This is a panorama stitched together by the camera of the beauty of Haleakala. Some people find it stark and lifeless, but there is a beauty to it that lures me back time and again. It may be the rare air at 10,000 feet, but I just look at the colors and breadth of the crater and stand in awe of God's creation. A person passes an occasional hiker, but most of the time on is left with their own thoughts and utter silence. There is no other noise (no birds or animals and only an occasional helicopter) except for the crunch of one's shoes on the cinders that make up the crater. It is always a truly spiritual experience for me.
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Tags: Haleakala House of the Sun crater volcanoe cinders cinder cone mountain panorama Maui Hawaii WanaM3
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These are the two grandsons that we took on vacation with us. They managed the hike in and out of Haleakala crater on Maui quite well. Going in is almost effortless and requires that you are able to tolerate the rare air at 10,000 feet. Coming out of the crater and heading back up to the rim requires a considerable amount of effort especially for gramps who was carting around 20 lbs of camera equipment. Frequent rest breaks and a slow pace always does the trick. We managed to hike in for about 1.5 miles and then turned around and came back out. We had planned to hike to the first cinder cone in the crater, but it would have consumed a lot more time and effort. I think they really enjoyed the trip. The clouds began moving into the crater while all of this was going on and most of Haleakala (House of the Sun) was filled with clouds when I left with two tired youngsters.
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Tags: Hiking Haleakala crater volcanoe cinder cone mountain Maui Hawaii WanaM3
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One last pano view of the sweep of the old lava flows as we head out of the volcano. That's the top of Sliding Sands Trail in the upper left hand corner. Final view for Hawaii.
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Tags: Haleakala crater volcano volcanic crater cinder cone clouds vista landscape crater floor sky Maui Hawaii WanaM3
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This is a view looking back into the crater from an alternate lookout. The clouds began to move in and sealed most of the crater from view very rapidly. Conditions change very rapidly. The first cinder cone can be seen just right of center with the trail leading up to it. I'll make it there someday.
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Tags: Haleakala crater volcano volcanic crater cinder cone clouds vista landscape crater floor sky Maui Hawaii WanaM3
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The Hula Heron gives the opportunity to upload the last of the shots from Haleakala. These shots were all taken from the hike inside the crater and will be last in the series. Hope you'll enjoy the colors and the sweep of the old lava flows.
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Tags: Haleakala crater volcano volcanic crater cinder cone clouds vista landscape crater floor sky Maui Hawaii WanaM3
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