Another hike @dhimmel and I did after attending the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing in Hawai'i #PSB2019. This time, with some assistance, we climbed to the top of the highest volcano in the world, Mauna Kea.
I was nervous to start this hike because we had been just at sea level the day before. Lucky for us, the 250 mg of acetazolamide consumed within 24 hours before the hike helped reduce some elevation sickness symptoms. At 10a, we started hiking from the visitor center at 9000 ft, to which our rented Nissan Versa had barely made it due to low oxygen level for combustion at high elevation.
While the weather was perfect, the first half of the hike was quite challenging. My legs felt heavy. Progress was slow but consistent. We called @jhimmel at one of our breaks and described to him how beautiful it was up there. The second half was easier perhaps because we acclimated more, or because the trail got flatter, or because @dhimmel distracted me from the pain with his exciting debate arguments on Sci-Hub. At one point, we met two unprepared hikers who had started at 8a and were moving very slowly. They lack water, sun protection and thermal layers while suffering altitude sickness. We gave them some water and suggested hitchhiking down after they reach the top (what we did), but we never saw them at the top.
After having a sandwich by Lake Waiau, I felt amazing. The last stretch to the top looked difficult but was a piece of cake compared to when we went from Waipio beach back to the parking lot. At the top, we met some people who had hiked Mauna Loa just a few days before. We were curious about the logistics of the hike, but @dhimmel was unsure about their car-camping suggestion. Anyhow, when we got to our campsite that night, we realized we would have to drive all the way back (~ 2 hours) to hike Mauna Loa the next day, so we decided to save it for next time (when we will SEE MAUNA KEA FROM THE OTHER SIDE.)
These nice people also gave us a ride down. It was quite fun being in their truck bed on the rocky way back. When I called my dad to tell him I was on my way down from the highest volcano in the world, he asked if that was the one with the most advanced telescopes. Yes, dad, yes! I showed him and mom the view but it was hard to see from the car. Nevertheless, getting to video chat with them was a nice conclusion to an awesome day of hiking.
P.S. It would probably have been even more fun if our friend Adam had joined us had he not been lost in Volcanoes national park a few days prior (he found his way out after a cold night in the forest with no tent or night gear). Next time, Adam!
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It was so much fun watching your Mauna Kea video, @trang. Were you scared for @dhimmel, when he made that cliff jump? I have featured your story in my entry to this week's Pay It Forward contest here: https://steemit.com/payitforward/@zorank/pay-it-forward-curation-contest-week-48
Yes @zorank I was a bit scared, but @dhimmel is a very good swimmer so part of me knew he would be okay. Thank you so much for featuring my story again!!!
Wow that's some hike! And I'm glad your friend Adam is ok. 😊
I found your post because @zorank featured you in his Pay it Forward Curation contest entry. Feel free to join us any time with an entry of your own!
Ah thank you very much for dropping by @lynncoyle1 but I would have to correct my loveroo's name is Daniel, not Adam. :P
oops :) Glad he is well too haha
Wooow, those landscapes! Beautiful :) But I have 3 questions:
How come you two guys were the only people far and wide? Such an amazing place with no crowds of tourists? Very remarkable.
How high was the cliff dive? Looks super high! I would guess 10 m (33 ft) at least. You too are fearless! :D
What where those gloves for during the dive @dhimmel?
Regarding 3, I was worried that the ladder rungs would be a bit rusty, so I wore foot and hand protection. The hand protection is the gloves I had brought on the trip for thermal insulation on Mauna Kea. I never used them on that hike, but did for the dive. The ladder we went up had taped rungs, so rust didn't turn out to be a major factor.
Ah, the ladder rungs... makes sense now :) Thanks for the explanation. But how high was the cliff that you guys were diving from? Just a few days ago, I just jumped into a lake from an elevated wooden platform that was like 4 m (13 ft) above the lake surface and it almost felt like sky-diving to me! :D
Hah. I think your guess of 10 meters is a good one. Online estimates range from 30-50 feet.
Wow @phortun these are difficult questions! I think your estimate is close. This site mentions it's probably 40ft. I'm not sure how we were lucky enough to find ourselves in the middle of nowhere most of the time. Maybe because most people don't see the 'why' - when indeed, 'There is no why' - Philippe Petit.
Cross-posted to YouTube, since it seems DTube does not always do a great job hosting the videos uploaded to it.
Mauna Kea seems like a really awesome place! The scenery is so fascinating. Thanks for this great video, @trang and @jhimmel. I came across this story thanks to feature by @zorank in his entry to Pay It Forward curation contest.
I came to your post because it was featured in an entry to @pifc's Curation Contest:Week 48
Posts that have been selected by the entrant will be visited by other members of the PIFC Community and given support.
You are welcome to submit other author’s post in future contests. The PIFC community has a support Discord Channel that you are invited to join. For more information about the PIFC family along with a great way to meet new people. We are a group of like minded people that focuses on assisting one another.
Amazing post! Fun video too. I am glad your friend found his way out!
I found you thanks to @zorank's entry for the Pay it Forward curation contest. Keep up the great work!
This is an awesome post that has been featured by @zorank as his entry for the payitforward curation contest by @pifc.
You can make your submission as well ...thank @trang
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