Drove up to the top of the mountain this morning. “The” mountain–Haleakala–is a massive shield volcano that makes up all of East Maui. The summit stands at 10,000-feet, with views all the way down to sealevel, at least during those hours when the clouds allow it. This morning the summit was clear but it stood above a sea of gleaming clouds.

Middle of the day is a terrible time to take photos, but here are some samples anyway:

Sea of clouds surrounding Haleakala summit

An opening in the clouds showing the eucalyptus forests near the town of Makawao. This is looking down from roughly 9000' to maybe 1500' in elevation

I was told long ago the name of this peak, Hanakauhi, can be translated as "maker of mist." Not sure it's true, but it would be appropriate.

Looking across the south wall of Haleakala Crater, towards Mauna Kea on the Big Island, where I was a few weeks ago.

Posted on: Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Categories: Maui.