Haleakala

This weekend we went hiking & camping up at Haleakala. Translating to "House of the Sun", Haleakala summits at 10,023 feet... giving way to breathtaking views of Maui, Big Island, and the crater. We hiked down into the crater on the Sliding Sands Trail with three others we have been hiking with nearly every weekend. The hike down was filled with warm sunshine and big, beautiful white clouds against an oh-so blue sky. Glad we got in the nice weather so we could enjoy the views! The terrain here makes you feel as though you are literally on another planet. On our return the clouds had engulfed us meaning cooler temps & light rain. Adam & Justin had decided to hike further into the crater but the remainder of us made it back to the cars before getting caught in anything too cold & wet. Good thing for everyone cause that seems about the time I would start complaining.... there are in fact times I justify complaining in Hawaii. & being cold and wet is one of them.

Craig and I set up camp while waiting to hear from Justin & Adam. Once we knew they were alive and well, we ventured through the nature trail that was adjacent to camp. Incredible. The rain had just stopped, leaving the forest in a perfectly peaceful state. We enjoyed walking through the eucalyptus trees and discovering some new plants & birds. Once we were all back at camp we enjoyed some good food and many laughs at camp while Adam attempted to make a fire from lighter fuel intended to fill lighters. After using the whole bottle, he managed to get a steak out of it... the looks of it reassured my decision to be vegetarian.

Sunday morning we woke up at 5:30 and drove back to the summit to catch the sunrise. Absolutely breathtaking. Totally worth my feet going completely numb and making me feel as though I was walking on stumps. I eventually got sensation back once we were in the truck.

Later in the afternoon we attended a satsang in Haiku with Ram Dass and Peter Russell. Very grateful I was able to see Ram Dass speak in person. The theme of the discussion was Paths to Freedom. All three hours were filled with beautiful smiles, words, and energy. Yet another part of Maui that inspires me to be a better person and live my life to the fullest.