On January 14 I hiked to the top of Mauna Kea, the highest point of the the Big Island of Hawaii and of the entire Hawaiian chain of islands forming our 50th US State. This hike completed my project of climbing the High Points of the Western US States.
I began climbing Pacific Northwest Cascade volcanoes in 1975. These volcanoes rise far above the surrounding terrain. With each summit another one tempted me on. By the mid 1980’s I had started exploring other ranges in Colorado, California, and Nevada. The variety and beauty of these other ranges suggested more explorations. I decided to try to summit the High Points of the Western US States.
This project continued with more or less focus over many years, but recent progress left me with only one high point left to climb – Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii.
[Read more…] about Mauna Kea, Hawaii, January 2014