A Long Way From Waikiki
Chris and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Mauna Kea. We took a 4WD road west from Onizuka Center and started our hike at around 9,000 feet in elevation. We dropped down into a spectacular red-walled canyon with interesting rock formations and piles of cinder. The sky was clear and beautiful and the crisp, dry air felt like a mainland September day. An occasional cloud blew across our view of Mauna Loa's marble-like lava surface.
Next, we drove to 13,ooo feet and hiked to Lake Waiau, the only alpine lake in Hawaii. It was more impressive than I expected, but maybe we were just feeling euphoric from the lack of oxygen. We were both feeling pretty happy. The lake's ice cold water beckoned me; I guess I still miss my Lake Michigan days. After wading for about 10 seconds my legs tingled with that pins and needles sensation. This isn't the Hawaii you'll find in the tour books. The lunar terrain, brisk temperatures and solitude reminded us we were a long way from Waikiki.
2 comments:
Awesome pics. I regret not exploring Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa more when I lived there - but hey, I was lazy on my days off. A sandwich and a cooler of beer at the beach, and I'm on Cloud 9 ...
And I was supposed to have taken Brian into Waipo before he left the islands too. Though I did take him up to Mauna Kea with his can of soda.
As for Lake Waiau, I've stuck my hand into its cool waters, but one of these days I want to walk on it when it's frozen over.
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