There are some days where Haleakala appears to be covered in clouds when viewing from down below in Upcountry Makawao. But you drive up...and up...and up then suddenly the clouds are below you. That's what we hoped for today as we drove up to the top of Haleakala for sunset. It takes an hour from Makawao to reach the summit. At one point the clouds did clear up briefly at about 8,000 feet but soon we were back in a misty shroud with very limited visibility. When we arrived at the top it was completely socked in with clouds and a rainy mist. It was a chilly 45 degrees. Today was a bust. Instead we spent some time in the freezing cold at the lookout point (with no lookout today) reading the brochure and learned more about:
Nene - Hawaii's very special goose is smaller than the average goose. I've never seen one on Haleakala, but they are easy to spot at Kanaha Pond Refuge in Kahului.
Kuleana - This means responsibility. As you enter the island of Maui and the sacred volcano of Haleakala you assume kuleana for this sacred place of power and natural beauty. Care for the environment!
'Aha Moku - A sense of place, also known as the proper stewardship of land and ocean resources. Care for the environment!
Since we couldn't see anything from the summit today, we included some past photos of the views from some of the trails and the nene postcard that reminds us to be guardians and protectors of our natural environment and precious fauna.
