To the Summit

To cut to the chase, WE MADE IT!!!

However, this was unquestionably the hardest ride I have ever done in my life.  The last 8 miles to the summit in particular was a bear.  The gravel portion was actually cinders, so it was very difficult to get any solid footing.  And both the gravel and paved section had up to 20% grades.  It was one of those experiences where your mind keeps trying to convince you to stop, and only through will power do you continue on.  That went on for over four hours. 

I broke the last eight miles into smaller pieces in my head – half mile increments, how much more elevation I had to climb.  There is no way I would have gotten there without the motivation and support of my SO, Darla Sweet.

The views were spectacular, we spent most of the climb above the visitor’s center also above the clouds:

By the time we got to the summit, the wind was blowing at almost 40 miles per hour.  We took some quick ‘victory’ photos, chatted with a few people at the summit, and packed up to head home.  It was an amazing journey, but not one I will be repeating!  Happy though to give any tips to aspiring cyclists!

The view from 9,000 feet

I've concluded that rowing and cycling have many things in common. Of course they are both endurance sports, that favor less the sprinters and more the ones that can just keep going and going.  While the motions are different in each sport, they both operate largely in two planes.  And finally, of relevance to this climb, I get through tough pieces by counting off strokes and pedal cycles.  When I see a big hill with an 18% grade, I tell myself, well its probably 150 pedals and I will be to the top, or the next curve.  Cycling a big mountain like Mauna Kea is all about breaking it into little pieces, otherwise you become overwhelmed.

The visitor's center, at 9,000 feet, is above the clouds.  Its a strange feeling to be so high, like you are cycling on top of the world.  You look down and watch the clouds go by.  Kind of like when you were a kid and laid down on your back, looking up, just here you only need to turn your head right or left.



The last stretch is 4.5 miles of gravel, which I will walk with my bike, then 3.5 miles of paved road.  I'll probably walk a little and then pedal as much as I can.  The lack of oxygen makes this an amazingly hard thing to do.

Across the saddle road on a windy day

We're at the turn to the visitor's center, which is at 6,500 feet.  Time for a ten minute break.  The wind is already shaping up to be a problem - 10-20 MPH, on top of riding 10 MPH, that's effectively riding into a 20-30 MPH breeze.  Nonetheless I feel pretty good.  Weather is great other than the wind.  Now comes the fun part - the 20% grade...

Great day for a ride!

Weather looks perfect this morning (except for the 20 mph winds at the summit). We are having breakfast at Ken's in Hilo, an all night diner. I'm feeling great - good nights sleep, recovered from yesterday's lack of oxygen - ready to get this done!




We'll take off at 6:45 am local, just after sunrise.

Next update will be in 3-4 hours from the visitor's center.

In Hilo and the trial run

Today is close to picture perfect in Hilo – partly cloudy, temperatures in the 70s, and a light breeze.  After recovering from the 14-hour trip yesterday, we spent some time today going over the course.  First though was re-assembling the bikes, which went off without any major hitches.

 

We mapped out the total ride at about 42 miles.  The first 28 miles gets you to the turn off the highway, gaining 6,500 feet in elevation.  The ride from there to the visitor’s center is another 6 miles, ending at 9,000 feet.  Finally there is the last section to the summit, which is 4.5 miles of unpaved and then 3.5 miles of paved road to the summit.  I plan to walk the unpaved section with my bike, otherwise I would have had to bring two bikes.

 

I tested out how bad the climb would be by doing almost half of the last 3.5 miles of the ascent, the paved portion to the summit.  The grade, while up to 20%, was really not that bad with the new gearing on the bike.  The big problem was the lack of oxygen.  I could go for a few minutes on my bike, and my heart would rapidly be up to about 180 beats per minute.  Each time I’d continue on until I felt light-headed, then pull over and catch my breath.  So that was what it was like for 1.7 miles – pedal, pull over, recover, and pedal some more.  Over this stretch, because of the lack of oxygen, you are only making 3.5 miles per your or so.  It gave me a good feel for what it would be like tomorrow when we try the first attempt to make the summit.

 

The summit has probably a dozen observatories. Mauna Kea, which means Mountain in the sky, has some of the clearest stargazing of anywhere in the world.

 

There were a number of people driving up to the summit (I was the only cyclist we saw, except for someone much lower on the course).  We saw people climbing the snow-packed volcanoes, snowboarding, and one guy who was filling the back of his pickup truck with snow, to bring back to Hilo to make a snowman!

It’s a surreal scene.  You are well above the clouds, with nothing in sight but the remnants of the last volcanic eruption in 2460 BC, covered in snow, while you look out over the water and trees in the distance.

 

Anyway, tomorrow is the big day, and we will see what the sky father, Mauna Kea, has in store for us!

Road to the Summit is Open! And the plane is leaving

Note:  I am doing this ride to raise money for Row Yew York (www.rownewyork.org), a charity that combines rowing with academics to for under served communities to build the skills they need to succeed in life.  If you would like to donate, the crowdsource page is:  https://www.crowdrise.com/ray-vs-the-volcano.  I will be matching the first $20,000 we raise.




After a little nail-biting suspense, the road to the summit is now open again. I am still wishing I brought my snow tires!  In any event the web cams at the summit do show some pavement, so if I make it hopefully I can weave around the ice:)

Our flight leaves in an hour, we arrive in Hilo around 7:10 pm local time tonight.  We plan to drive to the course tomorrow in our Jeep and see how conditions are at the summit. Next post will be early evening Sunday.

Snow!!!

When you are at 14,000 feet, you have to deal with a lot of vagaries in life.  And even though Hawaii is on the equator, today that means snow.

The headline in the Hawaiian paper reads:

Dangerous icy, snowy conditions lead to Blizzard Warning for Big Island summits

Forecasters said snowfall of more than 6 to 10 inches is possible with locally higher amounts. 

Southwest winds could reach 45 to 55 mph, with gusts to 65 mph.

Web cams show what appears to be white out conditions in some spots

The Hawaii weather service says these kind of conditions only happen every one to 2 years.  Lucky me - the blizzard hits Hawaii a few days before I get there!

This afternoon, when I checked, it was 10 degrees and winds 55-65 mph.  Now it seems a little calmer, with winds of 21 mph.  The road from the Visitor’s Center (at 9,000 feet) to the summit is closed.

We are still going - we will hope that by Monday the snow will melt and the road will be passable again.  I am always the optimist!  Worst case we won’t try the summit on Monday, but delay a few days.

Stay tuned!