New Favorite Workout

On Friday I decided to travel light and do some jogging at the crater instead of loading up my day pack and donning my boots. I put on my trail runners, shoved some shot blocks in my camel back and left my fleece at home. I still had ear muffs, a hat, glove liners and plenty of layers. I headed towards my usual supply trail at Hosmer Grove but it was pouring down rain, not good conditions for running considering the slippery rocks on that trail. Instead I kept driving to the summit and beyond to the Skyline trail where it was perfectly clear. I have only hiked this trail part way from the bottom up leaving from Poli Poli. I never even knew where the trail started at the top. I consulted a ranger at the visitors center for directions, found out it was 20 degrees with the wind chill and headed out beyond the observatory to find the trail head.

Leaving behind the crowds of tourists and hulking, stinking buses I reached the edge of the National Park, left my truck at the side of the road by the Maui Space Surveillance System (kind of creepy) and walked down the road onto state land. The down hill slope on the cinder jeep trail just makes you want to run, especially when you're trying to stay warm. I jogged slowly, careful not to turn an ankle on the loose chunky lava or slip on icy frost patches in shady spots of the stark terrain. Wind howled at my back. Layers of cottony clouds covered most of the ocean, distant patches of blue with white caps showing through in spots, the tips of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Kilauea pushing up through the blanket. Once I dipped down about a mile on the trail I lost all connection to civilization besides the road. The observatory was no longer visible. The side of the mountain as far as I could see was brownish red and black cinder, some green visible down close to the ocean. Golden tufts of grass intermittently poked up through the lava.

When I turned to go back up the trail I was buffeted by the head wind and I was confronted with the sight of how steep this grade actually was. No wonder it was so fun running down. I slogged my way up, running and walking back to my truck, high on endorphins and the beauty of the place. I love that I saw no one the entire time I was up there. I love that it was cold and brilliantly sunny. I loved the noise of the wind roaring down the side of the mountain. I've found another reason to love Haleakala.