#11 – watch the sunrise at haleakala

4:30am on black friday, yet the plan was to head as far away from the malls as possible. in fact, tawny, christy, matt and i  headed up to 10,000 ft elevation to watch the sunrise over haleakala crater so that i could check one more item off my list. (what great friends i have, right??)

as tawny navigated the hairpin turns heading to the summit, the sky got lighter and lighter and each of us silently wondered if we’d make it before the sun came up, but no one dared to say it out loud. “maybe it isn’t up yet,” christy offered hopefully. matt, who fell asleep soon after we picked him up, was the only one oblivious to the rapidly lightening sky.

just before we reached the parking lot, we thought we could see the sun peeking through the rainclouds and tawny, in her excitement, wondered if we should pull over. luckily, we decided to just drive up the remaining road and parked in the first available stall, then sprinted to the railing overlooking the crater.

the sun wasn’t out yet! we were all so happy to have made it. so of course, christy and tawny set their sights on the highest point of the lookout and up a rocky path. the two sprinted ahead while matt and i made our way slowly up behind – i don’t know how they did it because i was winded just taking a walking pace up with less oxygen in the atmosphere at the summit!

eventually we caught up to them, perched on the edge of a rocky outcropping overlooking the crater. it was seriously the best view in the house! we all huddled together in the cold and peered out into the hazy mist. i felt like i was holding my breath in anticipation!

best spot in the house!

“there it is! it looks like a little fingernail,” christy said and we all turned to see the tiny sliver of orange sun peeking through the clouds. it did indeed look like a fingernail! haha. we all ooh-ed and aaah-ed and snapped pictures with our cameras and cell phones, but eventually settled back to watch through the lenses of our own eyes. what an amazing sight…

now i can check off #11!

so happy tawny could join us!

as the sun crept higher, i suddenly found myself sweating in all my layers, so i got to take off the down jacket and turtleneck i’d needed just minutes earlier. we all watched in awe as the clouds quickly moved up the crater, allowing for some amazing photos and lunar landscape views…

simply breathtaking

it's almost surreal that landscape like this exists on a tropical island, right?

just as quickly as they’d left, the clouds started rolling back in and we decided it was time to head back to the car. as we walked around the park grounds, i was able to reflect on just how lucky i am to have such amazing friends in my life. they’re there to support me whenever i dream up these crazy goals or plans and they are always ready for the next adventure. i am truly a lucky, lucky girl.

#11 – check! next up… maybe stand up paddleboarding tomorrow? we’ll see… but today was definitely a day to remember and be thankful for…

morning dew on a silversword

for more information on visiting haleakala national park for sunrise (or sunset), visit the national park service’s official website

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