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Due to the presence of winter snows on the top of this massive volcano, the
native Hawaiians called this peak Mauna Kea or "White Mountain" in their native tongue.
The seasonal snows that give the mountain its name are incredibly ironic given its fiery
birth. Like the other peaks in the Hawaiian Island chain, Mauna Kea was born at the bottom
of the ocean on a "hot spot" beneath the Pacific Plate. It rose higher and higher with
effusive lava flows piling on top of each other, eventually becoming the tallest mountain
on Earth (measured from its base). The forces of erosion will eventually grind Mauna Kea
down, and Loihi, a new island-to-be currently ~1000m under water, may, in a few hundred
thousand years, eclipse its height.
In our own time, there is even a chance that nearby Mauna Loa, "Long
Mountain" may eclipse its currently higher neighbor. The Big Island is currently sinking at
a slow, albeit steady rate due to the massive amount of magma that keeps welling up within
the bowels of the island. Since Mauna Loa is still active, in that magma continues to cause
its summit to swell and grow, there is a very slight probability that it could grow higher
than the current highpoint. Mauna Kea, though not extinct, is in a dormant period where
continued magmatic growth is extremely unlikely.
While it is a very accessible mountain in summer, winter storms can dump
feet and feet of snow on the summit, leaving the road inaccessible. During such times,
snowshoes and crampons can be necessary, though, the observatory complex owns and maintains
snowplows to clear the roadway; after a big dump, the route should be clear within a few
days.
There is a trail up Mauna Kea, beginning at the Onizuka Vistior Center,
though few people make the climb given the acclimatization difficulty on this island. It is
recommended that people intending to drive to the summit stop at the visitor's center
(~9000') for 45 minutes to an hour in order to allow the body some small chance to adjust.
Pu'u Wëkiu - North Slope (I, 1.0)
Trailhead: 4,200m (13,780ft)
Summit: 4,207m (13,803ft)
Vertical Gain: 80m (263ft)
Distance: 0.8km (0.5mi)
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2005.02.08 - Carol has always said that she would come with me to
climb the highest point in Hawai'i; I don't think its so much about the mountain, but the
island that the mountain is on. We originally intended to go for an anniversary somewhere
down the line, it just turned out that "somewhere down the line" was our 2nd. Based on
business trips and other mileage points, we could afford to fly for free, which took a big
chunk out of the cost. After talking about it, we decided to go during Carol's winter
break, the first week of February.
Since we had the entire week, the plans for visiting Mauna Kea were
pretty loose. After working out the Ash Wednesday schedule, the final decision was to go
during a clear weather day, preferrably Tuesday, on the way to Hilo. Every morning, we
were able to go out onto the balcony facing mauka to see what the conditions looked like.
The observatories were even visible from our room just above sea-level!
On Tuesday morning, the forecast was good for the center of the island
as well as Hilo, so we decided to go for it. The Chevy Trail Blazer we rented from Avis
could definitely handle the Pikes-Peak-like road, and after looking over the rental
agreement, the was nothing specifically prohibiting driving on Saddle Rd. or the Mauna Kea
Access road. We got a pretty early start so that we could take some time to acclimatize for
our 0' to 13,803' change in elevation.
The views from Saddle Rd. were spectacular. Wildflowers were in bloom all
around, and even on the lower portions of the mountain, it looked like spring was
everywhere. As we drove higher, the vegetation changed from prarie to desert to sub-alpine.
It was quite strange looking at evergreen trees on Hawai'i! As the pavement petered out,
Carol and I reached the Onizuka Visitors' Center where we got out to stretch our legs,
change clothes and look around. Being interested in astronomy, many of the exhibits were
really interesting. After reading all about the observatories, the clear skies and some of
the discoveries that had taken place here, we decided to start the drive up the higher
slopes of the volcano.
The dirt road was made of very loosely consolidated dirt and ash which
liked to let the tires swim around the corners; when the dropoffs weren't too severe and no
one was coming, I made a few drift turns to Carol's dismay. As we went higher and higher
rock turned to snow, and eventually we were left with an enormous field of white with the
road providing the only contrast. The views of Mauna Loa were amazing! The slope started to
ease and soon the first of the observatories came into view. The now paved road
switchbacked ever upward as we started noticing large chunks of ice on the asphalt. Not
thinking anything about this, we blindly continued until a barrage of these huge missiles
started raining down from above. I swerved and sped up avoiding almost all of them as the
careened rapidly down the flanks of Mauna Kea. After the "storm" ceased we looked up to see
a snow grinder clearing the ice from the side of the road up above us. Extremely annoyed
that the crew didn't bother to check if anyone was coming or even put up a sign, I shot
them a dirty look as we drove past. I think they realized what had happened.
After the icefall experience, Carol and I soon parked at the base of Pu'u
Wëkiu's north slope. We took along the bare essentials, which included a healthy dose of
SPF 50, and made our way up the snow slope to Mauna Kea's summit. I was pleasantly
surprised that the altitude didn't present either of us with any real problems. We both
were breathing a little harder than normal, but that was entirely expected given that we
had been sleeping at sea level for the past few days. I noticed that from our vantage
point, the curve of the Earth's surface was visible looking almost 14,000' down to the
"flat" ocean surface. Carol took a few pictures of this phenomenon before we took our last
few steps up to the top. We had the summit entirely to ourselves for pictures, but before
very long a few other groups made their way up. As the crowd started to grow, we elected to
head back down for the beaches and zoo on the Hilo side of the island.
As we descended, we stopped for more photo ops and took our time enjoying
the Hawaiian snow. The road leading to Hilo was much smoother than the Waikoloa - Mauna Kea
leg, and before we knew it, we found ourselves in Hilo where the mercury was back up into
the mid 80s. Where else can you go from 28F to 82F in the span of an hour?!?
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Sunrise from our hotel
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The snows of Mauna Kea from HI-200
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Mauna Loa rises above the evergreens
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Desert-like lower slopes
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Driving above the clouds
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Snow-capped cinder cones
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Mauna Loa seen on the ascent
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Hualalai pokes above the clouds
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Pu'u Wëkiu from the observatories
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Note the curve of the horizon behind the intrepid climber!
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Carol and I near the altar on the summit
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Summit Benchmark
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Carol prepares to head back up to the car
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