The Sliding Sands of Haleakala

I wasn't about to let the lack of sign ups deter me from my life list trip in the Haleakala Crater, so I tackled it solo without hesitation or regret. It's a surreal landscape: more like walking on Mars than on Earth. Barren and desolate at first glance, but bejeweled with beautiful flowers, birds, views and starlight when you open your eyes to it.

Maui is renowned for outdoor adventure: snorkeling, paddling, surfing, kiteboarding, diving, you name it.  But backpacking?!  Believe it or not, Maui has at least one world-class hike: the Sliding Sands Trail, which winds through the high-altitude crater of the very-much-alive volcano Haleakala.

After our winding hour-long drive to our trailhead on Wednesday morning, we’ll descend into the crater along a colorful sandy trail, enjoying rapturous cloudscapes and the company of otherworldly silverswords. We’ll plan on making a 15-mile semi-loop starting at the visitor center and ending at the Halemau’u trailhead, staying overnight at the comfy Holua Cabin in the depths of the crater, enjoying the warmth of a wood stove, if it's a cold night. We’ll complete our circuit by noon the next day, returning to Kihei by early afternoon on Thursday.

This outing will be strenuous owing to rugged terrain, high altitude, and unpredictable weather, so this trip is suitable only for experienced hikers in very good condition.  Poor weather conditions may force us to abort this outing with little or no notice, as will fewer than four confirmed signups as of 8:00pm Friday, November 13, 2015. Per-person cost of $35 (carpool mileage and cabin reservation) must be pre-paid and will be refunded only if the leader cancels or if a replacement signup is found. This is a consciously low-impact outing, so carpool participation is required.