Hawaii Adventure – Day 10

Day 10 began with a 1:30am wake up call to embark on the 90-minute journey to the summit of Mt. Haleakala. Our goal was to beat the crowds of sunrise seekers. The night before, Chandler had prayed that we would be “blown away” by our experience. Now, I have often witnessed how God, over the years, has honored Chandler’s prayers. So many times, I have seen Him answer her with a resoundingly clear “yes”. In retrospect, perhaps she should have prayed more specifically this time.

At 5,000 feet in elevation, we began to notice our van swaying under the force of increasing wind gusts, coupled with a 20 degree temperature drop. By the time we hit 8,000 feet, it was apparent that the winds were unusually strong, which is particularly disconcerting when driving a steep and unfamiliar switchback road in complete darkness. But by the time we reached the 10,000-foot summit, the conditions were downright frightening. Straight-line winds had reached 45mph, with gusts up to 55mph. It is the first time I have been pushed by wind such that I literally glided across the pavement with my feet never lifting off the ground. At 3:00am, we were the second car to arrive at the summit, and as I made eye-contact with the other driver, our cars rocking violently in the howling darkness, I knew we were both wondering the same thing: which of our vehicles would be blown over the edge first! The park ranger let us know that if the winds increased by just 5mph, he would close the park and send us home. With 2 1/2 hours to go until sunrise, we were no more hopeful that we would be permitted to stay, than we were convinced we were safe to do so. In fact, when we asked the ranger that very question, his response was concise: “No ma’am, we are not safe”. Additionally, he advised us that the wind chill had dropped to exactly zero! For the many guests beginning to arrive in shorts and t-shirts, this was especially bad news. 

Often, it seems we find ourselves in places where we are so out of our element, or in such extreme or unfamiliar circumstances, that we just literally do not feel safe. Uncertainty of the outcome will either lead us to flee the mountaintop, or to choose to be faithful and trust God for the best result. As you look at the photos and video that follow, you can decide for yourself whether we made the right decision. (We left the audio track on the video so you could hear the howling wind).

Our Haleakala experience was so special, that we will let it stand-alone for this post. To say the very least, we were most definitely blown away. Tomorrow, we’ll be posting Part 2 of our Day 10 adventure!

By the time we got down the mountain at 8:30am, we had already put in a seven-hour travel day. With the eventful sunrise experience completed, we decided to stay in the “upcountry” area around Haleakala and explore some of the lovely countryside. We were all very hungry and so we made our way to the Kula Lodge for breakfast. In addition to exceptional food – including a delicious local dish called Loco-Moco consisting of rice, ground beef, brown gravy and fried eggs – we were treated to a stunning rainbow that seemed to literally begin right outside the beautiful picture window that spanned the length of the restaurant.

Afterward, we walked down to the lodge’s lower floor and strolled through the Curtis Wilson Cost Art Gallery and adjacent gardens. All in all, the perfect complement to our morning. While at Kula Lodge, Jeff received a text from our resort to let us know they had decided to upgrade our room for our last two nights in Hawaii. More on that tomorrow. For now, enjoy these stunning pictures, taken mostly by Chandler Morgan Photography, of our time in the Upcountry.

It was a full and blessed day indeed!