New Years Day

New Years Day was Originally Posted on January 2, 2012 by lavarock

With the dawn of a new year, I took a look at the summit of Mauna Kea, via the webcams. Guess what I found?

We still have a bit of snow and clear skies. A “boatload” of people are upm there at 1pm, I assume making snowballs from the dwindling snow. For them there is no ball game or hang over. You would know that had you ventured up there before.You drive perhaps an hour or two (depending upon where on the island you start) and drive partway acroxss Saddle Road, the road between two giant volcanos, mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Then you take a winding road up to about 9,000 fet where you must stop and acclimate your body t othe altitude. Even though there is rock and few plants, the ride is wonderful and the air pretty crisp and clear. At the welcome center you are reminded just how high up you are when you step out of the car. You rolled the windows up a long way back and now you are really really cold!

As you watch the videos, have a cup of coffee and browse the cramped gift store, you see many items that tell you how special this area is. Just feet from where you stand are endangered plants, seen only here and on Maui. You learn how the Hawaiians feel about this sacred place and how it was formed.

After an hour or so you can ascend the last 4,000 feet or so. By not acclimating yourself to the altitude you would have probably gotten terrific headaches, eye pain and felt very sick. Altitude sickness can quickly be solved by immediately heading to a lower altitude. Luckily from where you are, it is ALL DOWNHILL. You will have to drive carefully as it is cinders part of the way, only room at times for one vehicle and no guardrails. People coming up have the right away, as they probably have their foot all the way down on the gas pedal to get that 20 mile an hour speed they are zooming along with.

If there is snow, there will be skiers and it is very dangerous because under the snow is rock, not that wimpy grass and dirt other skiers rely upon. This is manly skiing!

At the top you will see a number of observatories looking to the heavens. They will generally be closed when you are there for the same reason flying a space ship to the sun must be done during the sunlit day.

The top of Mauna Kea is above the clouds most days of the year, however going down the mountain at night may land you in fog and rain. The people who work at the observatories are not allowed to lock their vehicles. It is very easy for the moisture to pick up and cause icing in the car door locks. Workers are not allowed to work outside alone because of the altitude, lowness of oxygen and possibility to get hurt and no one will know. The absolute closest medical help is 4,000 feet below and that is quite limited. The person would have to be taken to Hilo, perhaps an hours drive or more away.

By standing at the summit you may realize that ancient Hawaiians would come her to pray to their gods. They walked and there was no road. It gives a whole new meaning to Sunday morning chuch service (not that the Hawaiians came every week, but it is still a sacred place.

A few years ago a mainlander parked his car at the welcome station and set off down a path to explore. It started snowing and a serch party was formed. As conditions got worse, they sent helicopters to look for him. They took his rental car back down the mountain and he has not been found since. This is not a place to casually hike!

We still have far too many cases here in the islands where people come and expect it is Disney land. They turn their backs to the ocean and are inattentive around waterfalls. Even local have been swept out to sea after slipping on rocks while fishing.

There are places in Florida like Key West, where I think you can walk quite far int othe ocean and still be standing on sand. here on our island the ocean floor pretty quickly drops to 20,ooo feet pretty quickly.

Anyway, that is a bit about life here in the new year.