Saturday, April 28, 2012

Maui Diary 2 - Freezing at the Rim


The rim of the now-quiet Haleakala Volcano is at 10,000 ft. elevation, and if you factor in the fierce wind that blows up there, the temperature can easily drop below freezing, especially before sunrise, which is when we felt it.

We had packed our fleece jackets so as to be ready, and I wore gloves, hat, wool scarf. (I know, some of you are thinking, What? In Hawaii?) I instinctively stiffened up to withstand the buffeting, which made it hard to hold the camera or even smile for a picture. I could see with my eyes that the sunrise was lovely, but I couldn't enjoy it; I just wanted to go somewhere safe and warm.

Eventually we did sit in the car to eat a snack, while I wondered if I would feel old and decrepit like this from now on. We took pictures of the Silversword plant, which grows on Mt. Haleakala and nowhere else in the world.

My blood was moving about as fast as the atoms in the volcanic rock, but Mr. Glad wanted to drive further up the rim for more views. I stayed in the car.

A feeling of well-being did not return for quite some time, and it was flowers and trees that brought full restoration. That story includes lots of photos and requires all of the next installment of this journal, coming soon!

Silversword

5 comments:

Jeannette said...

If the landscape is a bit bleak, the weather difficult and danger lurking, one doesn't need to be "old" to resist a bit. You did get a lovely several photos and the adventure of it must be factoring in somewhere important...? Ah the tales you've lived to tell.

Beth said...

Cool!

Gumbo Lily said...

More beautiful photos. I especially loved the Silversword. Being comfortably warm has many factors, no matter where you are. I think humid places tend to feel much, much colder than dry places at the same temperature. I don't blame you for bundling up.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

It's hard to enjoy beauty when you're cold, it just is. I don't know it has anything to do with age, since I've felt this way since childhood.

Beautiful pix!

xofrances

Martha said...

A volcano, sunrise and sunshine but chilly...how wonderful! It reminds me of our trip June 2011 to New Mexico and Arizona, the desert was hot, but got quite cold at night.