The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-08-11
MOUNTAIN PERILS
Climbing in The Islands is Not
Always Easy.
DANGER IN INSECURE FOOTING
Thrilling Experience on
Haleaka1a.
Tourist Spends Trying Hour
and Half i'm the
Old Crater

A party of eight, two ladies and five
gentlemen, all we'll known in this
city, and young Englishman, started
out from Mrs. Bailey's, at MakaWao,
Maui, on the 5th inst, intent on stop
ping that night at the little rest house
overlooking the awe-inspiring crater of
Haleakala. Everything seemed to be
prearranged; the cloud pillows on the
mountain below and the sunset and it's
weird effect upon the cones of the ex-
tinct crater were all magnificent The
Briton of the party relates the follow
ing thrilling experience:
ut was, on the whole. a most in
teresting trip. To begin with, we had
very amusing guide and equally
amusing horses. The guide was anus
ing, because he felt the enormous
weight of responsibility that rested on
his broad shoulders, and, partly for
that reason and partly because he was
kanaka, he called us by our Christian
names and ordered us about in thor
ough Alpine-guide fashion. He rode a
mule and led another with our blankets
and provisions.
The horses were amusing because
they were homemade, so to speak.
They would canter with the wrong leg
foremost, turn to the right when the
left reign was pulled-hauled, should
say-and, if one was not attending,
they would stop and begin to feed, but,
nevertheless, they have, like all Gods
creatures, their own perfection and a
beauty of their own, resulting from
that perfection, and that is their won
derful power of Notwithstanding
and coming down again. That little
body else used it in reference to some
animal form very superior to a kanaka
nag. But it seems to fit in, for it was
really extraordinary how these ami
mails clambered over the thousand and
one difficulties of that mountain track.
For the use Of future wanderers to
the crater of Haleakala, who are un-
able to ride, might mention that there
is no fear of losing ones equilibrium
by any untOWard movement on the
part of the mount. One lady of our
party had only been on horse once
before in her life-and l believe that
was a rocking -horse-and yet she did
not part company with her little sor-
rel, or even the saddle, once.
I'VE started from Mrs. Bailey
place, Wapaapae, at 10:30 a. m. and
lunched on the Veranda of "Olinda,
by the kind permission of Mr.. Bald
win, arriving at the summit about 8
D. m. Everything was to perfection.
After we had wasted sufficient time in
gazing with mute astonishment upon
that marvellous hole and the glorious
sea of clouds below us, and after we
had watched the sun disappear below
the elevated ocean horizon, we wended
our way into the little stone building,
lit fire, for which we were thankful
extinct craters at an elevation of 1O,-
600 feet are not too comfortably warm
eat both our own and the guides
provisions quite a mistake, 1 assure
yOu,J wrapped ourselves ISuIIy III OuI
blankets and slept.
''The thoughtful individuals who
erected the building also provided
about 10 trestle canvas cots, but only
two were of any use, and these we
arranged for the ladies, but not till we
had discovered it was too chilly to
sleep out of doors. Yes, we rugged
these tressles up-we upset five cups of
but that was a mere detail-with sad
die bags for pillows, and then made up
our own hunks on the uneven floor.