Friday was my lieu day (every other Friday), so mid-afternoon we took off to a rarely visited part of Maui. The Skyline Trail starts at the Observatory just steps from the Haleakala National Park Boundary at 9,925 ft. elevation, where the lush tropical paradise of Maui seems a world away. This is about as close to flying as you can get without your feet leaving the ground, as 360 degree views abound. The "trail" follows an old asphalt roadbed for 1/2 mile before turning to a dirt track. We hiked for 3 hours and encountered no other people, birds, animals, or living creature of any kind. If you ever trek this way, bring plenty of water, because there's no H2O to be found except for the Pacific Ocean looming 9,000 feet below you.
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| The Trailhead, Observatory, and the National Park Boundary |
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| Star Thinking about Lava Rock and Past Mishaps from the Trailhead |
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| Doofus and the Pacific Ocean Below |
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About a mile in we went through a pass and were looking
West at the Island of Lanai |
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| We passed by several cinder cones |
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| Maui from above |
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| Star Hikes by a Cinder Cone ahead of me |
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| At 8,900 feet, we reached the interface of lava and greenery |
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| Our stopping point with the coastline way below |
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Headed back toward the car, we passed a sign near this area
saying "Watch for Falling Trees." As Star says, "There hasn't
been a tree here since the beginning of our planet." |
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| The Big Island in the Distance |
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| As sunset neared, the temperatures dropped to around 50. |
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On our drive back home, I stopped to take this photo of
my workplace far in the distance. |
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