Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-15
But Half ttie Word Seems in
Sight From Mauna Kea's
Top; Declares ]. A. BaIch


Up 1865 feet after q long and
sweaty climb, and then not thing
to see-that's what we found when
We reached the top of Mauna Eoa, !"
said J. A.. Baich this morning, speak
ing of, q trip which he made last week
with Frank E. Thompson and Frank
Howes to the craters OF both Mauna
Loa and Mauna Kea. II. ~ 49,.
I'VE had been in training for the
climb for quite a while before we left
Honolulu. and IN wager, that each OF
as trained up on his stock of adiec,
lives fully as much as he trained his
leg muscles getting ready Tor, the
climb. But when we got. to the top
Of Mauna Loa, all we could say was,
Gee, but it's hot =. ........... T.. .r,,t.
I'VE left Volcano House late In the
morning and covered 90 miles on
horseback by night. reaching a water
tank where we camped at an elevation
of 1900 feet. E--...% .-u,..> -. -, 80. :.
""A 8 the next morning We started
ont ii the rain for the summit. dis
lance OF twelve miles There were
no steep DROPPING cliffs that take
away your breath--no sudden views
in a word, the trail around
Tantalus wiH give you more thrills to
the inch than Mauna Eoa gives to the
yard. And when we reached the top
we found, Just dead level plateau,
about. tonrt miles, wide. There was
very little TO show that the mountain
was q volcano7-iust. q few columns o:
steam rising from the .creyices, The
temperature was rs Fahrenheft and
the creyfces were packed with ice. We
broke the crust and filed our canteens
with water cold enough TO make May.
Or Lane want to go fishing again.
q I'VE made tie trip clear back to
the Volcano House that day and
reached # at 10 In the night-19 hours
Of steady travel altogether.
AT seven the next morning we we're
on the road again, not hopefully after
Mauna Loa. but doggedly, because we
had made up. our minds to see both OF
the volcanoes. Fifty miles of steady
riding that day brought us to Pun DC
ranch, where we rested for "a hours
and. then pitched into the up trail
again, Mauna Kea is a harder climb
is worth the effort
Has personally"
There's personality to the noun
tain, If you can say that a heap o.
lava has q, personality You feel that
you're getting somewhere when you
wind up those cliffs, and when yor
get to the top your eyes Jump out at
a truly great view. Far away we could
see the shapeless outline OF Maunf
Loa, without dignity even at that dis
tance-iust a hean of soft puppies
splotched against the horizon by mis-
take The day was exceptionally clear
and Il seemed to me as ! turned my
eyes from point to point that half the
world was in sight.
Near the top, at about the $4,000
foot level, we reached a beautiful ice
cold lake, some hundred yards Ions
and about the same in width. 1t was
strangely impressive to. run on to that
cold clear water at such an elevation.
like a great drinking cup Of the Titans
dropped there and forgotten when the
earth was young.
After We passed the lake a keen
wind curling about the mountain cut
at our faces" Here Mr.. BalCh rubbed
a badly cracked pair Of lips ruefully.
and you see the result; but it was
worth more than chapped lips to climb
that mountain It's about as near TO
heaven as most people get anyway.
On the way down we passed a |
stone quarry where the Hawaiians |
once chipped out the hard blue basalt |