One of our guests had never been to Maui or Haleakala National Park so we decided to do that today and drive to 10,000 feet elevation on Haleakala on Maui. At first I drove over to Kahului to go up the mountain but I took likely a shortcut because the sign said Haleakala but son found if I went that way i would wind up in Kihei which wasn't where I wanted to be if I was driving up Haleakala. So, I got back on where I needed to be. Luckily, I lived here in 1989 and 1990 so I figured it out pretty quick. There are burned trees up this road on the ranches (horse and cattle ranches and I also saw some goats that were mostly around Kula elevation or 3000 to 4000 feet elevation. So, I figured maybe someone was burning trash or smoking a cigarette last summer or riding a motorcycle without a spark arrestor on his motorcycle or ATV maybe. (not sure exactly where the fires started last August that burned from up high across maybe to Lahaina? Not sure at this point.
Anyway, we got up to the pine forest which is just below the Entrance into the National park. By the way if you are over 65 you can get free entrance into ALL U.S. National Parks for a 10 dollar card and signing up. So I didn't have to pay because I'm in my 70s to go into the National Park. (could be more than 10 dollars now simply because I got mine at least 10 years ago now.
I was amazed to be as strong as I was at altitude. It likely is the Pacemaker I had installed in 2020 that year that allows me to be okay at 10,000 feet. However, I know better than to sleep at that altitude.
I found this out the hard way sleeping at 7100 feet at Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone and at high altitude At Lake Louise too but there it's only 5200 feet in elevation.
So, we went up to the crater and looked down which was nice and then we went up to the lookout and above the clouds and could see above the clouds 100 miles away Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa which are I believe 13,800 feet around there and Mauna Loa is 13, 679 so they actually are within a couple of hundred feet in altitude. Also, if you take the Mauna Kea altitude from the sea floor it is actually Taller than mt. Everest at 30, 610 feet from the sea floor. So, Mauna Kea is actually the tallest prominence on earth in distance from the sea floor?
| Mauna Kea | |
|---|---|
| Maunakea[1] | |
 Mauna Kea in December 2007, with its seasonal snow cap visible | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft)[2] |
| Prominence | 9,330 m (30,610 ft)[2] |
| Isolation | 3,947 km (2,453 mi)[3] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 19°49′14.4″N 155°28′05.0″W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Mauna Kea Position of Mauna Kea in Hawaiʻi | |
| Location | Hawaiʻi County, Hawaiʻi, United States |
| Parent range | Hawaiian Islands |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Oldest dated rock: 237,000 ± 31,000 years BP[4] Approximate: ~1 million years[4] |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano Hotspot volcano |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain |
| Last eruption | 2460 BCE ± 100 years |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Recorded: Goodrich (1823)[5] |
| Easiest route | Mauna Kea Trail |
| Designated | November 1972 |
Mauna Kea (/ˌmɔːnə ˈkeɪə/ or /ˌmaʊnə ˈkeɪə/;[6] Hawaiian: [ˈmɐwnə ˈkɛə]; abbreviation for Mauna a Wākea)[7] is an inactive shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi.[8] Its peak is 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in Hawaii and second-highest peak of an island on Earth. The peak is about 38 m (125 ft) higher than Mauna Loa, its more massive neighbor. Mauna Kea is unusually topographically prominent for its height: its wet prominence is fifteenth in the world among mountains, at 4,205 m (13,796 ft); its dry prominence is 9,330 m (30,610 ft). This dry prominence is greater than Mount Everest's height above sea level of 8,848.86 m (29,032 ft), and some authorities have labeled Mauna Kea the tallest mountain in the world, from its underwater base.[a] Mauna Kea is ranked 8th by topographic isolation.
end quote.
Also, on the way down from the top of Haleakala we were trying to get to Makawao but got too hungry around 6 pm to do that since the last meal we all ate was at breakfast. So, we went to Kula Lodge Restaurant which is very uptown now with live entertainment tonight and really great items on the menu. However, depending on the day you might need a reservation to eat there. But the food and entertainment there was really good and the sommelier (the wine steward was really excellent even though I don't drink alcohol because my father was allergic and me and my grandfather to alcohol).
No comments:
Post a Comment