Our day started at 3:30AM. We got up early to drive the two hours to the top of Haleakalā Crater, which is just shy of 10,000ft. We got there in time to get a parking spot and a nice place to set up my tripod and camera. It was freezing and windy up there! Daybreak occurred around 6AM, and the sun broke the horizon around 6:25AM. Sunrise was amazing and beautiful. It took many photos, and at least a few of them are really nice (in my opinion). The sun cast a nice deep orange into the crater. The sky was mostly clear with a few clouds over the ocean. A great way to start the day.
After sunrise, we went to the visitor center to warm up a bit, dropped some extra stuff off at the car, and then started our hike. We took a 2.6 mile trail 1400ft down into the crater to the upper most cinder cone, where lava once flowed out of the volcano. Hiking into the crater felt like being on the Moon. The ground was almost like sand, with lava rocks sprinkled all around. There was almost no vegetation. The views were amazing.
At the cinder cone, we walked along the rim, took a rest on a nice large rock, and then started back up the trail. It took us a little over an hour to get down the trail, and a little over two hours to get back up. Going back up was hard and slow! The trail was full of switchbacks and went up at a steady incline. The air was very thin, and got worse as we went up. Taking frequent breaks was a necessity. Once we got to the top, we were exhausted, but it was a great hike. I had never experienced that terrain before, and the lava rocks and smooth channels provided great views. Our timing was good, too, because by the time we got back to the top, thick clouds had come in from the ocean, blocking the view of the water.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in Makawao for lunch. We also picked up some amazing sweets at the Komoda Bakery. Then we headed back to the hotel. Exhausted, we took a nap. We woke up in time to go down to the beach to splash in the waves and enjoy a beautiful sunset. It's not every day that you get to enjoy both sunrise and sunset with such amazing views.
For dinner, we went to a nice spot in Wailea, then we came back here to the hotel to call it a night. It was a fun-filled, long, and exciting day. Definitely one to remember.