The original plan was to have camped in the crater for the weekend but we changed it to a day hike instead.

Paia

We woke up, somebody had their hair braided, didn’t know we had a hairdresser in the house and checked out of our airbnb.

Haleakala

Driving into the national park that was created in 1961.

Haleakala

We parked at the dormant, not extinct, East Maui Volcano that accounts for 75% of the island’s mass.

Haleakala

Group photo with the observatories in the background. These ground based telescopes are operated by a cabal consisting of the DOD, UH, USAF, Smithsonian, FAA and others.

Haleakala

We spotted several of these game birds, called chukar, native to Asia that were introduced in 1923. Anybody got a hunting license?

Sliding Sands Trail

Group photo before we started our loop hike in the crater below us.

Sliding Sands Trail

Descending down the path also known as Keonehe’ehe’e Trail.

Sliding Sands Trail

Mari against the backdrop of the crater that is a kaleidoscope of geological colors.

Sliding Sands Trail

Sandra on the trail that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s.

Sliding Sands Trail

The girls passing underneath what looks like a Shark Fin from a certain angle.

Sliding Sands Trail

Chico the dog whisperer.

Sliding Sands Trail

Passing through the split rock with several cinder cones in the distance.

Sliding Sands Trail

Group photo on the trail that was built to encourage people to visit the crater by foot. It worked.

Sliding Sands Trail

Looking at a patch of Haleakala Silversword plants that used to carpet the crater until grazing goats and hikers nearly drove it to extinction in the 1920s before park management saved the plant which flowers only once after 50 years and then dies off. No flowering stalks to be seen on the trail today.

Sliding Sands Trail

Some in the group decided to do calisthenics on the old hitching post that harks back to a time when horseback riding tours were permitted in the crater.

Ka Moa O Pele Loop

Mari going up the loop trail.

Ka Moa O Pele Loop

Descending down towards the two cinder cones of Halalai’i and Pu’unaue.

Kawilinau

The Hawaiians use to throw offerings in the “bottomless pit” for blessings and ceremonies. The pit is actually 65′ deep and does bottom out.

Pu’u Naue Spur Trail

Met two other hikers who had just stayed at the cabin that was our destination. How did you get your permit? Those things are so hard to obtain I swear.

Sliding Sands Trail

Time to take a load off our feet.

Kapalaoa Cabin

We took our lunch break at one of three cabins in the crater with a pair of Hawaiian geese, the world’s rarest goose, due to the low numbers in the wild. Sandra also met another fellow German hiker that was camping in the crater.

Kapalaoa Cabin

Group photo in front of the cabin built in 1937.

Sliding Sands Trail

Hiking in the massive depression that measures roughly 11 x 3 miles wide.

Sliding Sands Trail

Shadows on the trail.

Sliding Sands Trail

Leaving flat ground as we approached the incline trail.

Sliding Sands Trail

We met Matt and his two friends going down the trail to camp in the crater. Their plans would change as well in regards to the camping sites.

Sliding Sands Trail

Hiking in the volcanic crater was nothing short of surreal.

Sliding Sands Trail

Hiking up the trail with the sheer walls rising 2,600′ from the crater floor.

Sliding Sands Trail

Sandra against the backdrop of the massive shield volcano that is technically dormant and not extinct.

Sliding Sands Trail

Chico waving the Star Spangled Banner. The national anthem was penned by Francis Scott Key to the tune of an English song and the flag itself was fabricated from English bunting. How many stars did the flag have when it was flown over Fort McHenry? 15. The number of states in the union in 1813.

Sliding Sands Trail

The Flyin’ Filipino, not to be confused with Shane Victorino.

Sliding Sands Trail

Going back up is definitely harder than going down the trail. Cardio push at high elevation.

Sliding Sands Trail

Looking back at the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island as we climbed out of the crater.

All pau

Back at the trailhead!

Post hike meal

We had our last meal on the island on our drive down from the crater. Military discount?

GPS Tracks

Our crater hike covered just shy of 13 miles with a fun group. Thanks to Ferlino for renting and driving the car around the island and Chico for renting the airbnb. Much to our dismay, we found out our return flight was delayed to the point of the being the last flight out of Maui, until Mari spoke to the gate agent and got us on the earlier flight that was set to close the boarding doors. Thanks Mari!

Photos taken by Chico Cantu, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, Sandra Walters, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

Plans changed. From backpacking in Haleakala to a hybrid mix of sorts. All fun in the end.

Maui

Chico, Ferlino, Mari, Sandra and myself flew over to the airport that was first built in 1942 as a naval air station.

Kahului Airport

Catching the blinding sunrise on the Valley Isle. Where is Ferlino?

Kahului Airport

One of these is not our rental car for the weekend.

Kahului

Traveling through the town that was built by the sugarcane industry.

Jack’s Inn

We had our breakfast at the homey hole in the wall restaurant stuck in the 1950s.

McGregor Point Lighthouse

Stopped at this scenic point on our way to Lahaina.

McGregor Point Lighthouse

Group photo in front of the 20′ concrete tower that was built in 1915 that replaced the original 32′ mast that was established in 1906.

McGregor Point Lighthouse

We were hoping for a glimpse of whales that migrate to the warm shallow waters of Maui during December to April. We were too early, but we did see something breach.

Kapalua

Too early for lunch and too far from where we wanted to see.

Dragon’s Teeth

We moved our cars and parked near a luxury hotel and walked to the ocean to where we saw what happened when lava flowing to the ocean met strong winds and surf. This resulted in the lava formation that looks like jagged teeth.

Dragon’s Teeth

Somebody was looking for opihi at Makaluapuna Point. Gathering these native limpets found nowhere else in the world can be hazardous as they make their home amongst the wave swept rocky habitats of tidepools and beaches.

Kapalua Labyrinth

Walking the white coral circular maze constructed by an an anonymous builder in 2005.

Kapalua Labyrinth

Standing in the middle of the maze that offers many things to different people.

Kapalua

We ate our lunch at the nearby restaurant that overlooks the Kapalua Golf Course, which is unique amongst the PGA Tour courses as it plays to par 73. Not a golfer. Greek to me.

Kahukuloa

It was hard to comply with this request due to the extremely narrow winding roads with multiple blind turns and the absence of using our horn to alert other oncoming vehicles might have necessitated the use of our insurance.

Kahukuloa

We passed Kahekili’s Leap and saw cows or goats down in the low lying coastal areas, depending on whom you asked.

Kahukuloa

Stopped at this exposed cliff that had dozens of names carved into the soft dirt.

Kahukuloa

We decided to engage in this type of “sustainable graffiti” as well. Weather and erosion will eventually clean the slate for future travelers.

Paia

Driving into the town that was once home to immigrant plantations. My grandparents settled here and are buried in the nearby cemetery. Now it’s a trendy surf town. We checked into our airbnb home that was still in the process of having its locks changed out and the tv didn’t work as well. Welcome and make yourself at home.

Kula

Ferlino and Sandra decided to check out the sunset at the house of the sun, while the rest of us opted to relax in the house for the night. They also helped a hapless heffer back into the pasture by scaring it silly.

Haleakala

Unlike the more popular sunrise, watching the sunset does not require a permit.

Haleakala

Sandra made a new canine friend and ran into a two legged friend from Germany.

Haleakala

Stargazing at over 10,000′. Somebody should have brought a sweater or jacket. Lesson learned.

Paia

Chico and I decided to walk to the nearby town to have our dinner at the fish market. Mari decided to take a nap.

Paia

I guess this is what passes for entertainment in small towns.

Paia

Back at the house, we played miniature ping pong and everybody had a chance to be a shithead before turning in for the night.

Photos taken by Chico Cantu, Ferlino Carinio, Mari Saito, Sandra Walters, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.