#halekala

Day 5: Haleakala

Haleakala is a massive shield volcano that makes up 75% of the island of Maui. A shield volcano is usually flat and has a large circumference caused by lava flows that spreads over a wide range. Haleakala has a 30 kilometer circumference. Haleakala is translated into the house of the sun. According to Hawaiian legend, Haleakala was the grandmother of the demigod Maui. Haleakala has erupted three times in the last 900 years. Safe to say that it wasn’t a danger when we went up there, and isn’t a danger right now. The surrounding parts of Haleakala are part of a national park, ensuring that the volcano itself, craters, and the flora and fauna of the area are untouched.

I stayed awake, listening to Hector talk about the volcano, and preparing us for how cold it would be up there. Being from Boston, and being used to the winters, I knew exactly what those temperatures meant, and how cold I would feel. I braced myself, mentally, knowing that it would make no difference. 

We reached the parking lot, and Hector and Billy took us to the top. We were at the top of the volcano, at the rim that stands almost 760 meters above the base of the crater. We stood by a railing, looking into the dark in front of us. Hector told us that we would see the crater in front of us, and if we looked straight ahead, we would see the sun rising above it. I could see dark rocks out into the horizon, and I wondered where the crater was. Was the crater filled with these rocks? Where did the rocks come from? I shuddered against the railing, wrapping my poncho around me, preparing my camera for the best kind of pictures. Caleb stood behind me, phone in hand, also seeing if he could get the best angle.

Hector came around telling us that we would have to wait an hour for the sun to rise. He said he brought us up early because the area was going to get crowded. We didn’t think so. It was 4:30 and we didn’t think anyone else would be up here for another half an hour or forty five minutes at least. Five minutes later I turned around, and there were almost a hundred people behind me. People were craning their necks, and trying to find rocks to stand on to see over our heads. I was thankful for my cozy spot.

As I shivered, I kept telling myself that this sunrise would be worth it. When would I ever see a volcano again? When would I ever be up for a sun rise again? Aren’t vacations for experiencing new things? Aren’t sunrises are the most beautiful things in the world? I kept taking pictures of the dark, adjusting the ISO and the lighting. 

I checked my watch every few minutes, and finally, started to see the light in the distance. I could see the outline of a dark pit in front of me. As the sun began to come up, I saw that the dark rocks that I thought I had been looking at were thick white clouds. The clouds had descended into the crater, and the peaks stuck up above them. 

Haleakala National Park (Hawaii)

Photos of Haleakala National Park (Maui, Hawaii), pictures are taken during a  2 year photography journey to all 60 National Parks in the USA. 

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