Ready to hike the Halemauu Trail
Four miles later : Holua Cabin !
Tiny me on the Silversword Trail
Nene overlooking the trail...
Trying not to be too cold...
Silversword in Science City
Haleakala Crater seen from Science City
Despite the sun, it was quite cold because of the wind... It was only 7:45 AM when we started the trail and we had more than 10 miles roundtrip to walk...
Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano, is 7.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. It last erupted 200 years ago.
In Hawai'ian, Haleakala means "House of the Sun". The volcano has long been considered Mau'i's soul, and its summit is thought to be an energy vortex, a natural power point to magnetic and cosmic forces. In ancient times, it was a spiritual center for Hawai'ian kahunas.
A distant relative of the sunflower, this plant grows for 4 to 25 years before blooming just once.
The silversword, found only in Hawai'i, was nearly wiped out in the early 20th century by grazing feral goats and people who took them for souvenirs. It's making a comeback thanks to efforts by the park service staff members.
Sunrise at Haleakala is an unforgettable experience, but you have to get there very early if you don't want to miss it : we drove up twice, to be at the top at 5 in the morning...
During the summer, the stalk flowers with hundreds of maroon and yellow blossoms.
When the flowers go to seed in late autumn, the plant dies.
Haleakala is an awesome geological wonder : the crater resembles the surface of the moon, its seemingly lifeless floor dotted with high majestic cinder cones.
