Mauna Kea: Ascent of the highest mountain in the world

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Why Hawaiis Mauna Kea takes over the crown as the highest mountain in the world

Okay, we all know that Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth, with a height of an incredible 8,848 m (29.029 ft) above sea level.

It is less well known that if you measure from foot to the summit, not the Everest, but the Mauna Kea in Hawaii wears the crown as the highest mountain in the world. Mauna Kea is largely hidden below the surface of the sea, but is a monumental height of 10,203 m (33,476 ft) from the base to the summit.

Because of this amazing fact, we could not resist to spend our few precious hours in Hawaii with it halfway through the "Big Island" and up to the dizzying summit of Mauna.

We had tortured ourselves about the decision. The visit of Hawaii on a cruise meant that we only had a limited time ashore and had to choose between Mauna Kea and the famous volcanic park. In the end, we could not resist the call of the highest mountain on earth.

I love trekking, so Kia persuaded to try a hike to the summit. Unfortunately, after some research, we found that our eight hours on land were not sufficient for a comfortable tour. If we missed the boat, it would go without us, so we made the decision to book a trip up (cheat, I know).

Shortly after docking, we met Daniel, our guide from Aloha Island Tours. As a native of Hawaiian, Daniel (or Lopaka) had an encyclopedic knowledge of his home country and his people.

When we drove to Mauna Kea, he told us about his efforts to learn Hawaiian as part of a national initiative to revive the language and ensure its future. It was obvious that he felt a deep pride in his culture and his heir.

We held for a prayer before we started our climb. The peaks of the five volcanoes of Hawaiis are celebrated as Holy Mountains and the summit of the Mauna Kea is traditionally considered a "region of the gods", an area in which benevolent spirits live.

After we made our waiting, we set out to our first stop: the visitor center at 2,804 m (9.199 feet), where we stopped for 40 minutes to acclimatize.

Daniel often checked how we felt because of the change of height. He told us that the visitors occasionally nodded at the climb due to the quick changes. I kept an eye on Kia because this was the highest value she ever had, but she was absolutely well - even cheerfully.

In terms of weather, we couldn't have wanted a better day. Although it was cloudy at sea level, we quickly gained height and had a breathtaking view of the fluffy cloud beds below us. In Hawaiian, Mauna Kea means "white mountain" and we could now see snow between his peaks. Snow! In Hawaii!

Our second stop was with a number of 13 telescopes. The combination of great height, dry surroundings and stable air flow makes Mauna Kea one of the best places in the world for astronomical observations. We have taken a look at one of the largest telescopes that are occupied by researchers who live on the mountain to 2,804 m (9.199 feet).

After our second stop we continued and stopped a few hundred meters in front of the summit. At this point we left the vehicle and hiked to the summit for the last 20 minutes.

Despite the thinner air, we made short processes and before we kept ourselves, we were alone on the highest mountain in the world. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

In silence we paused on this wonderful mountain, awesome in the face of the spectacle that stretched among us.

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We never intended to visit Hawaii, and we certainly had never expected to find a snow -covered mountain there than we did. To mention unnecessarily that we were very satisfied with our choice.

Funnily enough, the famous volcano park from the summit of the Mauna Kea can still be identified. You can see everything, including the stars.

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Guide: Paul Laubach/Shutterstock
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