Eric and Zac in Maui, Day 3
On Wednesday we took a trip to the Haleakala crater. Haleakala means House of the Sun and the crater is not really a crater. It’s a valley, eroded by wind and rain. Haleakala is nearly two miles high at 10,023 feet above sea level.
We cruised up the mountain in our convertible with the top down and the wind blowing in our hair. We passed through three separate environments on the way to the top. For about three miles we drove through lots of lilac trees and the aroma was incredible. There were ranches on all sides and sightings of pine trees.
As we passed 4,000 to 5,000 feet things began to get a little sparse, with fewer trees and more bushes. Somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 feet we began passing through the clouds. At 8,000 feet we were above some of those clouds!
We stopped at Leleiwi overlook for our first look into the crater. Then on to the summit. We hiked around a bit and even took the Sliding Sands trail for about two miles. The name is very appropriate. At places on the trail you had to be careful where you stepped because of the horseback tours.
There were amazing colors in the crater. Mixtures of black, red, gray, green, and brown. On one side of the crater the red and black mixed so it looked almost like lava was flowing down the mountain.
We spent about four hours here and we then headed back to Kihei for some dinner. All that hiking made us hungry. At sunset we took a stroll along Charley Young beach where Zac took the sunset pictures.
Here are some more pictures from our trip to Haleakala crater.
