would move down a degree. We lost almost 30 degrees on the way up, and that was even considering that we started from 3000' up.
We got to the upper parking lot with plenty of time to spare, and were greeted by a madhouse. Dozens of cars, lines of buses, and hundreds upon hundreds of people, all trying to get a spot at the tiny little overlook. On top of that it was freezing cold, with a ferocious wind blowing. We had brought along coats, gloves, hats, and even a blanket,but with all that it was still bitterly cold.
We headed up the path to the lookout, and right away decided that it's not worth it - the place was absolutely
mobbed. Instead we got back in the car and drove down to the lower parking lot, which is about 250' lower down and generally far less crowded. This lot was also quite full, as was the lookout. However, here I had an ace up my sleeve - I knew of a relatively unknown spot called
White Hill, the path of which is right off the parking lot. We hightailed it up there, as the sky had begun getting brighter. It's not a long hike - maybe 10 minutes or so, but it gains about 150' of elevation. Due to the altitude, we were extremely winded, not to mention numb with cold.
The trail wraps around the little rise:
When we got to the top however, we saw that it was absolutely worth it. It's a little open area maybe 10 feet wide, sheltered from the wind a bit by outcroppings on both sides. The spot looks out onto a smashing view of the crater, a thousand feet straight down. On the horizon was a wall of cloud, the sky just starting to show deep twilight colors. Best of all, we had all this to ourselves
.
First light:
You could see the sheltering outcropping, but even with coats and a blanket it was still freezing:
Finally the sun broke through the clouds. In a couple of seconds the entire crater lit up in glorious golden light, showcasing its immense scale:
Here you could see the Sliding Sands Trail on the right, which leads into the crater. On top of the trail you could make out the immense volcanoes of the Big Island in the distance - Meuan Kea on the left, and Meuna Loa on the right:
As the sun rose it bathed the scene in front of us in a kaleidoscope of colors. Every minute the color and feel of the light changes, giving different feelings to different parts of the scene. The crater itself is packed with otherworldly formations, catching and reflecting the light:
This hardy little silversword was right in front of me, a thousand feet down:
As the sun climbed higher the wonderful sunrise color started to fade and be replaced with a morning haze.
A closer look at the Big Island's peaks:
You could just about make out the telescopes atop Mauna Kea through the haze:
Another view of the crater:
Warning sign at White Hill:
Heading back down to the parking lot you have a fantastic view of the Haleakala telescopes:
And of course the obligatory shot of the parking lot above the clouds:
After sunrise we went back up to the upper parking lot to warm up a bit and decide what we want to do next. The original plan was to do part of the Sliding Sands trail, but at this point we were frozen solid and still quite tired. The idea of a difficult hike didn't sound very appealing, so we decided to skip it. Instead we just walked around at the summit and checked out the silverswords (actually it was just me; my wife was a popsicle and refused to leave the warm car
).
The Hawaiian Silversword is a beautiful plant that grows only in one place in the world: the summit of Haleakala. It lives for 50 years as a ball of sharp sword-like leaves, then flowers once and dies. There are a few scattered around the summit and crater, but the vast majority of them live in a protected area in the upper parking lot (vast majority in this case meaning
maybe 50 or so).
They truly are majestic plants. You feel a kind of respect standing in front of a flowering silversword knowing that this is the only time this rare and lovely plant will look like this in its lifetime:
A Chukar Partridge among the silverswords:
All too soon it was time to head back down.
Sign at the entrance to the parking lot:
The way down in the morning is spectacular in its own right. You're driving above the clouds, with all of Maui spread out below you. Occasionally you catch a glimpse of the islands of Lanai, Kahoolawe, or Molokini. The terrain looks like a lunar landscape, slowly giving way to low shrubs and finally, thick forest.
One of the common activities on the mountain is biking all the way down. The internet is full of debates whether this is worthwhile or not; on the one hand it's definitely a lot of fun, but on the other there's no doubt that it's dangerous - deaths are not uncommon. One thing is certain: this is one thing I will not be doing, ever.
On the way down we found the road blocked, and this sight met our eyes:
You guessed it - a biker. I haven't been able to determine the outcome, but the firefighter I spoke to would only say that it was extremely serious. And unfortunately, these accidents are fairly common.
The entrance to the park:
There's no question that sunrise from the summit is a must-see; it's an amazing experience (if you could stand the cold
). But the experience could be totally ruined if you have to share it with hundreds of tourists packed onto a tiny observation deck. In the beginning I was sure that the morning is a bust; it wasn't until I got to the lonely summit of White Hill when I started to enjoy the experience. Even considering that we did eventually get a group of about five people to share the spot, they were presumably escaping the crowds as well and were great company - just watching the amazing show in silent awe.
We then headed back home for breakfast and a good long nap, and then it was time to get ready for a two day Shabbos. I also went to our hostess, Anne, and explained the exact situation to her, since I knew that chances are that we'll need her assistance at some point. She was absolutely fascinated by the entire concept. She said she wished all her tenants would do something similar, as all too often she sees them run around constantly without stopping to appreciate a slower pace of life.
Of course as soon as my wife lit candles I saw that we had forgotten to unscrew the bulb in the fridge
... Thankfully Anne came to the rescue.
We then got settled in for the longest and most relaxing Shabbos of our lives.
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