In the past week we’ve stayed in three different parts of Maui and sampled a variety of hikes.
The most dramatic hike so far on this trip has to be Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands) Trail. It starts above the clouds, about 10,000 feet up Haleakala. The photo at the top of this post shows the view near the start of the hike.
We descended into the volcano on a cinder trail.
Along the way we saw rare, endangered silverswords.
Silverswords can live ninety years, but only flower once. Then they die.
Another day, at 6,000 feet, we walked part of the Boundary Trail along the edge of Polipoli State Recreational Area. Rather than being above the clouds, we were in the clouds.
We rented a cottage at about 5,000 feet to reduce the time it took to drive to up-country trailheads. The cooler temperatures contrasted with our stays last week at beach hotels.
I flew in a couple days ahead of Dwight, and stayed close to the airport in Kahului in northeastern Maui. From my hotel I enjoyed an excellent beach walk that first took me past dozens of outrigger canoes belonging to local clubs. Canoeing is a popular after-work activity.
Each day I saw several sea turtles, intent on laying and burying their eggs on the beach.
Dwight then flew in, and we drove to Kaanapali in northwestern Maui.
A few miles south of our hotel, the dry, dusty Lahaina Pali Trail took us high up to a wind farm with great views of the Pacific. Later I had fun manipulating this photo with the Prisma app.
By contrast, just north of our Kaanapali hotel, the shady, moist Mahana Ridge Trail, provided a more reflective setting.
I even got to walk under an epiphyte.
Hikes from beach resort hotels can be rather touristy, as evidenced by this shot we took while walking a beach trail from our Kaanapali hotel.
Dwight was having way too much fun.
Way too much fun…