Mauna Kea!

Even though a trip up to the occasionally snow-covered Mauna Kea wasn't on my bucket list for 2012, I've wanted to take Ryan there since our trips to Iceland & Tehachapi did not yield any of the cold, white stuff for him to play in.  :-)  Thankfully, yesterday was one of those rare Hawaiian days where a ton of snow dumped down on both Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa. So when I checked online this morning to see if the access road had reopened, we were ecstatic to see that it was and quickly started throwing stuff in the car so we could hightail it up there.

For the record, I've been up to see the snow at Mauna Kea three times prior to today.  The first time I was about 2-3 years old, and I can still vividly remember lying down on the floor of my father's Blazer and crying because I had thrown up (from altitude sickness).  My second trip up to see the snow was better- two friends (Chris & Bobby) and I had just graduated from high school, and after a trip to see the lava flow in the morning, we impulsively decided to see the snow in the same day.  I had a terrible earache on the way down, but was otherwise fine.  My third trip was about ten years ago with my family & Rich.  I got sick at the top and had to walk back down early to ease the pounding in my head.  So needless to say, my mountaineering track record is far from Sherpa/Nepalese Porter status.

But I have to say, today's last minute trip was seamless from beginning to end.  Once we hit about 7,000 feet in elevation, we took 5 breaks on our way up to the top (13,000 feet) so that we wouldn't subject Ryan to any unnecessary altitude sickness.

The drive up is always a bit surreal/otherworldly when you can see volcanic craters covered in snow.

One of our many rest stops on the way up...I am hidden behind that outcropping of rocks...doing, um...nothing.  Nothing at all.

Mommy & Ryan

Daddy & Ry Ry using a "Hawaiian sled" to slide down the slopes together.

The snow was pretty deep, maybe around 10-12 inches on average...and powdery soft.  Heavenly.  Especially under the warm Hawaiian sun.  The temp was 22 degrees when we woke up, but had warmed up to a little over 40 by the time we got there, but it never felt like it.  I swear, I'm colder in the produce reefer at Costco.  :-)

Someone wisely figured out a much less laborious way to get back up the slopes.

Two of the cutest keiki at 13,000 feet- Ry and his favorite snow bunny, Naomi!  

Ryan eating snow.  I had to try some too.  Delicious stuff.  Much better when in a paper cone and covered in guava syrup though.

Yesterday our little daredevil was hopping off a 6-foot pier, and today he was sledding solo down the slopes and begging to explore the dark drainage pipe above (Rich & Ryan scrambled/splashed all the way across to the other side, armed with the light from Rich's iPhone).  :-)

Our first snow day as a family...amazing and unforgettable.

I'll leave you all with a blinding white video of Ryan's first solo sled ride (that ended a little prematurely):