Into the Haleakala Crater

Ben and Stacie joined us for the weekend, and the highlight of their visit was a hike down the Sliding Sands Trail into the crater.  It wasn't what we originally planned, but Saturday was one of those rare days on Maui where the entire island seemed cloudy and rainy.  The only exception was Haleakala; where from our backyard we could see the top of the peak.  So, off we went to view the crater. 

When we arrived at the Summit, everything was clear except for inside the crater itself.  Clouds boiled inside the cavernous depression, and it looked as though our visitors would be denied.  We took a short hike to White Hill hoping for a break in the weather as blue sky still reigned supreme overhead.

Regardless of the weather, Stacie wanted to get into the crater.  It was a good call, as the clouds started moving out of the crater as we descended.

We didn't come prepared to make the entire 3,000 ft. descent, but we made it far enough down to capture a slice of what makes this such a spiritual place for the Hawaiians and brings people here from around the globe.