When most people think of traveling to the Hawaiian Islands they think of days spent on the beach, basking in the warm sun, tan bodies, expensive meals, and just melting into the sand. However to us, our ideal version is…well….a little bit different. It seems now when we travel we do so in an effort to look upward, instead of outward. Where the great beyond is no longer the horizon, but the wind and clouds swirling in skies above. So descending onto the island of Maui, with my wife by my side, and a paraglider on my back we are ready to experience the island in our own way!

My good friend Clark and his wife put together this trip, and we feel lucky to have been invited to experience Maui with two of the nicest people on the planet.

After a great morning of flying through the warm, thick air and greenery of Maui it was all smiles, but we knew why we were really here. The ultimate goal of this trip is to fly from the summit of Haleakala Volcano (10,023 ft) all the way to the Pacific Ocean (0 ft), some 15 miles away. After unsuccessfully hooking up with a local pilot, and seeing a small weather window now closing, it was clear things were not going our way. It is often in times like these it is imperative that you do not give up hope. As a matter of plain good luck, we happened to bump into two of our pilot friends from Salt Lake City who were on the island and also willing to give it a go. Several phone calls later, talking and consulting with local pilots, we were armed with the required permissions, information, and the green light needed to make this once in a lifetime flight happen.

We wake at 4:00 a.m. to black skies. Radar images illuminating from the glow of our smart phones provides us vital data as we bump down the road towards the volcano. As dawn begins to break the sky is shrouded in high altitude clouds. Winds aloft are strong, but at least heading the right direction. We continue driving knowing that our weather window is getting smaller and smaller with each passing minute. Once at the summit, we hike to the designated launch site, stand on the hillside, faces smacked with a disheartening 20+ mph wind. Okay, we have done this before…it is not fun, but possible. After all that is why we are here. We lay out our wings in the steady winds now blowing across the sharp lava covered hill. I am used to this type of strong crosswind right?…..right! A deep breath…inhale nerves, exhale confidence. A quick tug of the lines and the glider shoots upward. A rapid control line input onto the left side of the wing pulls it straight. I turn, my feet leave the ground, and then I am up…going up. I fly out front waiting for the others to launch, but eventually I turn towards the ocean trying to eek out every bit of altitude I can. As I make my way from the volcano and across the valley, I am reminded how magical this sport is. To be flying over and thru the clouds, with no motors, no machine, just fabric is literally a dream. After several instrument checks on bearing, glide ratio, and ground speed, I emerge from the clouds at the edge of the ocean with 1200 vertical feet to spare. I play over the water, then glide thru the palm trees and into the beach side park of Kihei. VICTORY!

With our goal reached, we spend the remainder of our island days diving, swimming, surfing, driving, hiking, enjoying the culture, eating shaved ice, and of course flying almost every day from the upper benches of the volcano.  
We came to Maui with the goal to fly from the tip of a Volcano to the Ocean, and I feel blessed to have been granted success in that goal. Although the flight only lasted about 45 minutes, in the smoothest, and calmest air I have ever felt, it will go down in history as one of the coolest, and most surreal flights I have ever had. You mean you didn’t sit on the beach, read a book, and have Barbie spritz you with tanning oil? Nope. We did eat lots of Cheetos though.

Special thanks to our wives for driving us all over the island. Thanks to the local pilots for pioneering, and establishing these wonderful sites and for getting us the permissions needed. Thanks to Proflyght Paragliding for letting us come, fly, and film on their mountain. Maui is truly an inspirational place to fly a paraglider.
Cheetos anyone?