Along the Trail
The Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club Newsletter


July - September 2003

 

BYLAWS CHANGES John Hoover

At the April 2003 Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors proposed a number of changes to the HTMC Bylaws. Although some were approved by the Membership, most were tabled. John Hoover has agreed to chair an ad hoc committee to examine these proposed changes and make recommendations to be presented to the Membership at the 2004 Annual Meeting. The committee will convene in October. More details will be given in the 4th quarter newsletter. Anyone interested in serving on this committee should contact John at 528-1206 or via email at jhoover@hml.org.

 

TRAILHEAD THEFTS INCREASING Editor

Recently, hikers had 3 cars broken into in the parking lot at Aiea Loop. Windows were smashed and items removed from all three cars. An attempt was made to steal one car, damaging the ignition system badly enough to render it inoperable.

The hikers believe they saw the thieves earlier. One of the hikers stated that the suspected thieves "represented themselves as hikers and left ahead of us ostensibly to hike the loop. Of course the fact that one of them was barefoot should have been a tip-off I suppose. Based on a conversation with them, in which they asked about other trails, we suspect they may be working some of them." Ominously, one of the items stolen from the Aeia Loop hikers was a copy of Stuart's book–which gives the thieves directions to all the trailheads.

HPD reported that such activities are on the increase at the loop, after a 6-7 month hiatus. They recommend that hikers only park in the lot at the bottom of the hill next to the caretakers house.

Another hiker has also reported seeing 2 men of the same description earlier this year at Koko Head crater where there was also a break-in. They were described as two young men, one local the other haole. They were driving a small old car, with a bad looking black paint job.

Other reported break-ins have been reported near Olomana, just after the bridge where most people park., at the Schofield-Waikane entry near the end of California Avenue, at the small park in Haiku used for Haiku Stairs parking, and on Maui at popular hiking spots along the Hana Highway, and at the trailheads to Waihe`e Valley and Waihe`e Ridge.

Some hiking groups, including the Sierra Club, are now leaving "guards" behind to watch vehicles in locations where break-ins have been reported.

 

KO`OLAU SUMMIT TRAIL HISTORY Stuart Ball

PART 10 - KST Hiking (1960-1974)

On 16 August 1959 the Territory of Hawai`i became the fiftieth state in the Union. In 1961 the Division of Forestry became part of the new Department of Land and Natural Resources. To encourage hiking, Forestry produced a detailed, comprehensive O`ahu trail map in 1968. The map described 90 trails, including the Summit Trail, listed as number 34 Pfpfkea Summit.

During the 1960s the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) did not schedule any backpacking trips on the Summit Trail. However, the Club did offer the Pfpfkea Summit day hike seven times during the decade. From Black Junction the groups followed the Summit Trail until turnaround time. The stronger hikers usually reached Lâ`ie junction before heading back. Leading those hikes were, David Sanford, Richard (Dick) Booth, Charles Nakamura, and Randall Borges, among others.

Weston (Wes) Williams, a computer programmer at Castle and Cooke heard about the Summit Trail while hiking with HTMC. Fascinated by the trail, he was determined to hike the entire route from Black to Kîpapa junctions. After two failed backpacking attempts in 1968, Williams decided to travel light and walk the Summit Trail in one day.

About two a.m. on 4 July 1969 Williams parked his car below the entrance to Koa Ridge Ranch, then hitchhiked to Niimi Store (now Foodland) at Pfpfkea and began walking up the homestead road by moonlight. He carried just two quart canteens of water on a web belt and several candy bars in his pocket.

Williams reached the Boy Scout camp at 4:30 a.m. and was on the Summit Trail by sunup, which revealed a fine Trade wind day. The route was generally clear on either side of the connector trails, but the muddy, overgrown sections in-between slowed him down and gradually wore him out. By noon Williams was well behind schedule; at Poamoho junction he ran out of food and water.

Williams had never hiked the Summit Trail beyond Poamoho. Nevertheless, that afternoon he gamely covered the remaining two sections, the glorious windward stretch from Poamoho to Waikâne and the clogged leeward contour to Kîpapa. With sunset fast approaching, Williams began to jog down the wide-open Kîpapa Trail. Shaking with exhaustion, he finally reached his car just after dark. Williams had hiked over 30 miles in about 16 hours without once losing the trail. On the drive home he saw the Fourth of July fireworks display over Honolulu.

One year later mountain man Dick Davis led an HTMC summit trip starting from the Boy Scout camp on 3 July.

Two days later hikers on the club’s Sunday outing up Kîpapa warmly greeted the weary backpackers as they trudged down from the summit. In 1971 and 1972 Jaggy Prasad led summit trips on Labor Day weekend. The group camped near Poamoho junction and explored along the Summit Trail on the layover day. In the 1970s HTMC continued to schedule the Pfpfkea Summit day hike led by Prasad, Thelma Greig, Ralph Inouye, and others.

In April, 1973 club member Silver Piliwale embarked on a solo summit adventure to celebrate his seventy-second birthday. Starting at the Boy Scout camp in the rain, Piliwale hiked to the dilapidated Kawailoa cabin where he spent the night. Over the next two days he completed the official trail to Kîpapa junction despite a broken pack frame and a leaky tent.

Instead of turning down the Kîpapa Trail, Piliwale continued along the narrow, wind-swept summit ridge. With no graded trail, the going was rough, slow, and treacherous. Past Mânana junction he inadvertently left the main ridge in the fog and had to wait half a day for the clouds to lift and reveal the correct route. On the fifth day Piliwale finally emerged from Moanalua Valley happy to reach his car. He later remarked, "My feet were sore, and I was so tired, but I wouldn’t give up." Before his retirement, Piliwale was a heavy crane operator, seaman, and musician, playing the ukulele. A full-blooded Hawaiian, he often gave poi-pounding demonstrations at Bishop Museum and Lyons Arboretum.

On their summit trips, Piliwale, Davis, and Williams had all passed the remains of the cabins built by the CCC in the 1930s and the Army in the 1940s. Few were usable, and most had collapsed as their wood framework gradually succumbed to wind and rain. In late 1973 the Division of Forestry built two new cabins along the Summit Trail to encourage continued hiking and hunting there. The Kahuku cabin stood windward of the trail about one mile past Kawailoa junction. The Poamoho cabin was nestled on the leeward side about one-half mile south of Poamoho junction. Each slept eight to ten persons and featured a water tank with rain catchment, a pit toilet, and a wood-burning stove. On 2-3 February 1974 Geraldine Cline led an HTMC backpack to check out the new Poamoho cabin.

 

A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK John Hall

An account of the remarkable growth
of midweek hiking on O’ahu

Several decades ago, four old HTMC members, Harry Whitten, Phil and Charlie Adams, and Lloyd Talcott, decided to set up a group that they called the "Over-the-Hill Gang" to hike on Wednesdays. I joined this group when I retired from the University in 1993. I knew of a number of other people who were interested in hiking during the week, but soon became aware that one of the guiding principles of the OTHG was a desire to maintain the group as a small, intimate collection of friends, which precluded much growth in its size. In fact, the group roster is limited to about 16 members, which includes one dog and several people who reside on the Mainland or the Big Island, and so do not join us regularly.

Therefore, I felt that there was a call to set up a second midweek hiking society that would be open to everyone interested in such an activity. I printed an announcement in this Newsletter, and collected the names and phone numbers of a number of people who wanted to participate. In October, 1998, 10 people met at the top of ‘Aiea State Park to organize a hiking group and to hike the ‘Aiea Bisectual loop. I had chosen this loop on the assumption that most of the people free to hike midweek would be retirees and that they would prefer something a little more interesting than the well-trodden State trails, but still relatively short and easy.

As the group, which has come to be known as Solemates, evolved, the hikes have become somewhat more strenuous, until they often approach an average HTMC Sunday hike in difficulty, and it is one of my regrets that some of the charter members of the group have largely ceased to participate for this reason, although the fact that notice of future hikes is sent out by e-mail, which many of them do not have, is another factor. Apparently there is still room on O’ahu for another midweek hiking group that would cater to these people!

Solemates has developed as a unique "organization" that has no formal membership, no dues, no officers, and meets only to hike or party. I explained at the organizational meeting that I was interested in several other groups that were active on Wednesday, and as this day seemed to be preferred by the majority of those present for their hikes, I would only be able to participate every second or third week.

Pete Sofman, an HTMC member and pilot for United Airlines, undertook the chore of sending weekly e-mails to let participants know where to meet. Hikers assemble at the trail head at 9:30 am, which allows most of us to avoid the worst of the rush hour, and generally hike as far as they choose, with most returning to the cars by 3:00 or 4:00 pm or before. One experienced hiker, usually David Frost, brings up the rear on the return to see that everyone has come out safely. David also maintains a count of the group and tries to insure that as many people come out as started, although as the group size grows, and some people come late, this is often difficult. When I lead a hike, I tell the gang that I always bring back everyone who started – plus or minus 10%. But of course, we really aim for 100%. Not infrequently there is an informal pot-luck get together at a nearby participants home afterward.

After Pete retired and moved back to Connecticut, David Frost took over the e-mailing chores. David and his partner, Roger Sorrell, have remained the backbone of the group. Every week, David sends out an attractive e-mail that now reaches over 200 people! It contains a description of the next hike, which includes detailed instructions for reaching the trail head, following the format of the popular trail guides published by HTMC member, Stuart Ball; a calendar of hikes planned for the next 2-6 weeks; and a brief description of the events of the previous week’s hike. Finally, there is a statement of the principles by which Solemates operates, including such familiar statements as "each person takes responsibility for their own safety…." David selects the hikes, with input from many others, including old time hikers from HTMC, and we now have an annual hiking cycle. Quite often the hikes follow those of HTMC in order to take advantage of recently cleared trails.

Too many HTMC members participate in the group to list them all, but they include such Club notables as President Dayle Turner, who sometimes hikes with the group when his school is not in session, club president Peter Kempf and board member Jay Feldman, who come with us when there is a particularly interesting hike planned or they are desperate and can find nothing more exciting to do, Newsletter Editor Richard McMahon, and those two venerable old lags from Mabel Kekina’s Trail Maintenance Chain Gang, Bill Gorst and John Hall (the author of this screed).

In addition to weekly day hikes, members have organized several hiking trips to the outer islands, spending several days at the Kilauea Military Camp in Volcano National Park on one occasion, and most recently, renting 3 cabins in Koke’e for 16 people who spent 4 days hiking in this beautiful area. At present, some people are talking vaguely of an overseas trip – perhaps to New Zealand, Nepal, the Austrian Alps, or possibly the Canadian Rockies or the Adirondacks. We shall see!

As mentioned above, our e-mail roster now exceeds 200 addresses. Not everyone turns out for every hike, of course, but on a fairly typical hike which I attended, the February 19 excursion up Kealia to the Makua Valley overlook, we had about 34 people on the trail, and HTMC members Loren and Yukie Anthony hosted an hour or two of talk and refreshments at their home afterwards. Thus weekly attendance is beginning to approach the turn-out for HTMC Sunday hikes.

This impresses me as being remarkable growth for an informal group not yet 5 years old. It has been made possible only by the availability of the internet and e-mail, and the creative and conscientious use that David Frost has made of it. I certainly had no idea my baby would grow so vigorously or that there would be such an interest in midweek hiking when I called that first meeting 4 ½ years ago!

 

RIGHT ROUTE, WRONG ROUTE Steve Brown

Two coordinators' meetings occurred within the last year. Discussion topicsincluded safety, liability and problems with hikers. The following consensus was reached:

It is the coordinator's decision to allow, or to not allow hikers to deviate from the prescribed route. However, should any hiker deviate from the prescribed hike route without obtaining prior permission from the coordinator, the coordinator should advise the board, who will consider possible action to be taken against the violator.

The board approved a motion at their March 2003 meeting to stand behind any coordinator's decision to allow no deviation from the prescribed hike route.

Please make the job of our overworked & underpaid coordinators easier by following their instructions. Thanks.

 

THE HTMC WEBSITE Jim Yuen

Did you know that HTMC has been on the web since March of 1997 and that we average 400-500 visits a week? So, what makes us so popular? Let's list the reasons. The website contains:

Check out the website at:

http://geocities.com/htmclub

or at:

http://aditl.com/htmc

You can also join our HTMC email list and get announcements as they occur. Just send an email to:

htmc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

and you will be added automatically. Please note that this list is for HTMC members only.

For more information, just email

htmc@aditl.com

 

CHAMINADE HIKING WEBSITE Jim Yuen

There are many websites on hiking and Hawaii. One of the most useful is the Great Outdoors Club of Chaminade University. This site has a map of Oahu with clickable trails. Each trail has a description and photo. Trails are also listed by name, by proximity to buslines, by description, etc. You can reach the site at

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/7230/Hike.htm

 

A NEW ROUTE UP HALEAKALA Dayle Turner

Last December, Ed Gilman, Mark Short, and I climbed to the summit of Haleakala from the Kaupo Coast. We three had hiked Haleakala before but none of us had done so by way of the proposed route, which was up along a gulch named Manawainui. The idea for this trip came to me while on a flight over Haleakala, when I noticed that Manawainui heads almost in a direct line to Pu'u Ulaula (Red Hill), the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala. A few days prior to our trip, Mark, who lives on Maui, had driven up to cache some canned food in the Polipoli area, where we'd hike and camp after we reached the summit. In addition, Mark staged his truck at the hunter's check-in at the end of the paved road leading up to Polipoli. We'd use this truck to get us back to civilization.

Just before 10 a.m. on December13th, Mark’s wife, Mary, dropped us [and Mark’s Rhodesian ridgeback Kimba] off along Piilani Highway where Manawainui Gulch emptied into the ocean along a dry, desolate section of Maui. We tossed stones into the sea as a ceremonial start of our hike and then set off upslope through lands formerly used for cattle grazing by Kaupo Ranch. In the early going, trees were far and few, and when we finally found a healthy but seemingly out of place ohia, we plopped down beneath it to rest and snack. Eventually, the old road we were following petered out, and we struggled through waist-high sections of lantana and other weeds. We found the way less obstructed right along Manawainui Gulch, so we veered off of lantana hell and stuck to this line, following either old cattle trails or goat trails. The Gulch in some areas was quite steep and deep, and on several occasions we spotted herds of goats down below or scrambling about on its far side.

A noteworthy landmark we were aiming for was a pu'u named Pane at an elevation of 4032 feet. As darkness neared, we found a suitable spot for our first night's camp, a relatively level but small area at the 5500-foot level where we could setup for the night. Since the evening promised clear skies and light to non-existent winds, we decided to sleep out under the stars Though I'm not an accurate predictor of how cold it became that night, I'd say the temps dropped into the mid to low 40s. And bundled up in three top and three bottom layers while wrapped up in my sleeping bag and my tent's rain fly, I still felt chilled! During the night, we had clear skies overhead and clear views of the distant Big Island, with the twinkling of lights from the town of Hawi reminding us that there were people out there.

We were all up and moving around by 6:15 on the second day, greeted by a cool, nippy morning at 5500-foot level of Haleakala's southern face. So beautiful was the sight of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa atop the clouds across Alenuihaha Channel that I knew I had to snap some photos of the view. After breakfast, we shoved off from our campsite, heading upslope into the unknown. We climbed steadily from where we had camped. On occasion, the mountainside would level off briefly, making our progress easier, but most of the time we moved up, up, and up, through a forest of ohia trees. Between the 6600-6800 foot elevation, we intersected the Kahikinui Trail, and breathed a sigh of relief. Had we missed this trail,we would have missed the opportunity to replenish our water at the Kahua Cabin, which the Kahikinui Trail led to.

The tramp along Kahikinui was a respite from the continuous climbing we had been doing since we began the hike, and we soon reached the cabin. The Kahua Cabin is a small, single-room structure with bunk space for four, propane stove, a sink, and a light powered by battery. There was a small lanai at the front of the cabin with lounge chairs for kicking back and relaxing, and several large water containers filled by a roof catchment system. While resting at the cabin, Mark said he would not head for the summit, but instead would hike to Polipoli on the jeep road (Kahua Road) that led their from the cabin. We would all rendezvous at a place called Ballpark Junction, where Kahua Road meets the Skyline Trail, another jeep road that climbs to the summit of Haleakala from Polipoli.

Saying farewell to Mark and Kimba, Ed and I shoved off at 10:30, hopeful we could reach the summit. We chose to follow a spur behind Pu'u Kahua, winding our way over rough sections of a'a lava and a multitude of spur ridges and sunken or collapsed lava tubes. Vegetation was much thinner and sparser here, and this trend continued the further up the mountain we climbed. Two hours after leaving Kahua Cabin, we reached the main summit ridge, elevation 9200, where we found some shade in the cleft of a collapsed lava tube, and we sat down there to rest and have lunch. We then left our packs at our rest spot [to be retrieved later] and headed for the summit.

Free of our packs, we moved much more easily and quickly, even given the high altitude. We also finally had a good trail to work with, and soon thereafter we were making the final ascent to the high point of the mountain. Once at the summit, Ed and I shook hands and then took turns taking pictures of one another next to the summit sign, elevation 10,023 feet. We didn't stay long, for we still had a long hike ahead of us to meet Mark at Ballpark junction and then continue down to the campground at Polipoli. We hiked quickly and steadily down Skyline Trail, passing some huge impressive cones, one being Kanahau.. We arrived at Ballpark junction at about 4:15. No Mark. No Kimba.

We yelled out for Mark several times, thinking he might be napping under a tree nearby. No response. Maybe Mark had continued down to Polipoli, we thought, for he had told us this was a possibility. So on to Polipoli we hiked, following the main dirt road down the mountain. An hour later, we arrived at the Polipoli campground (elev. 6200 ft). No Mark. It was 5:15. By 6:00, Mark had not arrived, so Ed and I proceeded to set up our tents and eat the food we had (remember that Mark had stashed some canned goods, some of which we had hoped to eat for dinner that night). Though it would have been a nice reward to heat a heartier meal that night, we were happy that we had made to Polipoli okay. We were confident Mark was okay, but we'd have to wait until the next day to find this out.

Our third day on Maui was spent in the Polipoli environs, which we got to by hiking down the Skyline Trail for eight miles from the summit of Haleakala. The traditional access is done by vehicle via Kula Highway, then a five-mile drive up a winding, narrow Waipoli Road and then a final three-mile rumble along a rocky, dusty dirt road. The Polipoli Springs State Park camping area is about 30 x 20 meters wide, sloping, not pretty, but it has running water, a flush toilet, a nice surrounding forest, and three covered picnic tables are part of the grounds.

After breakfast, Ed and I headed off to find Mark. We hiked back up to Ballpark Junction, where we found Mark and Kimba waiting for us. We chatted for a bit to figure out how our we had missed each other the day before, then it was time to get down to business, namely eating! After recovering Mark’s stashed food, we sat down on the grass for a highly anticipated second breakfast of canned goods: a can of pork and beans and a can of Spam for me, and a can of Dinty Moore beef stew for Ed and Mark. Normally, food of this ilk, especially cold, would be repulsive. However, when backpacking, and especially when backpacking and famished, canned stuff like beans and spam tastes heavenly, with a capital "H". And I felt like I was in heaven gobbling it down, unheated, right out of the can in big heaping teaspoons with pork n bean gravy drizzling down the corners of my mouth. Nirvana!

[Reading about this feat, Patrick Rorie, our club vice president, decided to see if he could repeat the climb in one day, instead of two. On April 12, again with transport help from Mark Short and Kimba, Patrick started from the bottom of Manawainui Gulch at 7:30 am, reached the Kahua Shelter at 12:12, and stood on Haleakala’s summit at 3:04 pm. Awesome Pat!]

 

MICONIA REMOVAL Steve Brown

Looking for a rugged off-trail experience while helping to protect Oahu’s native ecosystems? Join the O‘ahu Invasive Species Committee and other dedicated volunteers on a survey outing you won’t forget. Wear sturdy hiking boots with good traction, long pants, long sleeve shirt. Bring lunch, 2 liters of water, and insect repellent. Rain gear, gloves and eye protection are also suggested. Be prepared to do some bushwhacking in steep, uneven terrain off trail. We will drive/carpool to the "Miconia hunting area" after meeting at the Church of the Crossroads. For more information, call Mike Leech at 286-4616.

The dates are -

Saturday July 12, Saturday Aug 9, Saturday Sept 13

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS

 

ALONG THE TRAIL is a quarterly publication of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club designed to inform the membership of club activities and matters of interest to the hiking community. HTMC members and any other interested parties are welcome to submit articles to ALONG THE TRAIL. Submissions must be received by the 5th day of March, June, September, and December in order to appear in the newsletter published for the quarter, and may be sent in any of the following ways (email preferred):

E-Mail: Richard27@hawaii.rr.com
FAX: 293-2603
Phone: 293-2554
Mail: Richard McMahon
57-531 Kamehameha Hwy
Kahuku, HI 96731-2128



Bookmark The HTMC Web Page

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Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club
P.O. Box 2238
Honolulu, HI 96804

Clubhouse: 41-023 Puuone St
Waimanalo, HI 96795
Phone: 259-5443

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