We made a return trip to Hawaii this spring. I had hit up national park sites last year so this year I set my sights on the Hawaii highpoint. This would be #40! There is a hiking trail to the top which starts at 9,200', but you drive to that elevation from sea level in about 1-2 hours, depending on which side of the island you are coming from. Getting out and ascending another 4,000'+ is not for the faint of heart. Holly was with us for this highpoint so we rented a 4-wheel drive vechile in Kona and opted to drive the summit road instead.

Anyone in any vehicle can drive up to the visitor center. The road isn't terribly steep and it is well maintained. Everyone is required to stop at the visitor center for a suggested 30 mins to allow your body time to acclimate to the thinner air. If you are in a 4-wheel drive vehcile you can elect to continue on to the summit after the requisite 30 minutes. A ranger will interview you at the gate to make sure everyone in your party is feeling OK and to make sure your vehicle is properly equipped for the drive up and back down. Portions of the summit road are not paved and are a lot steeper than the road leading up to the visitor center.

After our stop at the visitor center, and purchse of souviniers, we headed up the volcano. The visitor center quickly became a small speck as we drove in and out of cloud layers. The road was better maintained that we were anticipating -- though portions are quite bumpy and felt like we were driving over a washboard. The summit was above the clouds and we could see out all around us but we couldn't see down to the land or ocean -- all we saw was a sea of clouds. The winds were also very strong and the temperature was mid-upper 40s. We lingered long enough for pictures at the sign in front of the true cinder cone summit and hopped back in the car. The true summit is a Heiau, or native Hawaiian temple, and considered disrespectful to visit unless you are of native descent.

Mauna Kea is also home to many telescope observatories because of its great location (well away from light pollution) and its elevation (40% less atmosphere to look through). It was really neat to see all of the observatories dotting the martian and barren volcano landscape.

Remember that trailhead at 9,200' that starts from the visitor center? There was a solo hiker at the summit that we met. She had done the hike (!) and was pretty spent and sore. We offered her a ride back down to the visitor center and she obliged with many thanks. She was from Britain and regaled us her tales in her accent. She was in Hawaii for a few months stint with her employer and she was taking in every opportunity she had to explore the amazing state.

#40 is in the books ... and sharing the highpoint with Holly and Steve was a great treat!