Morning in Hosmer's Grove

Keith and I woke to the tranquility of a high mountain morning deep in the woods. Back in Hawaii's territorial days, ranchers and lumbermen had pretty much stripped the slopes of Haleakala of all their native ground cover. As a result the rich soil on the slopes began to erode into the sea. Hawaii's first territorial forester, Ralph Hosmer, imported tree species from around the world in hopes of creating a viable timber industry. In 1927 he began planting stands of pine, spruce, cedar and eucalyptus at this site, which can still be seen today in the grove.

Haleakalā Summit

Sunset from the top of Mount Haleakalā is a breathtaking, life-changing experience, or so I've heard. This morning, the sun rose while we were still sleeping in Hosmer's Grove. But that doesn't mean we didn't get to enjoy visiting the top in our own, sweet time!

Ziplining in Maui

I've never before gone ziplining. Which, in itself, is reason enough to do it! (Yes, it's been on my bucket list.) After researching the various zipline options on Maui, I chose to go with Skyline Eco-Adventures Haleakala and would absolutely recommend them!

Hana Road and Waianapanapa

The road to Hana is a 62 mile winding mountainous road that connects Kahului to Hana. In its 62 miles you climb around 4,700 ft above sea level on roads so narrow that at many points there isn't enough room for both sides of traffic. There are also 620 turns, most of them near hairpins, in just those 62 miles. For those of you not good at math, that's an average of 10 turns per mile.

But near the end is Waianapanapa State Park, home of a black "sand" (it's really rocks) beach and a very cool, explorable, lava tube. It also features public showers, which is where I intended Keith and I to bathe today, preferably after a dip in the ocean. We didn't anticipate having to do it after a minor car accident.

Kipahulu At Last!

Haleakala National Park consists of two highway-accessible segments: The upper segment, including the summit, and the lower segment, which hugs the ocean along a stretch of the mountain's lower flanks. The lower section, known as Kipahulu, includes a beautiful open-access campground that was our goal for the end of this very busy day.