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Up to "Top of the World" (Haleakala)...

WAILEA, Maui, HAWAII, Dec 5 - Friday was another glorious day.  No signs of "vog."  Crystal clear, except for a few fluffy clouds here and there.  So we decided to up to the "top of the world," the crater of the "male volcano," Haleakala, that sits at just over 10,000 feet.  Once again, it was a first for Elizabeth.  She had never been that high up in the mountains before.  So she approached the climb with more than a bit of trepidation...

The last human settlement on the way up was Kula, at over 4,000 ft (left).  After that, we kept stopping at various lookout points both to enjoy the views, and to give Elizabeth a chance to adjust to higher elevation. The three shots above were taken at about 6,000 feet.  The views are south shore, Puu Kukui (femal volcano, enveloped in clouds), north shore - going from left to right.

A little after the 6,000 ft level, we went through some fluffy clouds.  It was very pretty, like driving through cotton wool.

Some two thousand feet later up the mountain, we were above the clouds.  By this stage, Elizabeth was more than a little apprehensive. See how she is hanging on to that railing as if or dear life? :-)  Actually, she was doing great.  She just didn't know it.  I have seen many other people in the Andes (in Peru) have trouble when going through such sudden elevation changes (8,000 ft by this stage), or even smaller ones. 

We were surprised to learn that back in the 19th century, there was ranching going on at this elevation (see the plaque - left photo).  Even today, you can see some stone fences that must have been built by ranchers back then in order to keep the cattle within bounds. Some 20 minutes later, we finally made it to the summit of Haleakala.  Elizabeth is pointing to it on the relief map (right).  Brrrr... it was cold there.  The temperature read 54F.  But the wind was so strong that you had to hang on to stationery objects at times to keep your balance.  With the wind chill factor, I figure it was probably around 30F (i.e., below freezing - for those of you who do not think in Fahrenheit).

You can have some idea about the wind's velocity from the two left shots above.  Overall, it was a magnificent feeling, like being on top of the world.  Elizabeth had every reason to feel proud of her achievement.

The last time I was there was about 20 years ago.  I don't remember all those telescopes from back then that you can now see in the left shot.  You can also see from the middle left shot how Elizabeth is using that big rock not just to sit on but to hold on to so the wind would not blow her away - and still managing to keep smiling.  :-)  Otherwise, the views inside the crater are like that of a moonscape (top right).  You can even hike down the many trails into it (see map - left).

The 360 degree views from the summit are spectacular, as you can see from the above shots.  I've noted the various landmarks on them for your orientation.

We stayed at the summit about 45 minutes before starting to descend down the mountain.

It seems everywhere I go, birds manage to find me, such rare species as "nene" - Hawaiian geese - that are on the protected species list.  The middle left is a file photo close-up, but the middle right shot was real.  I took it as we passed a stopped car at about 8,000 ft level.  You can see that the nene can enjoy some pretty good views of the north shore from there (right).

The fluffy clouds were getting a little thicker on the way down, but any less interesting.  The view on the right is that of the south shore - toward Lahaina.

We made another pit stop at about a 5,000-level.  As I was taking a picture of the eucaliptus forest that reminded me of the familiar landscapes from Western Australia, Elizabeth was pointing to the ocean and some cows that were grazing down field.  Like the nene, the cows also had some beautiful views of the north shore.

On our way down through Makawao toward Haiku and the north shore, we passed some beautiful pastoral horse ranches that were also reminiscent of the scenery in Western Australia where I once had a home.

... and Back Down to Ocean (North Shore)

And then we were back down at the ocean level - a 20,000 ft elevation difference within a couple of hours.  Elizabeth had plenty of reasons to be proud of her stamina.  She played in the waves like a little girl, shrieking occasionally as she was getting completely soaked by sudden swells.  What follows is a photo essay that could be titled, "Waves and a Girl."

It starts with these shots at a point of a small peninsula.

There were also dozens of surfers and windsurfers riding the giant waves.

The peninsula afforded a 180-degree view of the shoreline and the way Mama Kocha (mother ocean) and Pacha Mama (mother earth) played together.

At times, the sea looked like boiling white foam.  Which sent Elizabeth scurrying back toward the shore.

But even if she did not have a swim suit on, she kept going back over and over again...

...for yet another dance with the waves.

Elizabeth finally emerged on shore thoroughly soaked but exhilarated with the experience.  "I have not had this much fun in a long time," she said excitedly.  And just remember, this is a girl who is supposed to be scared of water and of high elevations.  Yet she traversed 20,000 ft like a hawk and immersed herself in the ocean like a mermaid - all in one afternoon.

And now, here are some parting views from this beautiful spot, both of the shoreline and of Haleakala (middle right), from where we descended.  Once again, before we left the parking lot, a flock of white pigeons showed up out of nowhere.  Birds, birds... my heavenly messengers or just well-trained tourist food  smooches? :-)

To be continued... (maybe, we'll see).

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