Mt Haleakala, once an active volcano, is the tallest peak on Maui, rising above the clouds at over 10,000 ft. But the cool thing about it is that you can actually hike inside the massive crater! I had heard a lot of good things about this hike coming into the trip so I was pretty pumped to check it out, and it did not dissapoint. After about an hour of driving up the mountain, we reached the peak and started our trek
As always, a video is worth a thousand words, so here ya go ;)
Crazy looking scenary huh!?
It was a bit of a mind trip being in this desert-like terrain, yet also being well above the clouds. A desert in the sky. I'm not sure there's anything else like it. Nothing I've ever seen that's for sure! Then again I've never hiked inside of a volcano crater before.
I think we had a day in between to relax and chill by the beach before our 2 day trip along the famous Road to Hana. Hana is one of the more remote towns on the island and the only way to get there is to drive a few hours along what might be the windiest road on the planet. We packed up our little dodge neon that we had rented and made our way there, stopping at several cool little waterfalls along the way. But I've written enough about waterfalls already so I won't bore you with those details. Plus I was lazy about taking photos that day.
One of the cool things about the drive is all the banana bread stands along the way. The first one we hit was run by a cute little Thai lady named Kat. Covering the walls of her modest little shack were photos of her customers. I made a comment about that and she proceeded to show us pictures of a bunch of famous people who had been there, including Leonardo Dicaprio and his family. I didn't believe it at first but sure enough there he was. With all the celebrity pics littering her walls, of course Scott and I had to take one with her, which she assured she would bring to costco to have developed. Hope to see it up there the next time I pass through! :)
Along our way we stopped by the Hana Lava Tubes which were these cool lava caves you could swim through. Luckily I brought my headlamp so that we could see because it was really dark in there. Really cool though. It looked like a nondescript little pool inside of a cave, but Ben pointed out a tiny spot where you could swim under which opened up into a much larger cavern. It was really cool. And you would never know to do that if you didn't have some sort of a guide with you. We swam around and explored for like an hour, and probably would have stayed longer if the caves weren't so chilly and the water wasn't freezing cold.
After a full day of driving, hitting cool stops along the way, and eating several loaves of banana bread we made it to our campsite in Hana in the early evening. As we pulled in, we noticed several prime spots in a row, overlooking the water. But as we circled around towards them we noticed a group of four girls chilling outside of their campsite and one empty spot next to them. As Chris began to drive past there was an uproar in the car, and so we pulled the most awkward 5 point turn off the narrow little path (as they presumably looked on) and proceeded to slide into the spot next to them. Slick. Turns out they had been camping for the last two nights and were happy to have the company.
The next morning we got up early and did some cool hikes, including one to a really cool looking cascade waterfall.
But no Hana trip is complete without a trip to the Venus Pools. This was heavily hyped, and was the undisputed highlight of these two days and probably even my entire Hawaii trip. By far the coolest cliff jump I've ever done. It was about a 30 foot drop into a beautiful clear salt water lagoon below. You gotta see this!!!
Since snorkeling is one of the can't miss things to do in Maui, and Chris had not yet arrived for our initial snorkeling adventures (See link: World Class Snorkeling in Maui), we had to work this in while he was there. Rather than a remote little beach like last time, we went the opposite route, opting for one of the big snorkel charter boats known for being half snorkeling, half party. Perfectly suitable for us. And given that turtles highlighted our previous snorkeling experience, we tried to work this in as well, selecting a tour called the "Turtle Adventure" or something to that effect so that surely Chris would get a chance to see one.
We booked our tickets and hopped aboard the Pride of Maui along with about 100 other people, and set sail to a location that was supposedly frequented by the turtles. Haha yeah well....upon plunging in alongside a small army of snorkelers from not only our boat, but a similar boat next to us, all flailing about, I had serious doubts. Nonetheless, we proceeded to have an awesome time exploring the reefs below as well as the myriad of colorful fish schooling around. Check it out!
Although we didn't see any turtles, which was a bit of a letdown, we still had a great time being out in the water, swimming along with and through a ton of other snorkelers and scuba divers. After about an hour, we were summoned back to the ship and that's when the real fun began - music, open bar, open grill, and lots of cute girls. Any lingering disappointment quickly faded ;)
Over the last few years, my buddy Scott and I have tried to plan at least one cool international trip per year. In 2011 it was Amsterdam and Germany, in 2012 it was Germany again (we had a good time over there), and in 2013...well I was in Central America all year so that doesn't count. This year, our schedules aligned such that we were both free to travel abroad starting July 1. I was set on heading to Thailand later that year but with the political unrest going on there (at the time) and the uncertainty surrounding that, we decided to go a different route. But where?? We were kicking around ideas (Spain, Greece, Australia, etc) but nothing really seemed to stick, until his roomate Rafer chimed in - what about Hawaii??
BOOM! Hawaii! Done!
Why hadn't we thought of that?? It was on the way to Thailand, where I would eventually be going (I am actually here as I type this), has loads of adventurous stuff to do, neither of us had ever been, AND my buddy Ben had just moved out there in the beginning of the year and could show us the ropes. It was a no-brainier. So much so that we started actively recruiting some of our other friends to join us and it didn't take much for our buddy Chris to sign on.
The plans came together in early June and sure enough on July 1 we were all on our way out there. Scott and I arrived on Tuesday the 2nd and with Ben as our guide we hit the ground running!
We stopped by the local beach in Paia, where he lived and where we had rented an apartment, to chill for a bit, meet some of his friends, swim and let it soak in that we were about as far out in the middle of the ocean as you could possibly get. Success.
The next day, Ben swooped us up in the Jeep and we hit Twin Falls, a cool little waterfall close by. Ben chuckled to himself as Scott and I took it all in in awe. Just wait, he said. It gets better. A lot better. Apparently he was saving the really good stuff for when Chris arrived a couple days later.
Twin Falls
Snorkeling was on the docket for day 2, one of my favorite activities, and exceptional here in Maui. It was every bit as agod as advertised and worthy of its own post: World Class Snorkeling in Maui. If you haven't already, you seriously should click the link and check out the videos I put together of our snorkeling adventures. Unless swimming alongside giant sea turtles doesn't sound very interesting to you :)
The next day Chris arrived and our crew was in tact!
The Fearsome Foursome
It was July 4th so we decided to head over to Lahaina on the west side of the island to check out the fireworks. An added bonus was that our friends Mike and Brooke just so happened to be on their honeymoon over there! Totally random but super fun meeting up with them!
Having a beer with Mikey G!
Fireworks over Lahaina
After the festivities that night, we were all a bit slow-moving the next morning, but sure enough, Ben arrived around 10am, cracking the whip, ready to lead us on our daily excursion. Needless to say, enthusiasm was not sky-high, and there was a bit of indecision among the group as to whether we really felt up for a hike through the jungle. But Ben had yet to steer us wrong and being that it was Chris's first full day on the island, he and I decided to go while Scott opted to stay behind and relax, citing a non-USA World Cup game as an excuse ;)
So we piled into the Wrangler and off we went. Climbing and climbing until we hit the entrance of the state park where our hike would begin. Wow, the scenary was amazing, totally Jurasic Park-esque!
Iao Valley
Check out the video below for our climb to the top!
Very cool hike with a great payoff at the top as the views from up there were amazing. However, after a few pics and the video you just watched, we were enveloped in a cloud which started dumping water so down we went. We didn't make it very far when Chris's flip flip (or slipper as they call it in Hawaii) broke and he was managing his way down on only one lol. Until that one broke too haha. The trail was pretty rough so our pace slowed to a crawl as Chris winced in pain with every step. Feeling bad, I traded him mine for a bit and ouch! Yeah he was not over exaggerating, it sucked! On top of that, Ben stubbed his toe pretty bad so overall it was a rough day for our feet, but we all survived and it was definitely worth it.
Do not hike in Hurley Flip Flops
Day after day Ben showed up in the morning ready to take us on the next big adventure. And that next morning was a good one! The Bamboo Forest, which was sort of the big brother to Twin Falls where we went our first day. After a bit of hiking we arrived at a series of waterfalls and jumps, which we took full advantage of. This was one of my favorite little treks in Maui, you gotta check this out!
These were the first jumps of the trip so we took our time and had a ball. We probably logged a dozen or so each that day. Unfortunately the camera batteries cut out right as we reached the biggest waterfall / jump at the end. Bummer. Feeling confident at that point, I scaled the rocky wall to the jump off point and, since there was a bit of a crowd below, I decided to go for the front flip, which I had dusted off earlier at one of the smaller jumps. Bad idea. I miscalculated (underestimated) the speed of revolution since I was at a higher point, and thus failed to rotate all the way through and landed dead smack on my back from about 25 feet up. As I rose to the surface to a chorus of "ohhhhhhhhh's!", I didn't even try to take a breath for the next several moments as I knew the wind was knocked clean outta me. I tried to play it off cool but I'm sure the grimace on my face told the real story. Ouch! That ruined my day ;)
There were a few smaller jumps on the way back but I was done for the day. No more for me! We stopped home to eat and relax for a bit and then it was off to the Sunday Beach party! But this wasn't any old beach party. This was the famous party on Little Beach, sixty years running, complete with drum circles, fire dancers, and loads of people dancing and frolicking about. Naked. Haha that's right, clothing optional! What a scene...
Wasn't long before Chris met a nice gal from San Fran and began "negotiating". Before long she agreed to go topless if he took his pants off, so....next thing we knew he was butt naked taking topless photos of this girl down by the water. But wait it gets better, because shortly after two more random girls decided to join in on the fun. So there he was, butt naked putting on a photo shoot for three topless girls he just met. Needless to say we were looking on from the shore in complete astonishment, howling laughing. And a tad jealous.
That might have been the highlight of the entire trip.
Yes! One of my favorite activities. We used to go as kids to Red Reef Park, just a few minutes from the old neighborhood, and I had recently rekindled my love for it in Nicaragua last year, and more recently in Cabo this past May. Both awesome, but none came close to how amazing the snorkeling was in Maui. It was mind-blowing.
While there are tons of tours and charter boats you can take to the so-called best snorkeling areas, we had our guide Ben with us, who took us to a remote beach near Makena in the southern part of the island. After a quick hike over some rocks we hit a nondescript area of the beach, where Ben announced ok here we are. He scanned the surface of the ocean and smiled noting that there were no "white caps", meaning there was very little wind and we were in for some great snorkeling conditions. Alrighty
Upon diving in, and seeing the reefs below exploding with vibrant color and activity, I quickly realized that I was in for a real treat. It was outta this world.
Now, the reefs and fish are amazing, don't get me wrong, but that's not what we were there for. What we were really hoping to see down there were turtles. While spending time in Nicaragua last year I had really developed an affinity for these amazing creatures, capturing that in two separate posts: Tortugas Pt 1 and Tortugas Pt 2. Seeing one climb up onto shore and lay eggs for the first time was magical and then seeing those eggs hatch, and helping the babies down to the shore where they awkwardly marched their way into the sea was really something special. But I had not yet seen a turtle in its natural environment, casually swimming about. Maybe today would be that day ;)
After a bit of snorkeling about, I felt a nudge at my side and turned around to see Ben pointing at something. Based on the urgency with which he was motioning and making inaudible noises underwater, I had a feeling this was it, and it was! After a few moments of scanning the water, a murky, slow moving object came into view. Turtle!!
Wow, the first thing I noticed was how graceful it moved underwater, as if it were in slow motion. Ever so slowly moving his flippers, peacefully moving through the water with a calm, sort of dazed look on his face. Haha it was so freaking cool!! As we gained proximity he finally took notice of us and decided to flee, although we discovered we could actually swim about as fast or faster than he could haha. So we followed him around and after a few minutes he just resumed going about his business. At one point, I was observing him from about 10 meters away and he decided to swim straight at me. I remember thinking to myself is this massive creature gonna ram right into me?? Should I be scared right now?? Lol, but he veered to the side at the last second. A truly incredible experience.
After about an hour or so the winds picked up and the water started to become choppy so we made our way back to the entry point. As we made our way home, reflecting on what an amazing experience we just had, unfortunately I couldn't help but feel a small bit of regret for not bringing my GoPro camera with us to capture what would have been some really incredible moments.
Sharing that sentiment on Facebook
Fortunately though I would get my chance, because for as much fun as we had that day, we were all pretty keen on going again the next day. So the next morning, armed with my GoPro camera and hoping for the best, we made our way back into the water, and this is what we got :)
Talk about getting more than you bargained for!! Hoping to just get to see one turtle that day, we ended up seeing five or six, the biggest of which swam right up and posed for the camera!!!
For those couple of hours, we had the privalage of swimming alongside these amazing animals, and getting to appreciate them up close, which to me was priceless.
Needless to say, we were all quite giddy coming out of the water that day, and I captured some of the most amazing footage my camera, or my eyes for that matter, have ever seen.
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