Winter Wonderland

One of the most amazing things about the Big Island of Hawaii is the presence of snow on a tropical island. That's right, snow. The two tall mountains are Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet in elevation and Mauna Loa 13,677 feet in elevation. When storms and low pressure systems move across the island during winter months, the mountains can get snow at the summit and as far down as the 10,000 foot mark. It's stunning to see snow-capped mountains in Hawaii, especially when you are usually around sea level, surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation. Yesterday for example, I was sitting on my surfboard in the blue, clear ocean, with fish swimming below, and looking toward the shore I saw sand beaches and green trees in the foreground and snow-capped Mauna Loa rising up over Kona. One of the most remarkable sights ever. Mauna Loa by the way is also the largest active volcano on Earth. It last erupted 20 years ago but has shown signs (earthquakes, swelling) that indicate another eruption is on the way. The Kona area is safe. It's the south and east part of the island in potential rift zones. Mauna Kea is home to 12 world-class observatories including the Keck Observatory. The low humidty, high elevation and distance from any city lights make the summit of Mauna Kea one of the best places in the world for astronomy. You can drive a road to the top, where the atmosphere is 40 percent thinner, making breathing a challenge and altitude sickness a possibility. I have been up there 4 or 5 times. The first time the ground was covered with snow and ice. The sunsets from 14,000 feet are gorgeous. Plus it looks like the moon up there, with cinder cones and craters. I'll document a trip to the top sometime. The first photo was taken by a photographer at the newspaper on the other side of the island in Hilo. You can see the observatories and landscape. The second photo was taken by me from in Kona. I wanted to show the palm trees and snow together. Below is a link to the Mauna Kea Visitor Center website.

Mauna Kea Visitor Center