Vulkan Haleakalā

The volcano was not far from our holiday destination. However, the journey was quite long because we had to drive many curves (switchbacks) again 🙂 to reach the height of 10,023 ft (3055 m) from 43 ft (13m).
There are warning signs that there is no petrol or food on the volcano and the nearest doctor is at least 45 minutes away.
The temperature steadily decreases, so at the top of the summit, when the sun slowly sets, icy wind blows and it is only about 0 degrees. We came prepared and wore a sweater and a thick jacket over our T-shirts, and sometimes even wore double layers on our legs. The hood was also very helpful. Sturdy footwear is also recommended. My fingers froze while taking pictures because of the icy wind. I saw people up there wearing shorts and flip-flops. They were trembling quite a bit. 🙂
The volcano is very large, so we couldn't really see the crater. I think we were standing right in the middle of it. It is 49 square miles in size and the last eruption was in 1790. There are many volcanic cones. The observatories are located at the highest point, but unfortunately, they cannot be visited. Mick and I were looking for lava stones as souvenirs. However, at the airport, we learned that it is bad luck to take them from Hawaii, so we left them there. Not to mention the fine that we might have had to pay, which would have been in the four-digit range.
The highest parking lot only has 25 parking spaces, so it is recommended to arrive early; otherwise, you have to walk the rest of the way up. This is quite strenuous at such an altitude.
We waited with the other people sitting for the sunset. It was a wonderful play of colors as we were above the clouds, and they reflected the light in various ways. We also saw a rainbow.
The sun slowly set, and it was not suddenly pitch black as I had expected. It kept shining for a while below the clouds, so we could still see the road down quite well. There are no guardrails up there, and the abysses are quite deep.
It was definitely worth it to experience the lunar landscape and the sunset up there. High up, in a somewhat unreal world where only a few plants like the silversword grow and there is only one species of animal, the nene. It was definitely worth the effort. 🙂