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Sunday, December 24, 2017 31 Hawaii Tribune-Herald well as in the Hale Pohaku cafeteria. What matters most, he said, is keeping their stomachs full at such high altitude. “I’ve heard all kind of things,” Hara said, regarding what food is best for the summit. “I think some people, greasy food doesn’t affect them at all. Some say greasy food is not good. Some people, no problem, they have no problem. The main thing is their stomach is full. If their stomach is empty, they don’t feel too good.” Cooks will continue working through dinner. For anyone who misses a meal, they can make sandwiches or a bowl of soup in the cafeteria, Hara said. He has worked in the hotel and food industry for 19 years, but said there’s nothing like working at Hale Pohaku. The facility offers 78 rooms, which he described as a “comfortable small hotel room,” as well as a recreation room with pool tables. Hara said they used to average 50 to 60 people a night, but with telescopes switching to remote observing, that is down between 20 and 30 most nights. Rob Hayes, a housekeeper and assistant cook, has worked on the mountain for the past 10 years. He said he has to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades and enjoys making people feel comfortable at the high elevation. “The first day I felt a little woozy,” Hayes said, because of the thinner atmosphere. “After that, I’m fine.” Some are not so lucky. “I’ve seen people walk through the door and collapse,” Hayes said. If that happens, they are trained to administer oxygen. During his first year, he said they saved the life of an infant who was brought up the mountain by their family, who were on vacation from Japan. The baby was unconscious when they pulled into their parking lot seeking help. “We ended up saving it by putting it on oxygen,” Hayes said. “There were three of us in the kitchen. We couldn’t understand what they were saying, but we knew” what was wrong. Email Tom Callis at tcallis@ hawaiitribune-herald.com. HALE From page 30 Telescope workers have the option of getting meals in a break room on the summit of Maunakea. Rob Hayes, a housekeeper and assistant cook, preps food for the telescope workers in September in a break room on the summit of Maunakea. Alan Hara, Hale Pohaku food and lodging manager. A van is kept on Maunakea for medical emergencies.


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