Wailee Ridge trail, Maui, HI, 2/23/19

On the walk to the trailhead, we had our first of many sightings of a cattle egret.  

Set off panoramic view of west Maui at the top of Wailee only to find that the parking lot at the trailhead was completely full.  Had to drive to the overflow parking one mile down hill. This added an additional mile to our hike each way.  First 2 miles meandered steadily uphill through conifer forest including stately Norfolk pines.

The trail then opened up to gorgeous views of the valley to the east,


 
and to the ocean on the west. 

 

 We had been advised to go early as clouds move in and obstruct the views by late morning. Given our extra mile of hiking to reach the trailhead from the overflow parking, it was past 11 am when we reached open spaces. Just a bit further up, we found ourselves in fog and a misty rain. With limited visibility, we decided to turn back.  Total hike: 4.3 miles, ~1200 ft elevation.