Another story from the island trip…
Jim and I signed up for a Sunset and Stargazing trip to the top of Mauna Kea – the tallest mountain in the world.
If you measure from the bottom of the seafloor.
Which they do.
We grabbed jackets, put on long pants and comfortable shoes and went to the mall – the designated pick up spot for the tour van.
We could spot other travelers by their similar clothing – at least the ones who had read the details of the trip and the precautions.
The van was a few minutes late and our tour guide/driver introduced himself as we loaded up. His name was Shin and he was originally from Japan, but had lived in Hawaii for many years. But, not long enough to lose his accent.
Which wasn’t a problem while we were in the parking lot, but once we got on the road to the mountain the noise of the van made it difficult to figure out what he was saying. I tried to share what I could pick out with Jim, but I know we missed a lot. Shin did have a recording he played at intervals to point out features on the trip; so that helped.
One of our fellow passengers got motion sick and we had to stop the van. They switched to a front seat and did better – but it didn’t bode well for the rest of the trip. We had heard stories of altitude sickness.
We got to the foot of the mountain – at least, the part above sea level – and started the climb upwards. The climate started to change pretty quickly and it was like being on another part of the planet by the time we reached the visitor’s center.
There was time for a small meal – snacks, mostly – while we acclimated to the altitude. The oxygen saturation was 80% of what we’d have at sea level. We had to spend 45 minutes there – plenty of time to check out the gift shop as well – before resuming the climb. Only vehicles with 4 wheel drive were permitted any higher up and the road was deliberately bad to deter too many visitors.
We stopped near the summit for a bit to check out all the telescopes and get some photos – including a patch of snow in Hawaii in the summer. One of the members of the group was starting to have trouble with altitude sickness and had to wait in the van. The rest of us put on our provided parkas and marveled at the landscape and the stillness. We were a long way from the ocean waves and the sounds of traffic.
No birds either – and no plants. It was as desolate a place as I’ve ever been – but peaceful.
After a bit we loaded back up and finished the ascent. At the top were more telescopes and an amazing view – from above the clouds. We joined other tour groups to find a good spot to watch the sunset and take more photos. I started to get a little tired since the O2 was only 60% of sea-level, but I took it easy and took my time.
And then the sun sank below the clouds. It was breathtaking and the only sound for a few minutes was the shutters of high-end cameras.
And then it was done. We piled back into the van and headed back down to the visitor’s center as night rapidly fell.
Shin parked the van, fixed us hot chocolate and we put on our parkas again as we got out. He set up a small telescope and started pointing out constellations with a high powered laser. We looked at the craters of the moon and got time lapse photos taken with the Milky Way as a backdrop.
Living in the city, I had forgotten how many stars there were.
With our hot chocolate finished and the star-gazing done, it was time to head back down the mountain. The guide dropped us off again at the mall and we walked back to our condo.
We had seen the world from above the clouds, watched a telescope open to greet the night sky, traveled through nearly all the possible climates on Earth in a single day, and marveled at our small place in the universe.