What to wear - Haleakala Sunrise??

[TSUmom]

I have been to Haleakala before but it was 10 am and cool. Is it really that cold pre dawn? Would jeans and a sweatshirt be okay? I really don't want to pack a jacket and was wondering if maybe the layering like I did in Alaska will be enough.

[DALSAL]

I have been to Haleakala before but it was 10 am and cool. Is it really that cold pre dawn? Would jeans and a sweatshirt be okay? I really don't want to pack a jacket and was wondering if maybe the layering like I did in Alaska will be enough.

 

I went in July 2007. I had researched, and everyone said how freezing cold it is, and since Im very cold natured, I put on long johns,(top and bottoms), then jeans, then heavier cotton sweat pants, long sleeve turtle neck, sweat shirt over that, down jacket and had a light weight blanket. It was so cold, I could NOT stay out there! My hubby laughed at me and said, this is Hawaii, how cold could it be! He finally broke down and took a pair of jeans, and he could not believe it! He couldnt stay out there either.

 

Our tour guide picked up a couple from a hotel to join us, and they walked out with jeans and sweater on...he told them to go back inside and bring the blankets and comforter off the bed,and they laughed and said, its ok, we are from Chicago! The guide said, Im from NYC, just do it and you can leave it in the van if you dont need it...so they did...they were the only ones in our group that saw the sunrise. It was that cold.

 

Now,I will say, I am very cold natured. And, maybe it was unusually cold that July...dont know, but I couldnt do it again. I tried to find those warmers like Academy sells, but they didnt have that time of year,and I didn't go out of my way to try to find any...I think some of those would help..good luck!

[TSUmom]

Thanks DALSAL - I am hot natured and right now this Texas heat is miserable - I will take your advice because the last thing I want is to watch the sunrise from the van. As you know being a Texan cold weather gear is not really in my wardrobe since we have very few freezing cold days here. Better add to my shopping list, gloves and hand warmers, thermals, etc....sounds funny taking that stuff to Hawaii doesn't it?:)

[DALSAL]

Thanks DALSAL - I am hot natured and right now this Texas heat is miserable - I will take your advice because the last thing I want is to watch the sunrise from the van. As you know being a Texan cold weather gear is not really in my wardrobe since we have very few freezing cold days here. Better add to my shopping list, gloves and hand warmers, thermals, etc....sounds funny taking that stuff to Hawaii doesn't it?:)

 

I know..but,I was much colder on that Mountain than I was in Alaska! They have those little disposable warmers at Academy . I would have put one every where I could stick it! LOL

 

Everyone on the Alaska boards laughed at me because I took a down jacket. But, I was sure glad I did! It folded up to almost nothing,so it was not a problem. :D

[DALSAL]

Oh yes! I forgot to mention that I had on hat, gloves and scarf! :D

[sptrout]

Remember this easy formula: the temperature will decrease about 3 - 3.5 degrees for every increase of 1,000 feet in elevation (not including wind chill). This makes it easy in HI since all tourist leave their ship, or hotel, at sea level then go up to the summit which is just a few feet above 10,000. Therefore, expect it to be 30-35 degrees colder at the summit than when you stick your hand outside the door in the morning before departure. Do not forget the wind chill, it is windy up there!

[soxfan1495]

We went up to see the sunrise a few weeks ago. It was very cold... and also windy. The wind made it feel colder. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and a coat (normally good on cold autumn days in New England) and also a knit hat. My kids had blankets from the ship (call the front desk the day before and they will deliver blankets to your cabin. On the Pride of America, the blankets we were given were warm and a big help). Still, the kids waited for the sunrise inside the visitor's center. It was also rainy but miraculously cleared up in time for the sunrise.

[cb at sea]

Ditto....sunset is COLD! And, WINDY.....wear as much as possible....it's miserable being cold!!!!!

[Iwannabeatraveler]

We also wore one of everything known to man had hand Warner's,thermies, the whole nine yards and still froze! I also recommend those thermal are heat patches that helped a lot!

[chipmaster]

Haleaka for sunrise if you don't want to be watching from your car with th heater going you'll need more than layers.

 

Even though its the "tropics" the altitude will make for really cold. I'd have cap/hat/liner, gloves, handwarmers, and be prepared for 40' degree like weather and wind. get the picture :D

[hexdragon]

And when you get out of your car don't forget to look up. Unless you live way out in the boonies you will never see so many stars at once...

[TSUmom]

Thank you all for your replies - cold weather gear is now in the pack pile and will certainly make it into the suitcase:D

[PCWalton1]

I am from Seattle and I wore hooded sweatshirt, two shirts, hat, gloves, scarf, jeans. I was still cold, but just kept moving. I was with a group so that makes the waiting easier as there is comfort is freezing together. :D

I think part of it was we had been there several days and were getting use to the warm weather. And it was warm when we left the hotel in Kaanapali too.

If you are in a rental car it is fun to have one that reads the outside temperature. When we were at the summit it read as low as 34 (plus there is the wind). By the time we got back down the mountain to the hotel it read 82. :eek:

 

Bill

[Hawaiifrank]

It's been several years since I was there but everyone else is 100% right. It will be very cold before sunrise and even during the day it'll be chilly The morning we went we discovered that someone had broken into our rental car the night before and stolen the only thing we left in the car overnight...a bag with all of our shoes in it. :eek: We had only our slippers to wear after they took our shoes.

 

We lived on Oahu so we didn't really have any cold weather gear. Rubber slippers with socks and a blanket wrapped around us was the best we could do after our shoes were stolen. I don't know how cold it was but there was frost on the ground. There is, or was at that time anyway, a glassed-in shelter at the peak, a short walk up from the parking lot. It was still very cold but at least it blocked the wind.

[hexdragon]

There is, or was at that time anyway, a glassed-in shelter at the peak, a short walk up from the parking lot. It was still very cold but at least it blocked the wind.

Wasn't there also heaters in there? It was also rather crowded and everyone packed at the windows... We braved the cold and huddled in-front of the windows (blocking the view)

 

They stole your shoes??? :confused: :mad: