At 10,023 feet, the summit at Haleakala National Park is a must do when visiting the island of Maui.
The silence is inspiring.
The crunch of the volcanic ash beneath your dust caked hiking boots is deafening, in a crazy, cool way.
If you dare, take a portion of the Sliding Sands trail down into the belly of the crater. The lonely silhouette of a line leads into the vast emptiness beyond the furthest dormant cinder cones you can visualize.
The trek back uphill isn’t THAT bad when you just keep thinking one foot in front of the other, and the pleasant surprise of your ears popping as you very slowly ascend.
And if you time it just right in the late afternoon, you can witness another miracle nightly. Sunset is a spectacle with everyone flocking up the mountainside to breathe in the unspoiled beauty of another day setting below. Between the chill of the air and the anticipation of the fireball eclipsing the horizon, it’s one of those moments stuck in your head that can never be replaced or forgotten. That sunset glow….. just WOW!
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