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Maui
-- Scenic Areas |
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Haleakala,
"House of the Sun," is the large, dormant volcano
dominating Maui's east side. Hiking in Haleakala is something
very special. You can go for great long hikes, but a five
mile hike on Sliding Sands trail to the cinder cone crater
of Ka Lu'u o 'O'o takes you through beautiful multicolor cinder
rock, around huge boulders, past the native and endangered
Silversword plant all in about 3 hours, give or take your
condition and pace. You can get a map at the Visitor Center
at the top and they have an interesting topo map to look at,
but take note that they close at 3pm. Just hiking for half
and hour on Sliding Sands trail will put you in mind of a
different world, maybe the moon, or Mars. By the way, the
trail is good and the sands do not slide under your feet.
But it is steep and as you descend remember you have to go
back up. Allow a bit more time to go back than the descent.
If the clouds favor you, it's a thrill to see Hawaii, the
Big Island, across the ocean from the top of Haleakala. If
you plan to go on hikes in rough country or up on Haleakala,
sports shoes are a good idea. And if you plan to be on Haleakala
early or late (for those famous views of sunrise or sunset,
especially good if there are clouds to catch the color), be
sure!!! to have long pants, long sleeves, a jacket or coat
and anything else you like to keep yourself warm. Someone
said, "just bring everything you have with you",
and if the wind is blowing, you'll wish you did. Remember,
you won't be at sea level; you'll be about 2 miles in the
air.
There is also lots of fun hiking on the road to Hana.
You'll enjoy the drive so much more if you stop to wander
back on a few trails and turn on some side roads just for
the jungly adventure of it all ( take some mosquito repellant).
There are some fun hikes to waterfalls along this side of
the island, but you'll want a fine day for it. One of the
days we went the forecast was for a "few windward showers"
so I kept thinking it would clear up, but it poured rain all
day. No disaster - the waterfalls were full of energy and
the huge jungle leaves and vines glistened in the wet, but
we didn't hike as much as we would have. There are more ideas
about things to do in the guest book in the condo.
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Wildlife
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