I did so much yesterday, I could hardly stand up once I got back to the hostel after sunset. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed by all of the natural beauty and wonder I encountered I collapsed into my bunk bed fully clothed and slept through the night.
It all started at 3am. That's what time you have to leave Wailuku, where I'm staying, to reach the summit of Haleakala before sunrise. The drive was tough, as I was pretty sleepy having only gotten three hours under. But by 4:30, I was there, dressed in practically everything I had, ready to confront the chill gales at the top of the world. At 10,000 feet, you can see the entire universe. There's no light pollution or smog to cloud the view. And having spent the last year in Philadelphia, being able to see the Milky Way once again was a treat.
I had a star map with me, so I spent the hour before the sun shone to learn the constellations. Orion, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, Draco, The twins Gemini, Cancer, Taurus and Pleiades, Cassiopeia and Hydra (wow, that monster stretches across a quarter of the sky!). All were there, as they always have been. But being able to see them and recognize them - that's a beautiful thing. I've never done that before.
So then the sun began its ascent, slowly changing the sky. From ink black to subtle violet, then blue with yellow to a stunning pink. It was absolutely incredible.
I was above the clouds at the summit - by about three thousand feet. I can't even write anymore about it because it just won't do it any justice.
After I got back to the hostel, I realized that if I wanted to catch the moped dealer before he left for the day, I'd have to leave right away. I just wanted to sleep, but I jumped back into the car and took the drive south through the sugarcane valley and hooked NW along the coast into Lahaina. I found the dealer and bought a scooter new, but had to leave it there because I still had the rental. Now that one of my initial Maui to-dos had been accomplished, I celebrated with a solo lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, complete with a Pineapple rum smoothie (which included the little umbrella). The food was so-so, but I wasn't bothered. It's funny how less worse things seem when you don't have someone you know there to complain to.
After consulting my Maui bible, Maui Revealed, I headed north up the upper West coast. How stunningly amazingly unbelievably beautiful!! This was a lush rainforest I trekked through at one of my many stops.
The drive was jaw-dropping. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn, with every one revealing an incredible display of luscious green life and one magnificent rock formation after another. I thanked the Creator and rocked out to ukulele music and static, music, static, more static, and music as I slipped in and out of FM broadcast range.
Eventually I made it out to the Blowhole turnout along the highway and, upon noticing a few patches of shattered window glass in the lot, threw my stuff into the trunk and left the car with the windows down, unlocked (Luckily, there wasn't any way to pop the trunk from inside). I boulder hopped for about fifteen minutes down the side of a lava-littered cliff. As I approached, I could see a mysterious mist of ocean shooting seven stories into the air. The sunlight hit the mist and scattered into rainbows. I stood and watched in awe as the surf grew and grew and the geyser shot higher and higher into the air. I wished I was the ocean, so I could shoot through the hole in the lava.
It all started at 3am. That's what time you have to leave Wailuku, where I'm staying, to reach the summit of Haleakala before sunrise. The drive was tough, as I was pretty sleepy having only gotten three hours under. But by 4:30, I was there, dressed in practically everything I had, ready to confront the chill gales at the top of the world. At 10,000 feet, you can see the entire universe. There's no light pollution or smog to cloud the view. And having spent the last year in Philadelphia, being able to see the Milky Way once again was a treat.
I was above the clouds at the summit - by about three thousand feet. I can't even write anymore about it because it just won't do it any justice.
After I got back to the hostel, I realized that if I wanted to catch the moped dealer before he left for the day, I'd have to leave right away. I just wanted to sleep, but I jumped back into the car and took the drive south through the sugarcane valley and hooked NW along the coast into Lahaina. I found the dealer and bought a scooter new, but had to leave it there because I still had the rental. Now that one of my initial Maui to-dos had been accomplished, I celebrated with a solo lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, complete with a Pineapple rum smoothie (which included the little umbrella). The food was so-so, but I wasn't bothered. It's funny how less worse things seem when you don't have someone you know there to complain to.
After consulting my Maui bible, Maui Revealed, I headed north up the upper West coast. How stunningly amazingly unbelievably beautiful!! This was a lush rainforest I trekked through at one of my many stops.
Eventually I made it out to the Blowhole turnout along the highway and, upon noticing a few patches of shattered window glass in the lot, threw my stuff into the trunk and left the car with the windows down, unlocked (Luckily, there wasn't any way to pop the trunk from inside). I boulder hopped for about fifteen minutes down the side of a lava-littered cliff. As I approached, I could see a mysterious mist of ocean shooting seven stories into the air. The sunlight hit the mist and scattered into rainbows. I stood and watched in awe as the surf grew and grew and the geyser shot higher and higher into the air. I wished I was the ocean, so I could shoot through the hole in the lava.
Later I landed back in Lahaina on the West to watch the sunset. Again, no words can describe the sight. The island in the distance is Molokai, the next island to the West.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
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