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I have been wanting to go to Hawaii for some time, and what better thing to do there than climb mountains? I had this dream of climbing the highest peak in Hawaii and then going down and swimming in the ocean in the same day.
This was an amazing hike, and I highly recommend it- plus you get to go to Hawaii.
Route- high starting point from switchback area (see GPX file).
Length: 9.4 miles
Gain: 3,700'
Maximum Altitude: 13,803'
Sacred areas desecrated: 0
This hike is very unique compared to many CO 14ers. I planning my Hawaii trip around this, specifically with regards to acclimatization.
We flew in on 9/19, and on 9/20 I was climbing MK. I think doing it soon after was a good idea. We slept around 30' elevation, so going from sea level to 13,800' in about 5 hours is pretty weird for your body. We stayed in Kona. Mauna Kea from the plane
First off, this is just like climbing a 14er in Colorado, but also completely different. For one thing, there is no water anywhere on this mountain. It rarely gets snow, and when it does, it's not much. It's very dry, especially in the upper portions. There is no vegetation at all above ~10,000'. It doesn't look steep, but it's steep enough.
Also, it's quite massive. I'm not sure how it compared to Mt. Massive, but the summit area is huge and there are several sub-summits. From the top we could see Haleakala on Maui, and obviously you can also see Mauna Loa. So from the summit, you can see almost the whole island of Hawaii (that isn't obscured) and at least 1 additional Hawaiian island.
Nearing the summit and taking a break
After we hiked back down, we drove back to Kona and had a late lunch. Later on that day, we did a Manta Ray Dive in the ocean. So we went from 50' to 13,800' to 50' in about 10 hours; and then into the ocean later that day. It was ~40 degrees at the summit and windy; it was 80 degrees and breezy in Kona. It's fun and you should do it!
Tips for travelers:
Bring lots of water and sunscreen (no water on mountain)
Early morning fog is a possibility
Late afternoon rain is unlikely
It's a pretty long drive to the trailhead from Kona!
Hawaii is nothing short of incredible. For being a tropical island, it has a very diverse landscape with many stunning things to see. In addition to tropical rainforests, you also have deserts, mountains, volcanic activity, coral reefs, abundant wildlife, and diverse vegetation. I can't recommend it enough if you are on the fence. My only caveat is spend at least a week there, you won't regret it.
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Comments or Questions
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