Maui Day 5

I started off my day today at 2 A.M. The drive from my hotel to the top of Haleakala, I knew, would take about 2 and a half hours, and sunrise was going to happen (ready or not) just after 5:30. It was a harrowing drive up the mountain in the dark. There were portions of the two-lane road where I was on the outside lane and knew I was at several thousand feet, but could not see the drop off to the right of me - only black. This was not such a big deal when I was on the regular roads, but once I entered Haleakala National Park, there were no more guardrails - for the entire 21 miles up the mountain. I was very happy when I arrived above the clouds, at the 10,000 foot summit.

I was even happier that I had stopped at Salvation Army yesterday and picked up a jacket, scarf, and blanket for $6. Because it was cold. Very cold. And wet. I think it was around 40 or 50 degrees, with winds about 20 mph. With mist. Brrrrr.

The drive, the cold, the wait . . . they were all worth it once the sun started to rise. Seeing Here is one of my pictures which doesn't even begin to do justice to the spectacular view.
After the sun had risen, I watched as everyone dispersed, either to ride their bikes or drive their cars back down the mountain. I had planned to spend some time hiking into the crater, which is what I did. I walked down for about and hour and fifteen minutes. During that time, the clouds burned away almost completely. The scenery was incredible - like nothing I've even seen. It's been 900 years or so since Haleakala last erupted, so the mountain is lava rock and plant life together in a unique combination. Hiking into the crater was a lot of fun. I'm glad I took the time to do it.





















After all that hiking, I was hungry so I grabbed some lunch, then was off for my next adventure of the day: ziplining. The concept is simple: you are harnessed, attached to a horizontal cable spanning a canyon, and off you go!! Here is a video I took while zipping across the final cable, which was over 700 feet long and over 100 feet off the ground. Better than any roller coaster . . . Be sure you turn on the sound so you can hear me screaming!

What a day! The best one of my trip, so far.