While there are some mishaps and several cases of exhaustion all return safely

Posted on by Kawika Gregoire

(Hawaiian Gazette, January 5, 1915)

Never since the days when the Hawaiian armies camped and fought in the crater of Haleakala has the house of the sun god held so many persons as it did on Saturday when more than 100 member of the Trail and Mountain Club marched through the biggest extinct crater in the world.

The Claudine landed the explorers at the mouth of Kaupo Gap at daylight Friday morning, and at once the strenuous tramp of forty-five miles across and over a height of 10,000 feet began. From start to finish there was not an accident or any serious inconvenience to any one, although several of those who had foolishly started out without breakfast broke down during the first day’s hike and had to be assisted to camp.

Claudine 1893
The Claudine steam ship, circa-1890s.

The first night’s camp was pitched in a group of giant trees in the mouth of the crater, where Kaupo Gap begins, at an elevation of 6500 feet, and this climb was made in eleven miles. On landing each one had been handed a bag containing the regulation Trail and Mountain lunch, which did not compensate, however, for the loss of breakfast by those who hurried ashore, so that some of the strongest members of the party grew faint and one or two fell by the wayside and at nighttime it was necessary to call for volunteers to go back for the them.

Hikers Show Unselfishness

Here was brought out the splendid manliness of really unselfish members of the party. Two of the soldiers who graced the expedition, Leland Roland and Benjamin J. Long, walked back six miles to bring E. A. Cooper into camp, he having fallen by the wayside, being one of the breakfastless ones, and then a graceful act took place. The several officers in camp walked up to the soldiers and said:

“On this expedition we want you to forget that we are officer and you are privates; we are just comrades,” and during the trip, in a hundred other ways, men helped each other and brought out all that was best in each other, so that even in three days’ camp life lasting friendships were formed.

E. A. Webster undertook to demonstrate that if was quite possible to tramp through Haleakala crater and over the rim, two miles above sea level, during the winter without carrying blankets; he succeeded, but he will not try it again, for he encountered a sixty-mile breeze on the Paia side of Haleakala slope and fell exhausted before J. B. Castle’s summer home at Olinda. He was well cared for by his comrades, and to the surprise of all he hiked the last day twelve miles to Paia, singing the praises of Haleakala every foot of the way.

Songs Round the Campfire

It was a strenuous climb to the first camp, but Sam Carter, a high school boy, made the record, in three hours and forty minutes, reaching the camp before noon, while Frances Dodge and Raymond Smith started from the Kaupo landing at seven o’clock in the morning, reaching the highest summit of Haleakala exactly twelve hours later and then hiked three miles farther to the rest house at Craigalea. About 100 of the explorers, however, were content to rest at Kaupo Gap where Gilbert Brown, the official guide of the outdoor committee, had pitched a number of large tents, while his assistant had arranged a number of campfires. Trail and Mountain Club songs were sung and a hot feast was served. The night was ideal, the moon shining brightly until morning, when a drizzle began, and this, even, brought it compensating attraction, for outlined against the trees and towering cliffs there formed a perfect luna rainbow that remained until dawn, when again a hot meal was served and every one started out for the hike through Haleakala crater, up the cliffs on the other side and down to Olinda, which, it might be mentioned here, was readied before dark by every member of the party; while Paia, fourteen miles further on, was accomplished that night by a number of the party, on foot, including some of the women.

Haleakala Rest House
Haleakala Rest House, date unknown.

A Wonderful Cave

Probably there was not a minute of the second day’s march that was not enjoyed by every member of the party. There were views of the rolling sea of clouds below and the island peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, snow-capped, jutting above; then there was the ever-changing lava fields with their wonderful formations; then came the sea of sand with its great ant hill cones nearly 1000 feet high, upon the sides of which gleamed thousands of shimmering silver swords. At the Bubble Cave the explorers met the party brought by Doctor George Aiken of Kahului to meet the Trail and Mountain member in the crater, and here the party split. Some of the more strenuous insisted on making the hike to the summit and the rest house by the long sand trail; others decided to cross the great desert of sand and attack the 2000-foot precipitous climb leading up to the rest house. The great majority, however, decided to cross to Olinda by the Halamau [Halemauu] trail and were led by Gordon Brown and young Jack Walker. Others still remained behind to bring up the rear guard and make an exploration of the crater with Doctor Aiken, who knows every foot of the crater. He showed them the bottomless pit, down which you may throw a boulder and not hear a sound or echo. He also took them to a cave in the open lava and let them attempt to find its opening, then leading the way down through a small hole in the lava to what is probably the most wonderful cave in the Hawaiian Islands. It was explored with flash lights. Sometimes the flash could not reach through the darkness to the roof of the vaulting chambers. There were real stalagmites and stalactites, and there is no reason why this cave should not be developed and made a most attractive asset. The large party that explored the cave hold a meeting and a christening and this greatest underground series of chambers in Hawaii hereafter will be known as “The Trail Under the Mountain Cave.”

Bottomless Pit
Bottomless Pit, date unknown.

Photographs Will Be Exhibited

From the heights of Halemau [Halemauu] pass the young guide showed how rapidly he could make the eight miles down to Olinda. Three or four of the party kept up with him, but the rest lost the trail, and some of them wandered by devious routes as far as Paia, missing Olinda altogether, but as there was only, one person besides Doctor Aiken who knew the right trail, it was not possible to get a sufficient number of guides. This, however, is now obviated, as nearly one hundred men and women of Honolulu will remember the various trails and their deviations and turns as long, as they live. The second night was spent at Olinda by most of the hikers who did not phone for automobiles, sleeping on the lanai of the spacious home of Mr. Castle, where they were served a hot dinner.

Hundreds, of splendid photographs were taken during the trip, and these will be on exhibition in the office of the outdoor promotion committee in the Young building.

A Great Wonder Trip

Gilbert Brown and Kathryn Band were responsible for the success in conducting the one hundred explorers through Haleakala, and both are now permanently employed by the outdoor workers of the promotion committee, having begun work immediately on their return yesterday morning.

The oldest member of the party was E. B. Webster, who made this trip with summer clothing and bringing no blankets, and the youngest member Joseph Stickney, who made the trip with two suits of underclothes, which he shed during the trip, and as many blankets as he could pack. Both are now strenuous advocates of the Haleakala trip.

Speaking of the possibilities of this trip for tourists, Alexander Hume Ford said: “Taking all in all, I believe that it is one of the great wonder trips of the world. The Misses Rand, who have conducted many of the mountaineer tramps in Washington, after making this trip, said it is not nearly as strenuous as some of the outing of the Seattle club.

Further Outings Planned

“All that is necessary now is to relocate the trail up Kaupo Gap on a gentler grade, put up three rest houses even of grass, and place sign posts about every quarter of a mile. This the Trail and Mountain Club will assist in doing, only asking that the board of supervisors in Maui have some work done on the trail after it is relocated. The Inter-Island company deserve great credit for the cooperation it has given, and it is willing to assist us in making monthly excursions to Haleakala and Kaupo Gap, once the trail is relocated. The easy way would be to start from the Kahului side and board the ship at Kaupo; but this should be done in the summer, as occasionally in winter it is impossible for the small boat to land passengers at Kaupo.”

All the hikers and their friends who contemplate joining future monthly week-end exploration trips to the other Islands are asked to meet together at lunch Friday noon in Cooke’s hall. The trip through Haleakala has brought together men of strenuosity and action, and they intend to keep together and work together in the future for Hawaii.

The full list of all of those who went on this trip is as follows:

W. R. Wade, Miss E. Scott, C. Tracy, G. H. Tuttle, T. Treadway, G. V. Blue, L. F. Mowat, W. Meinecke, Harry Auld, J. Carey, C. W. Manley, John Palmer, Joe Farrington, W. Paty, Miss S. Featherstone, A. Rodriguez, A. B. Lau, Harry Hayward, Miss G. Mason, M. L. H. Reynolds, O. Lightfoot, E. B. Webster, W. U. Naquin, Miss Keating, C. A. Brown, E. A. Back and C. E. Pemberton.

E. Camp, C. R. Coe, Doctor W. C. Iobdy, A. R. Macbeth, Miss V. McCarthy, Miss E. McCarthy, L. G. Rolley, L. A. Center, Leland Rowland, J. Simons, Miss A. R. Coats, J. O. Mitchell, V. P. McGogan, Norman Oss, Chester Taylor, Captain Cook, Augustus Balentyne, Miss. V. K. Ward, Miss L. K. Ward, George Dwight, Dean Lake, Sam Carter, W. D. Adams and L. Andrews Jr.

Miss O. Starratt, Miss E. M. Scott, Captain McNally, Ben J. Lang, H. R. Dole, F. B. Dodge, Harry Henry, C. H. Ruhmland, George Fraine, H. Phillips, Miss E. Peacock, Mrs. Peacock, Lieutenant A. F. Black, H. W. Brewer, Ed Neill, H. C. Brewer, W. A. Inman, Frank Williams, J. H. Worrall, G. C. Milner, J. Fernandez, A. J. Cooper, G. M. Duncan, J. C. Poole, Mrs. J. C. Poole, Miss McLennan, H. T. Rawley, Miss de Jarlais, Miss Durenberger, T. C. McVeagh, J. T. Munro, S. E. Baston and E. C. Lane.

H. V. Gear, F. A. Cunning, Mrs. Cunning, W. O. Barnhart, W. O. Barnhart Jr., G. B. Wilkins, E. O. Kahulualii, Jeff McCarn, Allison McCarn, R. N. Linn, S. O. Halls, E. A. Anderson, Miss Rand, W. J. Coon, R. E. Noble, Doctor H. Bicknell, N. Nottage, H. C. Lybye, K. Alexander, R. H. Wilson, A. G. Wilson, E. W. Sharpe, R. P. Brown, E. A. Cooper, E. A. Cooper Jr., A. F Gertz, H. Newcomb and E. L. Frick.

Alexander Hume Ford, Miss Olive Rand, Joseph Stickney, Malcolm Smith, R. J. Baker, Dr. Deiher, J. W. Waldron, Mrs. Mary Frane, H. J. Winkley, H. T. Osborn, Mrs. James Bicknell, George V. Tearia and Mrs. E. C. Southard.

Note: For those interested, a number of articles discussed the planning for the trip:

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