The thing about sacred spots is that we can’t all be there

And here it is again: a part of Hawaii unlike any other place in the world being loved to death.

The National Park Service announced this week — some would say FINALLY announced — that action will be taken to try to manage the insanity of the sunrise crowds at Haleakala Crater.

Like Hanauma Bay, like Hanakapiai Trail and Kalalau Valley, like Maunawili Falls and Lanikai and the entire North Shore of Oahu when the winter swell is pumping, like Diamond Head Trail and Stairway to Heaven and Manoa Falls … (the list is longer than that but I’m getting sadder and sadder coming up with examples so I’m just gonna go with the ellipses to indicate an incomplete accounting) the best parts of these precious islands are being trampled by visitors eager to have a special, almost spiritual experience, and who, in their ardor, ruin anything reverent or pristine.

Even the National Park Service website speaks of Haleakala in conflicted terms.

“A Rare and Sacred Landscape,” the site proclaims. “This special place vibrates with stories of ancient and modern Hawaiian culture and protects the bond between the land and its people. The park also cares for endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else. Come visit this special place — renew your spirit amid stark volcanic landscapes and sub-tropical rain forest with an unforgettable hike through the backcountry.”

Wow. Rare and sacred, so everybody come on up! Talk about mixed messages.

But this week’s announcement is much more clear:

Beginning on Feb. 1, visitors wishing to view sunrise at Haleakala National Park will need to make reservations online. The reservation system went live on Dec. 1 and the cost is $1.50 per car.

If you’ve been up to Haleakala in the last five years or so, you know it’s as busy as Waikiki on a parade day or the University offramp when the Wahine are playing at the Stan Sheriff. Never mind protecting the bond between the land and its people. It’s clear that Haleakala needs to be protected FROM the perceived bonds of people, for so many venture to Haleakala — and all those places on that long, sad list — with the certainty that their spirit is being called to renewal in their very own special spot.

We all have that one Facebook friend who declares that the volcano or Poipu or Hanalei or wherever is THEIR spiritual base, which may be true, for who can judge another’s heartsong, but when that “all mine” belief is shared by hundreds of people a day, what you get is Ala Moana Center parking lot on Black Friday, which is alive and exciting but not exactly a spiritual renewal. (Or maybe it is if you’re that kind of shopper.)

This sunrise reservation system is a healthy dose of reality for a truly special place that has become an unruly free-for-all. It’s too bad that people can’t be counted on to be reverent in their clamor to find reverence.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.