The Garden Island. [volume] (Lihue, Kauai, H.T.) 1902-current, 1913-10-07
Bu c. S. Dole


Included in the party were A. ID. Hills
and G.. S. Dole of Lihue, who met W.
V. Hardy, the head of the-U. 5. Geologl-
cal Survey on Kauai, and his assistant,
Del T.. Horner, at Waimea, where they
took horses and started for the noun
tains shortly after lunch, riding up the
Waimea valley.
Kaholuamanu, the beautifully situated
mountain house of Mr.. Francis Gay,
situated at the makai end of the ridge
extending down from the middle OF the
island, at an elevation OF 36OO feet, was
reached at sunset, and one OF the party
remained here, as the guest OF the Gays,
who are now spending the summer at
this mountain home, While the others
rode on to the regular camp of the water
engineers. an hours ride up the ridge
and down to the Halekua stream, on the
east side-a tributary of the kahana.
On the way to the camp, the dogs
rounded up a wild pig, and before supper
they found another not far from camp,
which showed that game would be plenty
in the vicinity and the camp would not
lack fresh meat. Next morning before
breakfast the dogs got busy again, and
cornered one down stream below the
camp, so Horner and Hills took their
guns down and shot it, bringing it back
to camp in time to enjoy the breakfast
that Hardy had prepared for them.
But first they prepared an imu by dig
ging hole near camp and heating
number of stones red-hot, on which,
after breakfast, was layed the meat,-the
sides OF the pig first and on top of these
number of sections of large bamboo filled
with the more delicate portions OF the
game.
After lunch the start was made Tor the
top of the mountain, the alpine climbers
including only Dole and Hardy, as the
other two had decided that they would
prefer to spend their time hunting the
succulent hog and laying in q plentiful
meat supply. So Horner and Hills took
their guns about | p. NJ. and turned their
steps toward the Halekua clock register,
to take the measurements OF the water
course there and do little hunting on
the way. =,
Hardy and-Dole reached the cave. the
well known travellers rest place, not lar
from the top of the mountain, after
three hours tramp through the woods
and over several 'poho" places, or bogs,
about 4P. NJ. Just before reaching it they
walked for quarter of a mile down the
he'd of one of the branches of the Olo-
kele stream.
The cave is simply a large shallow hole
in the cliff, fifty or seventy-hve feet above
the stream, where five or six travellers
NAV rest comfortably on the dirt floor,
sheltered from the rain. 1t is surrounded
bv trees and ferns, and when the travel
ers arrived there an Ape-ape plant was
growing lust at the edge of the entrance,
whose large circular leaves gave very
tropical appearance to the place.
After taking several kodaks, they set
4 l, Loo, ~ ,ln Il NN-n
to the entrance to give good fire dur
ING the night. and by the time supper
had been eaten darkness had settled
down and it was time to light the pile OF
dry wood at the entrance to keep out the
cold, and turn in for the night.
Next morning the start for the top was
made at 6. A. NJ. and in an hour and a
half the top of Waialeale peak wasreach-
ed. where the bench mark of the topo-
graphic survey made several years ago
by the United States Geological Survey,
shows the height to be $3.50 feet. This is
only t he second highest peak, :
KaWaikini, at the south end of the noun
tain, is nearly hundred feet higher.
The big U s. rain guage, with capa-
city of 120 inches, is located on TINS peak,
and it was found o contain but i've
inches. the accumulation of the previous
nIIttn udNS, SllI'S ilai'lg il't'i iiitN'N '''''
regular bi-monthly visit on September
10th. This OF course was much less than
the average rainfall, which is in the
neighborhood of forty inches per month
at this station, where greater rainfall
is found than at any of the other stations
on Kauai.
The top of the mountain is mostly clear
of trees, these being found in only few
isolated localities and the surface is main
ly covered with a short bunch g.ass,
varied by a few piles of rocks and cross
ed by several streams, notably the Wal
nina river, flowing towards the west and
northwest, which rises in the Sacred
Lake" pond Of clear cold water about
snyenty-fve feet in diameter and couple
Of feet deep, not far from Walaleale
peak, which was venerated by the old
iIawaiians; and the head waters of the
Wailua river, which rises near the lake
bat flows towards the east and down the
abrupt precipice on the east side OF the
mountain.
The short grass makes walking easy
all over the top of the mountain except
in a few places where streams must be
crossed, and cliffs climbed, and after get
ting t., water measurements, they hiked
ON To the north end of the mountain
passing the Sacred Lake on the way and
the alter which stands near it,-where the
davout visitors of ancient days and-later
days also, judging from the specimens
found near it,-always placed their off
erings Of money, beads, lock 5 o +
hair, and other treasures; and there OBJ
tanned Il fine view Of Namolokama noun
tain, and the watersheds Of the Hanalri
and Lumahai streams, flowing on each
side of it down to the ocean.
OF course the unusual dryness OF the
weather at this time made walking mach
easier than it is at most seasons OF the
year, when the heavy rainfall turns the
whole top of the mountain into vast
bog.
On the west side of Namolokama were
seen the serried cliiIs of the west side of