Thursday, December 16, 2010

SkyWatch Friday & Looking at the Sky on Friday, Scenic Sunday - Inside the Crater

 Click on photos to enlarge!
Jerry and I hiked down into Haleakala Crater during our recent trip to Maui, Hawaii (November 2010).
You can see the Pacific Ocean in the distance beneath the clouds.

There are over 41 miles of trails inside this crater and the views are incredible.
We took the Sliding Sands trail down until we began to worry about the ascent back up!
It gets dark earlier this time of year and this is NO place to be in the dark,  unless you are backpacking and settled for that time of day.

The top of the crater is at the 10,000+ foot level and it is cold up there.
The descent is 2,400 feet in elevation to the bottom and 3 3/10 miles each way.
On this day, we only went about 1/2 of the descent but plan to go farther on our next visit.

If you want to get away from mankind...this is the place to be.
The haunting sound of "quiet" can be experienced along this trail.

Notice the person hiking (wearing blue) on the right.
You feel so small here...
I want to spend more time in the crater.
We have visited numerous times at the top but this was the first to step inside.

SkyWatch Friday
Looking at the Sky on Friday
Scenic Sunday

33 comments:

Sylvia K said...

That is incredible! And so are your photos, Carolyn! Such an interesting post for the day! I would love to see/visit there! Fantastic! Hope you have a great weekend!

Sylvia

Tammie Lee said...

colorfully gorgeous!

mick said...

Great photos. It looks like a fantastic place to visit.

Susan Ellis said...

Stunning colours!Rather reminds me of the Grand Canyon

Sally in WA said...

Magnificent landscapes. It looks like a foreign planet yet the plants reconnect you with earth.

Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

You're not lying, incredible views, indeed!!! WoW! Must have been such a great experience... =)

Kim, USA said...

Wow the landscape is stunning. I see different layer of colors here. Great shot!
Sky Watch

EG CameraGirl said...

It's amazing how many colours there are in nature.

Photo Cache said...

wow, wow, wow.

that landscape sure is pretty.

My Sky Is Here

Springman said...

Great image!

lina@women's perspectives said...

Amazing landscapes! Wow...

Mike Simmons said...

Wow, incredible Carolyn! We didn't brave this when we were there. Very nice images - what an amazing creation!

Tania said...

Oh, what a wonderful landscape! Your picture is amazing. I love the last pic, so beautiful view.
Wish you a blessed weekend:-)

Yoshi said...

Oh my.. It's like you have landed on Mars and took series of photos of another planet!!! Awesome shots!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Yoshi

Laura said...

oh Carolynn the sweep of the landscape, the colors...all magnificent...thank you for this lovely gift of seeing what you saw today:)

Anna said...

Wow! Absolutely gorgeous. It took me a bit to find the hiker. That really does add perspective.

Francisca said...

This is a magnificent post, Carolyn. The place is truly awesome, as are your captures. This volcano site is so very different from the one I posted earlier this week. Glad you made it out before darkness fell over you.

Carver said...

What an amazing place Carolyn and the photography is fantastic. Happy weekend.

fredamans said...

Incredible is right!!

http://fredamans.blogspot.com/2010/12/sky-friday_16.html

DeniseinVA said...

Your photos are fantastic and a great memory for me. I visited Haleakala several years ago now but did not hike into the crater. What a beautiful place this is. Thanks Carolyn.

Randi said...

This is amazing...looks like a different planet! This landscape is really beautiful and impressive. Love your colourful shots! Hope you have a great weekend!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful! Congratulations on making it down (and back up ;>).... that's the trouble with hiking downhill, getting back. As you say, especially this time of year.

Thanks for sharing.

Gaelyn said...

What an amazing place to hike. Your photos capture such awesome colors and textures. Backpacking in would be a great experience.

wenn said...

Amazing place! I simply love the view!

eileeninmd said...

Wow, fantastic view of the sky and crater. It is a beautiful place. Hubby and I drove to the top one morning to see the sunrise. I remember, It was very cold.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

This is so beautiful, and looks like a sister of our Tongariro. My husband went, and keeps telling me to go, but I know, it is too much for me to make a 9 hour trek.

Merry Christmas.

Rick said...

Stunning photos Carolyn. You really captured the colour and grandeur of this place !

My wife and I visited here but never did any hiking in the crater (I would have loved to ...). We did get up at 3:00 a.m. though to see the sunrise - gorgeous, and c o l d !

Since we weren't in the crater, I stopped to buy a large print and had it mounted - great memory.

Kcalpesh said...

Stunning views!!

Pixellicious Photos

James said...

Wow! I'm in awe. These photos are so beautiful. The views and compositions are stunning.

Johnny Nutcase said...

these are gorgeous, Carolyn. I love all of them, can'y pick a favorite. So beautiful!

Cryingbear said...

thanks for these pictures, I love volcanoes! I saw some in Iceland, really recommend this country but it is colder than Hawaï!

kmoyama said...

These landscapes reminds me of the landscape on the other planets which I saw in a magazine or something. I am also impressed both you and Jerry hiked into the crater! Anyway you captured beautiful images of the landscape there.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous scenery! The top shot is amazing, love it.