Any Given (winter’s) Day on Mauna Kea, Hawaii
The winter storm had brought the temperature down almost enough to build a fire in the fireplace, a rare occasion at our 900 ft elevation home up Hualalai. It had dumped a ton of snow on Mauna Kea’s summit, Yeah! But the summit road is closed, Boo! (Message recorded at 9:30am), but should open later today. Yahoo!
It’s Christmas break and there are going to be lots of snowballs being pitched on the mountain. We round up the down jackets and ski gloved, a hat and extra socks to stuff into our running shoes, and fuzzy slippers for the ride back down. Yesterday was a spectacularly sunny day but the only way up the unploughed mountain was solely via snow mobile. Maybe the astronomers manning the telescopes have access to one, but I’ve never seen or heard of one on the Big Island. Alas, we wait impatiently for the “all clear” signal. A couple of hours later we get it and get going.
Rick and I set off in the Honda accord, my camera riding in the front seat just in case the mountain is showing off her new clothes early on the drive. The old girl is shrouded in clouds, but a truckload of snow is already passing us going in the opposite direction as we make our way up the newly paved saddle road bypass. The butterflies in our stomachs start flitting and we anticipate what lies ahead. We make the left turn up the Mauna Kea Mountain road. A long potty stop at the visitor’s center acts to acclimate our humanness to the elevation at 9000ft. The longer the wait the better. Like it or not, there are
consequences to climbing to 13,000 ft from sea level in just a couple of hours, yet anxiousness wins out and we climb into the back seat of Sean’s 4-runner, snowboard strapped into his surf racks up on top. Giselle sits shotgun with a Cheshire cat grin, her Kona knit cap and smiling eyes. I’m happily snapping pictures as we slowly wind our way up the unpaved switchbacks. There are already some retreating pick-ups loaded with snow and headed for the beach and an Island style snowball fight. There’s a covering of snow on the ground, jagged a’ a lava rock appear as a chain of islands in an ocean of white. Some very brave souls are sliding down even here on large Rubbermaid tub lids.
As we snake up the winding road another 20 minutes, we round a corner and the convoy goes bumper to bumper. Where did all these 4-wheel drives come from? Are there this many people even on this island? We’re talking traffic jam! We still have 4 miles to make the summit and the movement stops entirely! In typical ‘shaka brah’ style, no one seems to give a hoot except maybe Sean, who would rather not slalom the a’a and ski this firm yet wet snow pack. There are those who don’t mind hiking up the steep slope with snowboards, boogie boards, plastic platters and anything else that will slide. Snow angels are flyi
ng everywhere, snowballs wiz by in e
very direction, snow’kane’ are stacked and huge and still growing snow boulders are taking more and more friends to roll them down the grade. Shovels scoop a mountain of their own into pick-up beds hoping to have enough left for a neighborhood snowball bash when they get home. We throw some snow of our own at each other, and, other than my soggy feet, I’m quite warm. And then it happens. The sun peers through the clouds and it’s magic! The a’a island chains contrasts red cinder against its white blanket, shadows stretch long and weary in the late afternoon glow. Fog rolls in patches atop the summit sometimes exposing its baldhead, a smooth dome of perfect white. Bits of blue sky tease us, seeming laughing at us before hiding again behind its foggy curtain. Having had our superosity, we finally agree to retreat down the mountain, already trying to recall our calendars well enough to reschedule our next adventure up Mauna Kea. The truck heater cranks up, toes wriggle cozily into our lambs wool slippers – Mmmm. Ah nuts! We forgot the hot chocolate.
For those on the mountain with us, more images can be viewed at charlaphotography.com - Your Event - Password: anygivenday
