This post has definitely taken longer to post, and is not as complete as I would like it to be, but on November 8th I summited my 7th U.S. high point.
It was definitely the most amazing one yet, I was in Hawaii visiting my sister so I took the opportunity to climb Mauna Kea. At 13,796 it was by far the highest, and it was also the first mountain I climbed alone. I woke up at about 4 AM so I could drive to the visitor’s information center to view the sunrise above the clouds.
The hike to the summit is about 5 miles, and also starts from the visitor’s center, which is where it’s recommended to spend at least a half hour before summiting to become acclimated to the oxygen at those elevations. It worked out well that I could watch the sunrise while acclimating, and then begin my hike by 6:45. The hike gets steep at times, but it is just a hike, not really any scrambling required.
I summited by 11:45; not a bad time considering how often I stopped to admire the views, catch my breath, and just relieve the pain in my knee that’s become standard for long hikes. The temperatures at the summit were in the low 40s, and the wind was at least 14 mph. I never could have imagined standing in Hawaii and being as bundled up as I was.
Since my knee was hurting I decided to walk down the road so I could hitch if my knee got too bad. I got about 3 miles down (the road is 8 miles) before someone stopped and volunteered a drive tot he visitor’s center, at that point I was more than happy to take it.
I can honestly say Mauna Kea is one of the most amazing places on earth, I drove back the next day to view the sunset from the summit and then to view the stars. At night they setup telescopes at the visitor’s center, and give a guided tour of the stars. It’s above the clouds and clear 340 days out of the year. Everything about the mountain is awe inspiring, second only possibly to hiking up to the lava flowing into the ocean.
Mauna Kea Album
