The Alarm went off at 4:00AM this morning and Andrew and I caught an early flight into Maui. Took off in our rental car and decided to venture up 10,023 feet (highest peak in Maui) to see the 8th wonder of the world, Haleakala National Park “house of the sun”.
(Image:http://haleakala-mm.blogspot.com/2012/09/haleakala-nationla-park.html)
I prepared myself for a long curvy road full of switch backs that took over an hour’s journey to arrive at our destination. Haleakala is known for magnificent sunrises, but an avid hiker would need to wake up at 3:00AM to see the event. We decided to scope out the crater first in the day light and see how the trails faired. As you arrive into the park wispy clouds greet you and the view is already spectacular. You pay $10.00 to access 19 square miles of crater and 28,665 acres throughout the park for 3 days. Haleakala is a shield volcano whose crater is erosional, and the last eruption occurred over 200 years ago.
This has been my favorite excursion in the islands so far due to the unearthly sites. The geologic structures feel like you have been transported to mars or the moon. A highlight of the trip besides hiking into the crater was the highly adapted Silversord plant, only endemic to Haleakala. A very delicate plant sword-like succulent leaves covered with silver hairs. Silversword plants in general grow in dry, rocky substrate that is able to withstand freezing temperatures and high winds.
The skin and hairs are strong enough to resist the wind and freezing temperature of this altitude and protect the plant from dehydration and the sun. Even though we were only able to catch a glimpse of this magnificent beauty it was well worth the motion sickness I experienced on Maui’s notorious hillsides.
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