Day 1 - Haleakala

Day 1 of our trip to Haleakala trip started at 6:30 am when we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Maui on Mokulele Air.  It was so cool to fly a little plane between the islands because it flew really low so we could see the coral, the lava flows and little neighbors.

We got to the Maui airport and I watched the bags while Eric and Jim went to get the car and Susan did two trips to Starbucks.   Then we made a quick stop at Kmart to get some fuel for our back up stove.

The top of the mountain was breezy, cloudy and cold

It took us about an hour to get up the mountain to the Ranger station where we watched a "Leave No Trace Video" and picked up our permits.  While on the way up, we had a picnic of cheese, crackers, fruit and kale/spinach salad.  Then we headed a few more miles to the top of the mountain.   We geared up in the parking lot, took a quick tour around the top and headed down the trail into the crater.

At the top - before the hike!

We started the hike at noon and made it to the cabin at 3 pm.  The hike to the cabin was 5.6  miles almost completely downhill.   The trail was wide and not scary at all.  We got some heavy mist and a couple rain drops on the way down.

Heading down Sliding Sands Trail.

Silversword plant

Water catchment basins for the first cabin

The cabin was super comfortable and had everything we needed, including bunks, a table, a stove, running water and burners for cooking.   The water had to be treated or boiled for 5 minutes before we used it.  We used our ultraviolet steri pen and boiling methods depending on the need.  The cabins had no electricity so we used headlamps and candles.

Inside the cabin

We each had our own tower of bunks

Cup may look bigger as it appears in picture

When we got to the cabin we had the traditional - on the trail - tea time/happy hour and then took a 3 mile hike to check out the area.

Our snack for tea time when we arrived at the first cabin.

There was one nene at the first cabin.  His name was Ara and we later learned that his mate disappeared last March and since nenes mate for life, he is alone. I wish I would have know because I would have brought him home...which likely would have broken all kinds of laws!

Ara the nene was trying to come in the cabin

Getting ready to play cards by candlelight

The sunrise our first morning

Our spot to watch the sunset

In the middle of the first nite, I was up at 3:30 am and saw someone walk up to our cabin with a headlamp.  Since I had been reading a murder mystery set in a National Park, I was a little freaked out and FROZE!  I "psssted" Jim to see if he was awake and he wasn't.  So I got out of bed, woke him up and locked the door.  We stood at the window and waited to see something but we figured "he" walked thru once he saw the cabin was occupied.

A little after the "inrtrude" came thru, Eric got up to use the bathroom and as he was coming back into the cabin, he was shocked to see "a little girl" in the door way.  That "little girl" was Susan waiting to go out and not wanting to get whacked by the door as Eric came back in!  So overall the first night was a bit frightful!