The beauty of the Big Island of Hawaii can be deceiving. From a distance the two giant mountains seem to rise into the heavens. No matter where you are located on the island of Hawaii Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa represent mountains in a huge way. Their size in the thirteen thousand feet range will dominate any landscape. One active and one dormant these volcanoes attract flocks of tourist by the thousands.
Not only can one see actual lava flowing, one can also ski on real snow or explore the universe from some of the best observatories in the world. The most common method of exploring these massive mountains is either by helicopter or by four wheel drive vehicle. Some will go on leisure hikes to enjoy it's beauty from up close. But what I volunteered for one winter day has to be one of my greatest blunders in my young life.
After encouraging my best Marine buddy to accompany me on the journey to the summit of Mt. Mauna Kea I often wonder why he remained my friend. Our training base is located at the base of the gigantic mountain. It's nick name is PTA, or Pohukaloa Training Area. It is an old Army base located in between the two mountains just off of Saddle Road. The elevation here is about six thousand eight hundred feet.
Lava is everywhere and this is the Marine Corps live fire play ground. The training is rough and the time off is well deserved. So when volunteers were asked for to climb the rock, I was one of the first idiots with my hand high up in the air. The trek would commence on Saturday morning at 0800. Our group would be comprised of a corpsmen, twenty grunts, and two very very naive radio operators.
As usual a radio was soon attached to my already fatigued back. No special gear was needed, only our "deuce gear" and soft covers would accompany us on this day. Extra water and snacks were also brought with us to render aid when needed. After morning chow and some calisthenics "H" hour was upon us. The journey up seven thousand plus feet had begun and everyone was all smiles.
In order to summit a mountain in one piece you must climb in a "zig zag" fashion. To walk directly upwards towards the top would result in a heart attack at some point. No one climbs in this fashion, it is just impossible unless you have years to accomplish this mission. So off we went. The sun shining, soft breeze blowing and the birds were softly gliding through the crisp winter air. Zigging and zagging this phase of the climb was a walk in the park. We were smoking and joking as we attacked the countless feet of solid earth. Our leaders estimation was to accomplish this mission in about six and a half hours.
Or somewhere in that time frame. The peak is not visible from our position due to the fact that this mountain is just enormous in size. It is as if one mountain is stacked on top of another. So as we would reach what seemed like a summit, another tiny summit was visible out in the distance. The soil down here is loose and comprised of smaller rocks. As the elevation increases so does the size of the rocks. Like a cruel game of follow the leader this adventure quickly became a nightmare for our group. Who new hell existed at such a high elevation.
The sun began to take it's toll. Although our elevation was increasing the glare of the sun also decided to increase in it's intensity. Chapstick and sunscreen became the norm. Even for the "dark green" Marines sunscreen was a must. As we rested to eat our chow I realized this view was priceless. So a tourist I became and snapped away. My disposable camera became my best friend as others had not foreseen the need to bring one.
Puff on the last hit of my cigarette and off we went. Soreness was now beginning to hinder me. My feet were noticeably becoming extremely heavier than usual and my head became a bit light. Others were experiencing the same symptoms as I was. But we kept it hush hush as every bad to the bone Marine would do. My hushness lasted only about another half hour. My boots scraping along and my walk without purpose. By this time the officer in charge gathered his men and made his speech.
"From this moment forward no one will be allowed to quit. Due to the fact that helicopters can not fly this high we must all go on. If one of us can not go on then this is where you go back". To no ones surprise no body took up his offer that afternoon and like burros in the grand canyon off we went again.
