Haleakalā National Park
Excerpt from I Need to Get L'eid from the Teresa the Traveler series of books. We drove up the long winding road to the Park Headquarters Visitor Center and went for a short hike. At the top of the rocky trail we got an amazing view of the huge valley dotted with black cones formed as a result of the material from eruptions settling around the vents.
The temperature at the top of the crater was much cooler than at the bottom making me wish I had dressed warmer. In fact it was so cool that much to my surprise I found ice crystals on the trail. What the...? I though the only ice in Maui was the crushed stuff that kept my Mai Tai’s cool. Boy was I wrong.
There are lots of trails in the park offering hikes lasting from 30 minutes to as long as 3 days. Yes...3 whole days of hiking. This 30,183-acre park even has three primitive wilderness cabins only accessible by hiking or horseback. I would love to go on an overnight horseback adventure and visit the cabins. Maybe one day I will meet a handsome Maui cowboy who will make that dream come true.
We stopped in at the visitor’s center on the way back and I learned why it was so important to preserve this large piece of the island. According to experts, the Hawaiian archipelago is the most isolated major island group on Earth. After the islands were formed as a result of multiple volcanic explosions, life came in the form of seeds, spores, insects, spiders and small plants that hitched a ride with the migrating birds, drifted in the wind or caught an ocean current. Most land mammals and reptiles were unable to make the long journey and the ones that did were unable to survive on the islands. The surviving colonists found themselves in the land of opportunity. Without all those pesky predators, they were able to thrive. It is believed that around 2000 colonizing species of plants, birds and insects were able to evolve into 10,000 native species found only in Hawaii.
Unfortunately man eventually colonized the islands turned it into Paradise Lost for many of these endemic species. Humans not only altered the natural habitat to suit their needs, they also introduced foreign diseases and new species. The native plants and animals were extremely vulnerable to the rapid changes and many were unable to survive. Today around 20 alien species are introduced to the islands every year causing conservation managers to actively intervene in an effort to preserve the natural heritage.
The temperature at the top of the crater was much cooler than at the bottom making me wish I had dressed warmer. In fact it was so cool that much to my surprise I found ice crystals on the trail. What the...? I though the only ice in Maui was the crushed stuff that kept my Mai Tai’s cool. Boy was I wrong.
There are lots of trails in the park offering hikes lasting from 30 minutes to as long as 3 days. Yes...3 whole days of hiking. This 30,183-acre park even has three primitive wilderness cabins only accessible by hiking or horseback. I would love to go on an overnight horseback adventure and visit the cabins. Maybe one day I will meet a handsome Maui cowboy who will make that dream come true.
We stopped in at the visitor’s center on the way back and I learned why it was so important to preserve this large piece of the island. According to experts, the Hawaiian archipelago is the most isolated major island group on Earth. After the islands were formed as a result of multiple volcanic explosions, life came in the form of seeds, spores, insects, spiders and small plants that hitched a ride with the migrating birds, drifted in the wind or caught an ocean current. Most land mammals and reptiles were unable to make the long journey and the ones that did were unable to survive on the islands. The surviving colonists found themselves in the land of opportunity. Without all those pesky predators, they were able to thrive. It is believed that around 2000 colonizing species of plants, birds and insects were able to evolve into 10,000 native species found only in Hawaii.
Unfortunately man eventually colonized the islands turned it into Paradise Lost for many of these endemic species. Humans not only altered the natural habitat to suit their needs, they also introduced foreign diseases and new species. The native plants and animals were extremely vulnerable to the rapid changes and many were unable to survive. Today around 20 alien species are introduced to the islands every year causing conservation managers to actively intervene in an effort to preserve the natural heritage.
|
House of the Sun
Next we drove a few minutes up the road to the Haleakalā Visitor Center where we learned about the ancient priests who trekked to the top of the crater to meditate and receive spiritual wisdom. Haleakalā means House of the Sun and the rim of the crater is call Ala hea ka la meaning the path to call the sun. In ancient times, only priests were allowed to walk on the summit which belonged to the gods who resided all around the mountain. Haleakalā remains a sacred site for native Hawaiians who struggle to protect it from development. The view from the summit was incredible. On one side we could see the ocean and on the other we could see Magnetic Peak – named for its mild magnetic field caused by iron rich cinders. The field is strong enough to deflect a compass. The visitor center offered more information about the volcanic crater which is considered dormant and may explode again one day. We also learned about the Polynesians who first inhabited the islands. The crater was not only used for spiritual purposes, the ancients also went there to hunt and bury their dead. Cultural artifacts and burial sites are located within the crater and around the summit. In fact, throughout the park, ancient artifacts such as fishing hooks, octopus lures and stone tools have been uncovered. The ancients were very skilled in creating practical items out of stone, bone, wood and shell. The wind was picking up and it was getting pretty chilly so we hopped back in the car and headed down the hill. We noticed a large observatory complex beside the summit and stopped to read the sign before we left. |
The Haleaka Crater in Maui
|
The huge observatory on the top of the Haleaka Crater in Maui is used to study and monitor the objects we have in space
|
Haleakalā Observatories
The sign said Haleakalā Observatories and gave a little information about the site. The complex, nicknamed “Science City”, is an astrophysical complex operated by U.S. Department of Defence, University of Hawaii, Smithsonian Institution, Air Force, Federal Aviation Agency, and others. The Haleakalā Summit is one of the most sought after locations for ground-based telescopes because of the remarkable clarity, dryness and stillness of the air and because it is located above one-third of the atmosphere. The fact that there are no nearby major cities lighting up the night also contributes to the geographical importance of the location. While the US Department of Defence is interested in monitoring manmade space objects such as satellites and rockets, other researchers are interested in studying celestial objects. In 2008, the first Pan-STARRS telescope (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) went online with the immediate goal of discovering and characterizing earth approaching objects, both asteroids and comets that might pose a danger to our planet. Sounds like the premise for a Hollywood movie doesn’t it? That’s because it is. The 1998 sci-fi flick Armageddon, starring Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler, was about a group of NASA dudes who went into space to stop an asteroid from colliding with Earth. Since Earth was formed over 4.5 billion years ago, it has been hit by numerous asteroids and comets. It is believed by researchers who study the Earth’s fossil record these cosmic collisions were responsible for mass extinctions. A number of meteorite impact craters such as the Barringer Crater in the Arizona desert have been created by minor collisions. Are asteroids from outer space really something we need to worry about in light of all the other threats to the Earth such as oil spills, nuclear weapons and terrorism? I think a bunch of scientists wanted bigger telescopes to play with and the only way to raise that kind of money was to scare the public into thinking we could get hit by an asteroid. What a clever tactic. Look how much money was poured into the Iraq War in the search for “weapons of mass destruction”. Through the use of mirrors and a huge digital camera, Pan-STARRS will be able to capture images never seen before. The camera has about 1.4 billion pixels spread over an area about 40 centimetres square while a typical domestic digital camera contains about 5 million pixels on a chip a few millimetres across. As Crocodile Dundee would say “Now that’s a camera”. |
|
|
|
