The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-10-09
THE BEST ROUTE
To THE LAVA FLOW
IN VIEW or LATE INFORMATION
IT Is PROBABLY UP THROUGH
KAu-PARTY TO START.

nv nv 4 ~ - -''N''
Now that Mauna Loa is active, and
there is talk of excursions to the scene
of the activity, the question of how TO
| get to the flow becomes one of interest.
1t is easy enough to buy a steamer
ticket in Honolulu, if one has the price,
for some port on th, Island of Hawaii,
but it is an altogether different ques-
ton of what to do after one lands. The
upper slopes of Mauna Loa, where all
the lava flows of modern times have
broken out, is distant, desolate, and
hardly accessible place. Approached
from any direction these upper slopes
lare without water for miles there are
no roads nor even trails and no shelter
from the fierce heat of the sun by day
and the piercing cold of the high alti-
tudes by night, to say nothing of the
"mountain sickness" which attacks a
large proportion of people after an al
titude of 10000 feet has been reached.
The outbreak of July, 1899, was visit
ed by probably three or four score of
people, and their experiences, being
recent enough to be fresh in memory,
may perhaps be of service to people
who want to visit the scene of the pres
ent outbreak.
1t is difficult Mt present TO give def
mite directions as to how best to get
there. because the information at hand
now does not definitely locate the point
of the outbreak. Probably there will
be no definite information on that
point, until some one has actually made
the trip up to the point of the outbreak.
The information now at hand seems to
place the point of the outbreak either
in the so-called summit crater of Mo-
kuaweoweo, or near it. AS there has
not been lava flow from Mokuaweo-
weo within historic times, the actual
point of outbreak is probably lower
down on the slope of the mountain. AS
a rule the disturbances are first mani
tested in Mokuaweoweo, but as the
molten lava is forced upward by the
forces within the earth, it usually finds
vent somewhere lower down than the
crater not infrequently somewhere
within the area of the mountain which
is above the 10000 foot line. Assum-
ing that the present outbreak is with
in this area, it is probable that it can
be reached by any of the routes that
were found practicable to reach the
Dewey crater at the time of the out
break in 1899.
Parties are known to have reached
the Dewey crater by five practicable
routes. Probably the first party to
reach the crater in 1899. started from
Pahala on the morning of July 4, 1898
and passed up through the EapapaIa
ranch, riding so they claimed, to with
in three miles of the active cone. There
they left their hors~- and walked the
remainder of the way. In the party
which made this trip were W. p. Fen
nell, George Dawson William Mann
Miss Angie Crook. Miss Crook Miss
: De Carmo and L. Chong. No details Of
this route further than are here giver
, We're published at that time.
|, A second route, followed proba bly,
q by more persons than any other. start.
ed from the Volcano House, and pass.
ed up through the Shipman ranch
. striking the 1880 lava flow about thir.
: teen miles from the Dewey crater. Or
. this route horses were left soon after
( the 1880 flow was reached, and the re.
1 Imainder Of the trip was made 'afoot
Among those who went by this route
= We're w. r. Castle, P. L. Weaver
. Charles L. Rhodes, Charles Fl. Klue
il gel, Richard Cooke, Albert Castle and
Others.
a A third route which was proved prac.
. ticable was taken by party which al
3, so started from the Volcano House and
c passed up through Shipmans ranch
Y but considerably to the left of the trai
, taken by w. r. Castle and his party
y and struck the lava flow of 1880 severa
y miles nearer the scene of volcanic ac
= tivity This route was taken by Free
A. Jacobs, Charles f. Eagan, e o
= Hall, Harold Dillingham;. Fred Alex
. ander. Jack Wilson and E. lie Munyon
|. A fourth practicable route was takel
:. by number of people from Hilo. On,
4 party of them included Eugene f. Buf
!, fington, James and Horace .Sisson, w
To RsNwfe- A
The route taken was right straight III
the lava flow of 1880 starting from Hi
10. This route must be made entirely
afoot.
"A fifth route bv which the ascent wa
successfully made was from Honokaf
or Kawaihae, by way of Waimea anC
4 the Kalaieha station of the Humuul;
Il sheep ranch From Kawaihae or Ho
4 nokaa there is a stage to Waimea A
1 Waimea horses can usually be obtain
i ed for the trip over an easy though
dusty road thirty-seven miles to Ia
laieha station. Not far from this sta
tion the barren lava begins. In 1899
Prof Rolfe, and J. NJ. WeatherwaJ
found very easy trail up the slope o
the mountain to the scene of tina
years outbreak. This trail was through
y the lands of Ainahou, and keeping Il
? the left of the lava flow OF 1899 Mr.
Weatherwax says that with a littl
work over about 100 yards of a-a lava
route could be made by which on
could ride horseback all the way III
to the Dewey crater However, no on
has ridden up this trail yet, all thos
who went that way going afoot from
the sheep station. On this route Their
is no water between Waimea and Pc
hakauloa which is seven miles from
the sheep station, and there is no wa
ter at the sheep station. Water mus
be carried from Pohakuloa for the re
mainder of the trip.
By whichever route one goes, on
ought to take a guide familiar with tn
region. The outfit should include
blanket, raincoat of some kind, a can
teen that will hold at least a gallon o
water, and food for say three days il
which there should be nothing. snItv M