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Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) from Hawaii Island!
Took my new Bronco Sport Badlands with its Holiday Regalia up to Mauna Kea (13,803 feet) for the Holidays. Hiked to Lake Waiau (6th highest lake in the U.S. At 13,020 feet, and a sacred site) and drove to the top and parked in front of the University of Hawaii 88-inch telescope in the background. (Also make sure you have at least half a tank of gas, otherwise they may stop you from going up.) It was beautiful day with some snow on the ground and Haleakala (10,023 feet) on Maui visible in the distance.
Always a fun drive, be sure to acclimate at the visitor center for at least an hour before heading up. It’s a good place to have a bite if you brought it (there are picnic tables), make a pit stop (no public bathrooms or water on the summit) and refill your canteens. The rangers will give you a quick briefing, and make sure you engage your 4 wheel drive and lock the rear differential before heading up. The drive is deceptively steep, the off-road meter reads a 9-10% incline at multiple occasions. The Bronco Sport Badlands has zero issues making to the top, with little struggle and no difficulties.
Coming down is a different matter. The rangers are very strict about their instructions, and there will be a brake temperature check at the visitor station when you return, so don’t ride your brakes. My brakes were 151 degrees and the rangers gave me an “A+” grade; if your brakes are too hot, you will be instructed to park at the visit or center until they cool down.
The reason for this are a few years ago, prior to the pandemic, there was a serious accident where a young driver in an early model Toyota Tacoma (which is a more than capable truck) burned out their brakes and went over a ravine…and unfortunately had passengers riding in the bed of the truck. One of the young people died, and the other five had minor to very serious injuries. Accidents happen all the time on Mauna Kea, however, that was the first one with a fatality for awhile.
You will need to engine brake on the way down from the summit, and this is one of the times that not having a mechanical low gear box can be an issue. I don’t think you can use trail control (I didn’t) because it engages the brakes, which can be a problem. I put it in first gear manual, but no matter what you do, once the engine hits around 5,000 rpms or so it will automatically shift to second…and then to third, and fourth. Once you hit the 9-10% slope you will hit 45 mph in almost no time, and have to engage the brakes. I decided if I was going to have to use the brakes, I might as well come to a complete stop. (There was nobody behind me.) Once the car came to a complete stop, I would drop down to first great and start again. I think I had to do this about 4 times before I got down to the visitor station, where I got the my “A+” Grade.
For those of us fortunate to live on the Big Island, the trip to the summit is always a fun and joyful occasion, I can’t remember ever not having a great time there, sightseeing and hiking, and I have been fortunate enough to never have gotten altitude sickness…although once one of my passengers did, and the only way to fix it is to immediately drive down to a lower altitude, so make sure you know what symptoms to look for. For those that visit, it is a privilege. Just remember that it is truly a sacred place, do not go off trial either hiking or in your vehicle, and to respect the land, and the people.
Mele Kalikimaka and Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!
Took my new Bronco Sport Badlands with its Holiday Regalia up to Mauna Kea (13,803 feet) for the Holidays. Hiked to Lake Waiau (6th highest lake in the U.S. At 13,020 feet, and a sacred site) and drove to the top and parked in front of the University of Hawaii 88-inch telescope in the background. (Also make sure you have at least half a tank of gas, otherwise they may stop you from going up.) It was beautiful day with some snow on the ground and Haleakala (10,023 feet) on Maui visible in the distance.
Always a fun drive, be sure to acclimate at the visitor center for at least an hour before heading up. It’s a good place to have a bite if you brought it (there are picnic tables), make a pit stop (no public bathrooms or water on the summit) and refill your canteens. The rangers will give you a quick briefing, and make sure you engage your 4 wheel drive and lock the rear differential before heading up. The drive is deceptively steep, the off-road meter reads a 9-10% incline at multiple occasions. The Bronco Sport Badlands has zero issues making to the top, with little struggle and no difficulties.
Coming down is a different matter. The rangers are very strict about their instructions, and there will be a brake temperature check at the visitor station when you return, so don’t ride your brakes. My brakes were 151 degrees and the rangers gave me an “A+” grade; if your brakes are too hot, you will be instructed to park at the visit or center until they cool down.
The reason for this are a few years ago, prior to the pandemic, there was a serious accident where a young driver in an early model Toyota Tacoma (which is a more than capable truck) burned out their brakes and went over a ravine…and unfortunately had passengers riding in the bed of the truck. One of the young people died, and the other five had minor to very serious injuries. Accidents happen all the time on Mauna Kea, however, that was the first one with a fatality for awhile.
You will need to engine brake on the way down from the summit, and this is one of the times that not having a mechanical low gear box can be an issue. I don’t think you can use trail control (I didn’t) because it engages the brakes, which can be a problem. I put it in first gear manual, but no matter what you do, once the engine hits around 5,000 rpms or so it will automatically shift to second…and then to third, and fourth. Once you hit the 9-10% slope you will hit 45 mph in almost no time, and have to engage the brakes. I decided if I was going to have to use the brakes, I might as well come to a complete stop. (There was nobody behind me.) Once the car came to a complete stop, I would drop down to first great and start again. I think I had to do this about 4 times before I got down to the visitor station, where I got the my “A+” Grade.
For those of us fortunate to live on the Big Island, the trip to the summit is always a fun and joyful occasion, I can’t remember ever not having a great time there, sightseeing and hiking, and I have been fortunate enough to never have gotten altitude sickness…although once one of my passengers did, and the only way to fix it is to immediately drive down to a lower altitude, so make sure you know what symptoms to look for. For those that visit, it is a privilege. Just remember that it is truly a sacred place, do not go off trial either hiking or in your vehicle, and to respect the land, and the people.
Mele Kalikimaka and Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!
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