Mauna Kea Hawaii State Highpoint

Few think of snow climbing while visiting Hawaii but that is just what was on my mind when our plane landed on the Big Island. Notice the summit elevation is almost 14,000 feet! Most of the reports I had read said the road to the summit required a 4WD but I found it easily drivable in my rental sedan. I was probably breaking my rental agreement (as usual) driving dirt roads but I always give the car a quick wipe down just before returning it. Approaching the summit, the lid on a Pringles canister shot off so I knew we were getting high. There are not many places you can drive from sea level to 13,700 feet in just a few hours. We took some pictures at the highest observatory but I knew there was a short hike to the true summit. Leaving my wife and 6 month son in the warm car, I braved the cold in regular Hawaii clothing. I quickly dropped down 100 feet to a saddle and started up the highest cinder cone, only a few vertical feet higher than where I parked. I had to slow a bit due to the elevation and a bit of sliding on slick snow but soon I was on top. Something was up there but it was caked in ice. The benchmark was visible so I knew I was in the right spot. When I got back to the car my wife said a ranger stopped and asked if our baby was ok. He was concerned about him being at this altitude.

Mauna Kea - Hawaii Highpoint