Kona is famous for its sunny weather (plus sandy beaches and warm ocean waters). Hilo is known as one of the wettest towns in the US, with rain falling approximately 278 days out of the year. But on a positive note, with more than 130 inches of rainfall per year, Hilo produces gushing waterfalls; some of the most abundant in Hawaii.
Why am I talking about the weather? Because it was raining ALL day yesterday. We had breakfast, had a mellow day at the hotel, and then went to watch Deadpool 2 at the local theatre.
We had pre-booked a sunset tour to the Mauna Kea summit for today and we were worried that it might be pouring like it was in Hilo, or that there would be so much cloud cover, we wouldn’t be able to stargaze and that it would just turn out to be a waste of time and money. But the folks at Mauna Kea Summit Adventures assured us that the weather was sunny and clear, with great visibility and no chance of rain.
On our way to the Visitor Information Station
After dropping off our bags at our AirBNB in Honoka’a, we drove to meet the tour group at the Highway 190/Daniel K. Inouye junction. From here, it was a 40 minute ride to the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station at 9,200 feet (2800 metre) elevation, named after the Kona-born astronaut who died in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger explosion.
It’s recommended to stop here for at least an hour to help us to acclimatize to the change in altitude. And boy, were we starting to feel the altitude change at this elevation.
Going up in the coach van was fine. The views were absolutely gorgeous – ascending higher and higher above the clouds, with Mauna Loa on the right of us, Mauna Kea on the left. We saw red cinder cones, which are small volcanoes. Fun fact: geologists have identified nearly 100 cinder cones on the flanks of Mauna Kea. We drove past an old military training area, however, there are no troops stationed here anymore. We also drove by Moon Valley, where Apollo astronauts practiced driving their lunar rovers in the 1960s.
Feeling the effects of the altitude at 9,200 feet
But once we got out of the van and headed to the washrooms slash visitor centre, I felt like I was about to tip over on the inside, with every step I took. (similar feeling like whenever I travel and I’m sleep deprived and jetlagged). We were told move slowly, control our breathing and stay hydrated. It kinda felt like I was high.
I couldn’t even shop for souvenirs in the visitor centre because I felt discombobulated and suffocated by the crowds. Sean also felt the effects of the higher altitude. He was feeling spacey, with a slight hand tremor. He also felt breathless, walking from the van to the visitor centre; as if he hoofed it up a few flight of stairs.
After about 20 minutes, plus eating dinner the tour guide provided, I was feeling much better. One of the guides told me that it was normal to feel light-headed, and that it starts here at this elevation. He also told me that it affects everyone differently and you really don’t know if you’re affected until you’re here. And that some days, it’ll affect him, some days, it won’t. It’s varies from day to day.
He also told me that he’s hiked the 4,600 feet up (roughly 6 miles or 10 km hike) from the visitor centre to snowboard down in the winter. Wha?!?
On our way to the Mauna Kea summit
After the yummy three cheese, garden lasagna dinner and brownie dessert, we all got back in the bus and ascended slowly to the Mauna Kea summit. From the visitor centre, it’s a 30 minute ride. The eight mile summit road rises nearly 5,000 feet and is mostly unpaved. The last 3 miles to the top is paved, in order to limit any kicking up of dust and to encourage melting of ice.
Mauna Kea is Hawaiian for white mountain. It is the highest point in all of Hawaii, often covered in snow. In fact, at 33,000 feet, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on earth. Even taller than Mount Everest, when measuring from the ocean floor. And it is considered a most sacred site. It was only in since 1823 that Hawaiians allowed non-locals to go up there.
The first telescope on Mauna Kea was built in 1948. The remote location, clean air, stable atmosphere, minimal cloud cover (approximately 325 days/year are cloud free), and transparency of the atmosphere to infrared radiation make the summit of Mauna Kea ideal for astronomy.
Today, there are 13 working telescopes, and is the largest observatory in the world, as well as, earth’s premiere sky-watching site. It is here where international scientists work with an array of telescopes to peer into the universe and gather data. The twin globes of Keck I (built in 1993) and Keck II (built in 1996) have 4X the imaging power of the world’s next largest telescope, located in California.
The thing about the location is that at 13,796 feet (4205 metres), there is 40% less oxygen and 40% air pressure than at sea level. Mauna Kea is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to nearly 14,000 feet in about 2 hours, so altitude sickness is a real possibility. Children under 13, or people with high blood pressure, respiratory or pulmonary problems, pregnant or overweight are advised not to go beyond the visitor centre.
And because the air is so thin up there, only 4WD, low-range vehicles are permitted to drive the steep 12%-20% graded gravel road. The problem is not going up, but rather coming down from the summit. Overuse of the brakes on the steep slopes will result in overheating. Brake failure is the primary cause of serious accidents or deaths on Mauna Kea. It is not safe to descend the summit road in Drive (D). 4WD vehicles have improved traction and will offer higher clearance than 2WD vehicles.
Most car rental companies will not allow their vehicles to go up the summit. If you want to gamble and something happens to the car, you’ll face $1000 in tow charges, $1500 penalty from the car rental agency, plus any damage or write off to the car. Worst yet, you may be facing injury or death. Not worth the risk.
Which is why we booked a tour to Mauna Kea. (and you know how much I dislike tours)
Another good reason is that it’s highly likely you will get affected by the altitude and for reals, you don’t want to risk driving with impaired judgement. Let the professionals handle the driving.
Our guide even stopped off right before the summit, so we could get another perspective of the iconic Keck I and II, as well as, get a good look at the Subaru Telescope and Caltech Submillimetre Observatory.
From left: Subaru Telescope and Keck I and II
Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
From left: Gemini North, University of Hawaii, UK Infrared + UH Hilo telescopes
Feeling the effects of the altitude at 13,796 feet
When we got out at the summit, it was a little bit cold, but I was too excited to really notice. It helped that we donned on the arctic parkas and gloves, which are included with the tour. Again, we were advised to move slowly and remain calm at this altitude. Our guide told us that the day prior, a woman was running around, got separated from the group, and ended up having her legs give out from under her and fainted.
Side bar: the tour company carries oxygen in case anyone requires it. However, the best thing to do if someone is getting altitude sickness would be descend from the summit right away – no higher than the visitor centre.
For me, I was overwhelmed by what I was seeing. It was amazing to be up above the clouds and seeing all the observatories. I had wanted to do this for so long and here I was! Here’s a map on where all the observatories on Mauna Kea are located.
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)
W.M. Observatory – Keck I and II
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)
Subaru Telescope
Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)
Gemini North Telescope
My motor functions definitely felt slower at this elevation. The summit air is extremely dry. I had to really concentrate on changing the lenses on my SLR and being careful not to drop them, as well as, focusing the camera. Sean was feeling the exact same, while he took videos and time lapses.
And if I can get candid for a moment… all the water I had been drinking to stay hydrated was coming out like a firehose. It felt like my bladder was being squeezed and wrung out at this elevation. Longest pee ever.
Once sunset is over, all visitors at the summit must leave. Night comes on really quickly. Our tour guides drove down for 5 minutes and set up their Celestron CPC 1100 telescopes for some stargazing.
While we warmed up with hot chocolate and biscotti, we were shown celestial bodies like Venus and a binary system, which looked like points of lights, an impressive star cluster, Jupiter, and the moon to name a few.
Every time they showed us something different, it would take some time for the two telescopes to be calibrated with new coordinates. I was getting that ‘tipping over on the inside’ feeling again and a slight headache, so I opted to sit in the van after seeing the star cluster.
I wasn’t alone. Half our group went back to the van, while the other half stayed outside, peering through telescopes. Even our driver acknowledged that we’d have to descend soon, because we had been already up at the summit or near summit for a couple of hours now.
Upon our descent, we were able to see the eerie red glow that is Kilauea, off in the distance, due to the ongoing gas eruption of Halema’uma’u crater. It looked like Lord of the Rings‘ Eye of Sauron.
I started feeling instantly better as we drove back to the visitor centre, and then pretty much back to my old self, as we got closer to sea level. I felt clear, if a little tired. Sean, who was fine while he was stargazing, conked out during the descent. When we got back to our car, he was still feeling a little bit foggy and headache-y. We took our time driving back to our AirBnB in Honoka’a.
When I was researching what to expect when visiting Mauna Kea, the blogs I read did not mention (or left out?) how the writers physically felt. If they even were affected by the altitude. I don’t know if it’s because they’re frickin’ unicorns, or maybe it doesn’t make for a good read? Then again, it seemed like some of the folks on the summit were not as affected either. Or maybe they were, but we didn’t pick up on it, because our mental acuity felt diminished by the lack of oxygen.
Or maybe it’s because where we live is 465 feet (142 metres) elevation and that makes us complete wusses. Comparatively, downtown Vancouver is 13 feet (4 metres). I naively thought that being in Hawaii a few days before would get us acclimated to higher elevations: Kona’s elevation is 7 feet (2 metres), Hilo’s 59 feet (18 metres), Waimea’s 2,671 feet (814 metres), Honoka’a’s 994 feet (303 metres). Silly me.
Despite feeling the effects of the altitude change, I would encourage everyone who’s interested in Mauna Kea to go. You may not know beforehand how you’d feel, but it is worth the risk. Any minor symptoms of altitude sickness are temporary, but the experience of being up above the clouds is forever.
I want to see a sunrise event next time I’m in Hawaii. Maybe on Haleakalā in Maui?
View more photos of our trip on my Flickr album!
Hours:
Half an hour before sunrise-half an hour before sunset
Visitor Information Station – 12pm-10pm
Address:
Mauna Kea access road
Hilo, HI, 96720
GPS coordinates: 19.8208343, -155.470258
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