www.hawaii-forest.com July 2018 • 15
hadn’t seen her before.
Hawaii Forest & Trail has
been operating the Maunakea
Sunrise Tour for less than a
year. The company launched it
as an alternative to its popular
Maunakea Sunset Tour, which
was selling out three weeks to a
month in advance.
In June, I joined 11 visitors
on a trip up the mountain to
watch the sunrise. Starting at 2
a.m. in high 70-degree weather,
we took the bumpy drive up
Maunakea Access Road. With
temperatures dipping down
to just under 40 degrees, we
watched the sun rise above
a layer of clouds over East
Hawaii.
“I especially love sunrise
because there are very few people
who are daring enough to
come up,” said Jason Cabral,
our Hawaii Forest & Trail tour
guide.
That trip wasn’t just about
the destination — it was about
the journey, which started in
the wee hours at Hawaii Forest
& Trail’s headquarters on
Olowalu Street in Kailua-Kona.
The first leg
Wearing a headset so everyone
in the 15-passenger van
could hear him, Cabral threw
out trivia questions about
the volcanoes that comprise
Hawaii Island after we set out
up Waikoloa Road then on to
Daniel K. Inouye Highway,
known also as Saddle Road.
He shared interesting facts
about Maunakea: The Visitor
Information Station (VIS) sits
at 9,200 feet, the summit from
sea level is about 14,000 feet.
Maunakea is the tallest mountain
in the world at a height
of about 33,500 feet from sea
floor.
Since visitors come Hawaii
for its warmth and beaches,
they tend not to pack warm
clothes. Not to worry. Hawaii
Forest & Trail provides kneelength
parkas and gloves.
Cabral passed these out during
a bathroom break at Maunakea
Recreation Area. Being the only
resident on the tour, I came
prepared with a beanie and a
jacket. However, I still accepted
the parka. I’m a wuss when it
comes to the cold.
While stopped, Cabral took
the opportunity to draw our
attention to the night sky. The
Milky Way was clear. Cabral
took out a laser pointer and
pointed out the constellations
Scorpio and Sagittarius.
“Two planets are visible right
now. Can you guess which
ones?” he asked us.
Mars was an obvious guess,
which was correct. The second
planet turned out to be Saturn.
Cabral went on talk about
the demigod Maui and how in
legends the Milky Way is a fish
being hooked.
As we piled back into the
van and continued our journey
over Saddle Road, the fog
would roll in and out for a few
miles at a time, which is common
for the area. Cabral talked
about Lilinoe, the goddess of
fine mist. Legend has it that she
would use the mist to hide her
beautiful sister, Poli‘ahu from
suitors.
The second leg
Our next stop was at the VIS,
where we were to get acclimated
to the altitude. The stars
were clear and in the east we
could see the red glow of the
lava flow from fissure 8 that has
been flowing into Kapoho Bay
for weeks. Several fissures have
been spewing lava since early
May in the Puna area, destroying
hundreds of homes. Cabral
said the eruption was about 40
miles away from where we were
standing.
I was freezing. Everyone was
getting a little chilly at this
point. But Cabral was prepared.
He brought out a thermos of
hot water and mixed coffee, hot
chocolate and tea for members
of the group.
Sitting and listening to
my travel companions, they
couldn’t stop talking about the
Milky Way, how clear it was.
Cabral used his laser pointer
to show us more constellations,
including the Seven Sisters.
After about 20 minutes, we
loaded back into the van to
make the ascent to the summit.
Third leg
When we got to the top, the
sky was already lighting up.
Cabral made the suggestion
of doing a time-lapse, which I
thought was an amazing idea.
However, it was cold and there
was a slight breeze. Attempts to
set a time-lapse up were barely
successful. I was only able to
capture two photos before the
sun rose above the clouds. Soon
after, the cold temperatures and
altitude shut my phone down.
Discouraged, I got back into
the tour van and attempted to
warm my hands when Cabral
pointed something out.
“Tiffany. Look behind you.
You can see the shadow of the
mountain,” he said.
And there in the west, a dark
shade of purple in the shape an
inverted “V” took form. I got
Hawaii Forest & Trail Celebrates 25 Years
Cheers!
Congratulations
Hawaii Forest and Trail
on 25 years!
/www.hawaii-forest.com
