HIGH POINTING BY TOUR BUS
Somebody's already thought of that, too?

Our Globus Hawaii 4-island trip concluded with Maui which included a bus trip to Haleakala Nat. Pk. and the Visitor Center at 9740ft. This, I learned, was 283ft. and 1mi. short of this shield volcano's summit, Pu'u'ula'ula, 10023ft., the high point of Maui.

"So, the bus doesn't go that far," I asked our ever-grinning, island-knowledgeable HI native bus driver. "So, how can I get up the remaining mile to the summit?" Suddenly he was helping another rider down the bus stairs, then another. He half-turned toward me, stopped grinning, and said we had a 30 minute stop at the VC, my time to do with as I pleased - 30 minutes. I quickly spotted our tour guide and briefed him. His eyes glazed over and I was gone into the 9740 cloud we'd driven into, visibility about 50ft. I checked my watch: 1010AM. Mustn't miss the bus!

My calculating brain switched to quantum as I jogged from the parking lot to the main road which traveled the remaining 283ft.elev. Before I reached it a white SUV appeared. I stuck out my thumb. Are they going up or down? What luck, it was a NPS vehicle: two native 20-ish ranger cuties. "No," they couldn't take me up, policy, but the view would be the same one reminded me. Duh. Mahalo (the HI thank you) and never mind....

Starting uphill, I assumed the hitchhiker walk-backward gait. Tricky business in this muck, dressed in shorts, sneaks, and a light jacket. It was cold, windy, my glasses coating with cloud-stuff, and the air, thin. I was either going to get a ride or get hit by one. Then, ha! I snagged the 4th car, a nice retired couple from Phoenix. I quickly explained my dilemma and, no, I wasn't a high-elevation carjacker cleverly dressed as a dopey tourist.

Of course, it was colder and windier on top, my estimate: high 30's wind chill and gusting to 50mph. And, those NPS gals had it right, yup, no view here, nuther. A stone stairway leads to a glassed observation hut on the summit. A young couple there, the 2nd car I think, recognized me as the green-jacketed thumber and apologized for not stopping . They took my summit picture and I, theirs. Lest I lose it to the Pacific Ocean, I'm pictured anchoring cap to head. The fuzz is the cloud.

The AZ couple wanted to get outta there, too, and gave me a ride back to the bus. I checked my watch: 1027 - 17 minutes up and back - all right! When he saw me, the bus driver did his grin. The tour guide frowned. Clients taking over the Globus protocol? Not good for them but fruitful for me in the scheme of Do-It-Yourself High Pointing By Tour Bus. Think it'll catch on?