Spent two weeks at this Army camp in 1978 when I was stationed with the USMC out of Kaneohe Air Station.
Yes, it sometimes snows at the top of Mauna Kea, and one time drove a jeep to the top of the mountain to see the astronomical observatories. The summit is known to have one of the clearest view of the heavens, and by the looks of this picture, it's attracted many more observatories than the few I saw in '78.
At the Army camp, I distinctly remember walking around the camp at night where it was pitch black and the stars were so incredibly sharp in the night.
Every few seconds you could see meteorites flaming out in the atmosphere under such clear, pitch-black conditions. It was spectacular.
Then on the way home, the helicopter flew over the scenic east side of the Big Island. Your felt as it God himself came down to etched these beautiful cliffs and waterfalls with his own hands.
