Anybody that has been to the Big Island of Hawaii knows that there is such vast terrain on just one island. From Volcano national park, to the grassland across the coast of Kona, to the tropical jungle along Waipi'o Valley, there is so much diversity on such a small landscape. The volcanic rock from previous lava flows, the dry grasses and aridic regions and the exotic flowering plants all encompass the Big Island. Mauna Kea is no different.
I went on a short adventure up and down the tallest mountain on the island that extends to nearly 14,00ft. Mauna Kea mountain is technically the WORLDS tallest mountain, beating out Everest if you account for the mountains surface area underneath the water. So yes, the mountain below sea level extends over 27,000ft from top to bottom! Luckily starting at sea level means you only have to climb 14,000ft. The fastest known time route starts at the visitors center, so even less elevation gain to climb!
I start on May 27th 2020 and finished the Round Trip adventure along the less traveled trail (there is a road you can drive to the top) in 4hrs 3mins.
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| Surprisingly, there are a lot of NOAA stations at the summit tracking global weather patterns |
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| Views from the summit |
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| Hawaiian natives request that travelers do not summit the "official summit" and this includes the FKT, so most just go off to the side near the very top to call it the summit. |
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| This doesn't look like the rest of The Big Island that's for sure |
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| The trail was pretty steep with nice smooth rocks and sand to make for a fun downhill |
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| Post-FKT peach! |
Link to the FKT website:
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