The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-04-17

MAUNA LOA
Mountain
Climber Strongly
impressed.

THE silence and desoiation- on the
summit of the great mountain of Ma
una Loa is appalling, but it is grand
and impressive "
Such is the conclusion Of Henry g.
Bryant of Philadelphia, President of the
Geographical Society of Philadelphia,
Secretary of the American Alpine CLUB
and Fellow of the Royal Geographical!
Society of London, who returned in the
steamer Kinau last Saturday from .
trip to the volcano of Kilauea, Hawaii,
and a special trip from there TO the
great but presently inactive crater of
Mokuaweoweo, on the extreme summit
of Mauna Loa, more Than 1900 feet
above the level of the sea.
Mr.. Bryant has travelled all over the
world and has climbed to the great
heights. His most recent exploit vas
to ascend Popocatapetl in Mexico. He
has gone to the summit of the Alps
by the most dangerous routes, as we'll
as to the peaks of the highest ranges
in the Himalayas and America.
Mr.. Bryant went to Kilauea Two
weeks ago, where he enjoyed the hos
pitality of Demosthenes at the Volcano
House. He visited K1!aIea several
times and then expressed a desire to
ascend Mauna Loa. The average resi-
dent of the Hawaiian Islal-is knows the
great difficulties to be overcome III as
Icending Mauna Loa, of the great masses
of rough and bristling lava beds to be
crossed. of the lack of water, the alb
Isence of vegetation for fodder, of the'
sufferings which horses have to under
go. of the extreme cold which one en-
counters at the summit. and the diff
ficulty of breathing in that rarified re-
gion.
The traveller in this case secured the
services of two of the veteran and most
trusted volcano guides. They took along
three horses. The party was three days
and nights on the journey, and it Was
found to be as difficult as it had beer
reported.
The great hummocks of lava, with
"a and pahoehoe flows, were traversed
slowly At night the party camped on
the edge of the timber line, and resum-
ed the climb the next morning. On ar
rival at the crater of Mokuaweoweo
Mr.. Bryant spent some time Inspecting
the great hole. In the deep silence of
that upper region he was impressed
with the great rent in the mountain.
He followed along the line of the lava
flow of 1893. He had a great desire 90
descend the crater, but the guides re-
fused to permit him to do so, owing to
a superstitious fear that the wrath of
Madam Pele would be visited upon
them all for entering her abode
lone of the most beautiful sights 1
have ever seen in my experience" said
Mr.. Bryant yesterday, was the sun
rise seen from the top of Maunel Loa.
Below us was a sea of clouds, ard a.
the sun arose and peered over the f1eecy
mass the radiating beams and color
were something beautiful to behold.
And it was the same with the sunset
One would imagine that the summit
of Mauna Loa is something of a peak
and when standing on it one could look
down upon the remainder of the island
in any direction. The top is almost
table land and to see any lower por-
ton of the island you have to go out
on the slopes
Mr. Bryant recorded his Mauna Loa
experiences in the Volcano House rec
ord book