The night is cold, (46 degrees with a strong blowing wind). I don't know what the wind chill factor is. We are wearing summer shorts (mine are just thin athletic shorts), and T-shirts. It is an uphill climb in the dark, on the edge of the 10,400 ft high mountain. Our goal is the summit. But --- where is it? My hands are shoved as deep into my thin trunk pockets as they will go, my arms close to my body for warmth.

In the cold blowing wind and darkness of the mountains, we do not know how far away we are from the summit. We walk along the mountain cliff in the dark. It seems the temperature drops quickly as the sun gives way to this 'mountain darkness'.

Nephew Shane and I are in the tropical, warm (?) Paradise, of Maui, Hawaii, in the Haleakalā National Park.

Last night he said, "Be sure to wear swim trunks . We will go hiking and about mid-way of the hike we will have to swim across a pond then climb two ropes to continue the hike." To myself I thought, "I will just wear lightweight athletic shorts that will double for swimming and in the warm Hawaiian air they will dry quickly."

Haleakalā National Park is a national U.S. park located on the beautiful island of Maui in the 50th state of the U.S., Hawaii. The name Haleakalā is Hawaiian for "the house of the sun." The local legend says the demigod Maui imprisoned the sun here in order to lengthen the day.

The park covers 33,265 acres. Over 19,000 of the acres are wilderness. This place is alive with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture. The land also protects endangered species, some of which don't exist anywhere else.

One species, Nene (Hawaiian Geese) can be seen running along the ground as we hike to the crater . The nēnē died out entirely in the park at one point. But, in 1946 they were re-introduced with the help of the Boy Scouts. They carried young birds into the crater in their backpacks.

Because it is on a volcanic area, all of the plants and animals that are now present on the island were brought by pioneers or naturally (two thousand miles through the air or sea). Once the organisms got there, they went under strange adaptations to make the species unique.

More endangered species live in this park than any other national park in the United States.

Each morning visitors come to the summit of the volcano to watch the spectacular sunrise and more come each afternoon to watch the equally inspiring sunset.

As we looked down from the summit we could spot a massive depression. We are told it is 7 miles across and 2 miles wide. It is nearly 2,600 feet deep . The walls that surround it are barren-looking and there are volcanic cones scattered around. We will not be able to get access to this today but will be able to hike to another, smaller crater. We were to discover the awe inspiring beauty of the desolate volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest during our 10-hour hike.

Haleakalā is one of the best places in the United States for amateur astronomy and stargazing. At the top is an Observatory. People also come to look through binoculars and telescopes.

We drove about 45-50 miles to the mountain summit and arrived around noon. It was a long, scenic drive with many overlooks that presented amazing photo opps. On clear days you can see the ocean from the summit. Today the clouds will not allow it.

The clouds are low today. We drive through them on the way to the summit. The jaw-dropping views and changing scenes make the trip a snap.

Reaching the summit I jump out of the car . I try to jump back in. Shane had locked the doors as soon as I stepped out. The temperature at the summit is 56F with a strong wind. I look at other visitors with jackets and warm pants on.

Two main trails lead into the crater from the summit area: the Halemau'u and Sliding Sands trails. We hike the 'Sliding Sands Trail' down into the valley with volcanic craters all around.

The ground starts an immediate downward slope. The cold wind is still blowing. Strewn along the trail is jagged rocks and smooth "lava" pieces that came flying out of the fountains of fire thousands of years ago. It all makes enduring the cold wind worthwhile.

No trees, only desolate landscape. But, looking more closely there are subtle colors in the hills and rockslides. They reflect different tones from the various states of oxidation and erosion. There are red and green and black and brown and other colors emanating from the rock and crater sides .

We hike through the lava and cinder cones. It looks like a moon walk in places. I lift a small lava rock. I always thought lava rock was very lightweight, but this one is heavy. I look closely at the texture and the form it has taken as it cooled after being blown from the volcano.

Some of the lava has turned into fine, sand-like consistency. It reminds me of graphite. Other pieces are both large and small with all shapes and forms. It creates an awesome natural display.

We see small plants dotting the trail. The type of plant growing along the trail changes every so often. There is only one type of plant at any time on a certain sections of the trail. That seems very strange to me. One variety just stops and there is another, like they were planted by human hands in certain areas, but I know they were not. They are gorgeous. One of my favorites is a silver one called silversword .

The colors of the rocks seem to change as we move along. We guess maybe the sun or shade make it happen. But, they are different COLORS, not just shades, so we are not sure what causes the prism-like colors.

Every corner brings a different view. We take a long time because we each cannot resist stopping constantly for photos. The same craters look totally different as we look at them along different parts of our hiking path. We are both overwhelmed by this hike through this natural wonderland.

 By the time we reach the Kawilinau Crater we find it is at 7,234 feet elevation, which means we have hiked several thousand feet down from the summit. The crater is a 65 ft deep hole. There is a fence around it to keep you from getting to close and sliding in. I can see from the slope into it that once you started to slip there would be no stopping, nothing to stop your momentum . You would just slide until you hit bottom.

 We take photos, but in the photos it is just a hole in the ground. We can look down and see the inside but the camera does not capture it.

At this point our hike has lasted over 3 hours. It is getting late and we need to start back soon to get out before dark. The trail is rough in places and footing can be tricky. It is not a hike to do in the darkness.

We never reached the 'pond' to swim across with the ropes to climb out. I am not sure now there is even a pond. I am starting to think maybe the nephew just told me there was a pond to swim in in order to convince me to wear the least-warm clothing I have.

"It'll be the same distance", Shane insists after looking at his map. He wants to hike back a different route. There is a parking lot there according to the map. He insists hitch-hiking is common in Maui and we can easily catch a ride to the lot where our vehicle is parked . He does not know how far that is, though.       

"But", I insist, "what if when we get there no one will give us a lift? How far would we have to walk back to our car? If we return the same way we came, we know how long it will take and we will be at the car by dark."

He is sure getting a ride from that parking lot will not be a problem if we hike back the different route. He is an ex-marine, why should I doubt him?

Hours later (after failing to find someone at the parking lot to offer a ride) walking up steep switchbacks on the dark, isolated bone-chilling mountain road, I try to remember why I didn't question his plan more forcefully.

We had started our hike about noon. It was now after 7 P.M. After hiking up and down the mountain for 7 hours, our feet are developing blisters, adding to the discomfort of the night air. Every once in a while a car passes, but, with hiker thumbs extended, no one offers a ride . We continue the uphill climb one step at a time.

The hike back up the new route was awesome, though. It was a totally different landscape. Thousands of feet in elevation right on the mountains edge on a one person path. The switchbacks were tight and extreme, the views were to die for. Even without the photos (which just cannot capture the real beauty), I will never forget this hike. We were actually hiking through the clouds. In the photos it may look like fog, but it was clouds. My arms were damp with the mist of the clouds.

After reaching the parking lot, which was 7,000 feet in elevation (and no hope of catching a ride up), we started our climb up the next 3,000 feet in the dark, up the paved road. It got colder and darker and windier with each step, it seemed. But, those that know me know I am not one to complain about the cold.

After walking 4 miles (we clocked it in the car on the way back down), a couple in a car stopped to see if they could help . We explained the situation. I told them how he had chosen a route back that got us into this mess. Okay, not really. But, I wanted to. They offered to take us to our car at the summit. They were a marvelous couple that lived and worked here on the Island. They had passed us earlier as they were driving down and we were hiking up. They started thinking about the steep, cold climb we had and knew we had a long ways to go. They turned around and came back to check with us. That two mile ride they gave us was a god-send.

Once in our car, we turned the heater on and I took the shoes and socks off my blistered feet and stuck them under the car heater in the floorboard to thaw out. We kept the heater on almost all the way back home.

It was an amazing day. I loved it all (even the cold night hike . . . now that it is over).

Disclaimer: Shane insists he didn't promise me we would find a ride at that lot . But that's his story and mine says different. We are both sticking to our stories.

Shane's Rebuttal....lol......Uncle Larry is a great writer. He is very funny. But.....factually incorrect. There is to much to correct in the story in its entirety, but the hike that requires swimming is a different hike that I told him about and I told him to dress warm for this hike due to the chill factor at the top of the mountain. He refused to listen to me calling me a mindless jar head. Further more I told him that we would not catch a ride at the parking lot but that we would have to walk up the mountain to the summit which was about six miles up. Again, he refused to listen to reason. The end result was a once in a life time experience which I will alway remember and cherish. And, a trip we both insist on putting our own spin to......lol. Thank You Uncle Larry!!!!