The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-09-27
THE GENESIS OF HALEAKALA.
No. 2.-To the Summit of Haleakala.

| No. 2.-TO the Summit of Haleakala.
Christmas week a small party started
up to spend the night at the top of the
mountain, No midnight gettings up at
| Olinda, no cold rides at unearthly hours );
no nights of smoke, misery and feas at
the cave. These valiant hearts would
sleep at the very top, under the over
hanging rock. They would see the last
of the sun as it went down over West
Maui, and the first of the sun as it came
up over Hawaii. One gave out at Olinda.
She said she always intended to stop
there; but the others went on. On
reaching the top the kamaainas declared
they had never seen the crater so per-
fectly clear, not the faintest little white
fleck of cloud anywhere; and the cones
at the bottom stood out wonderfully dis
tinct. After a while few little white
specks appeared, drifting in over the
cliffs at our right, and gathered in the
bottom of the crater until only the tops
of the cones could be seen, then only the
higher cones; then in a marvelOusly
short time the crater was full up to our
feet, and all the world behind us-which
We had fOrgOtten-was clOuded over, so
we could only see few feet Just around
us. But it was cold and our enthusiasm
had exhausted ITSELF so the summons
to come and get some hot coffee was
welcome call. After our supper we sat
around the fire telling stories, asking
and "giving up'' cOnundrums, singing
slave songs, minstrel songs, college
songs until the watches of the company
said various times from twenty-five min
utes of eleven to fifteen minutes past.
Then, with saddles for pillows and all
the wraps we could gather, we made |
ready for what sleep we could get. We |
all know how Jacob felt when he said,
or did somebody say for him, My |
rest a stone" Occasionally ghost of |
figure would steal away to see how it /
seemed to be all alone away up there |
10000 feet above anybody else, and ex-
perience for himself what one who had |
made the trip many times had said about |
the absolute stiffness Of the air, and the |
helpless, far-away feeling it gave one to
know that that great crater was on one
side full of clouds, and the slope of the
huge mountain covered with clouds OH the
other side, while one could only see just
the spot where he stood. One stood |
there some time watching a thunder
storm below us. She was much inter-
ested in watching the lightning dive
down and part the clouds, until she hap
pened to think that she was the highest
object just there, and most excellent tai.
get for the lightning; then she came fly
ing back into the cave, where there was
safety if not comfort.
In the morning we had another most
wonderful view. The clouds slowly
drifted to our left towards Koolau Gap,
and one after another the cones appeared,
until the whole crater was empty; as
evening before. Then, when we turned
to see how the world behind us looked,
there was glorious sight. West Maui,
Molokai and Lanai clear and beautiful,
every valley and gulch distinct; one
black speck in Maalaea bay, three black
specks in Kahului, one in Maliko, line
of smoking plantation chimneys from
Olualu to Huelo. But the browning
glory was the solid bank of white clouds,
keeping the shape of the gap through
which they passed, slowly drifting down
to the sea. 1t was so very white, except
where the sun gave it beautiful red
hnge, that as it moved in dlgnified
silence over the green cane fields and
OIOWH P1OWCu ldLuS1 Ou 10 Iue intensely |
blue sea, it was sight never to be for
gotten. After looking and looking until
I'll this glory had vanished, we turned to
the crater again. and saw more white
clouds floating in, away at our right So
his emptying and filling goes on day
after day whether any eyes are there to
zee it or not
Any pi!ikias? Oh yes! Did ever a
party go up but somebody's horse got
away, or somebody's horse gave out, or
horse bucked, or somebody
'alked when the rest wanted to sleep, or
he supply of wood gave out before all
we're ready to go to bed?
But these were trifes less than air ex-
;ept to the unfOrtunates who had to walk;
and they would have walked farther to
Zee the wonders we saw.
Paia, Maui. THos. L. GULICK.
Il