Haleakala

Want to freeze on Maui? Go to the top of Haleakala, 8000+ feet above sea level. Haleakala is a collapsed mountain, and inside the crater are bizarre geologic formations and wildlife. It's always sunny at the summit, because you're above the clouds, and inside the crater it's a desert.

At the bottom of the crater it's quite a bit warmer than the summit, and dry. As you move to the far side of the crater, though, things change. It gets colder, and wetter. Pretty soon, you're in a fog. Actually, you're in a cloud...And it's hard to believe that 30 minutes ago you were in a desert.

 

We saw Nene birds in the fog - a welcome sight. Nene birds are the state bird of Hawaii, and endangered.

 

To get out of the crater, you have to climb up a cliff with switch-backs and wet rocks. As we crested the summit the wife exclaimed into the fog, "this would be an incredible view, if you could see anything." 

 

Today we moved on to the big island of Hawaii, where it's sunny and warm and we did nothing more strenuous than lift a glass of wine to the lips. Good thing, since we're still sore from our epic hike.