This is actually a cell phone photo of Haleakala but it is one of my favorites from my recent trip.

We woke up at 2:30 am to drive up 10,000 feet to the summit of Haleakala to see the sunrise and get THE photo. It was an amazing experience, despite freezing out butts off. It was maybe 35-40 degrees out but it was the windchill that was killer. I had on sweats and I was still cold. And by cold, I mean freezing. I would take a jacket or blanket and gloves next time.We spent about an hour waiting in the car for maybe 30 minutes watching the sunrise. We scoped out a spot where no one was gathering. Granted, we weren’t as high as everyone else but we were the only ones with this point of view. I took several photos with my cell and DSLR but this was my favorite. I love that you can see the top of my camera. I love the rays of the sun.

I had to stop taking photos because eventually I could not feel my fingers. They were beyond numb. When I got back to the car I struggled to work my tripod. I was frozen and wanted to get in the car but couldn’t because I had to get the tripod collapsed. It was almost comical.

I love being above the clouds. The feeling is just indescribable to be that high up. There is just something about Haleakala that draws me to it and feeds my spirit. I could spend hours on Haleakala and hope to be able to do the 11-mile hike into the crater someday. Haleakala is one of my favorite places on the planet. I think I could spend several days there and never get bored.

I was so happy with this experience that if I didn’t do anything else on this trip I would have been content. Haleakala is my muse.

What place inspires your soul?

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