“The Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club was organized on April 5, 1910, in the rooms of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce. Delegates from all of the Islands, as well as from the Appalachian Club of New England and the Sierra Club of California were present to assist.”
“One hundred quickly signed as charter members, paying in the annual dues of five dollars each, and a constitution following mainly that of the Sierra Club was adopted.”
“The objects of the Club were expressed in the following opening paragraphs of the constitution: To encourage intimate acquaintance with outdoor Hawaii.”
“1. By promoting knowledge of and interest in objects of natural interest in the Territory and the ways and means of getting to them;
“2. By the construction and maintenance of trails and roads leading to the same and the rest houses incidental thereto;”
“3. Through promoting interest in travel, more particularly by foot, through the mountains of Hawaii;”
“4. Through enlisting the cooperation of the people and the government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Hawaiian mountains, and generally by publication and otherwise to convey information concerning the object of the Club, both to residents of the Territory and to persons residing abroad;”
“5. By acting in cooperation with other Clubs or Associations having similar objects, as well as with government and other tourist bureaus, and to exchange privileges therewith.”
“The Trail and Mountain Club began work at once. It authorized and published the first of a series of pamphlets giving trail information, and a committee is now preparing for publication maps of all the islands that will clearly show each and every trail and indicate the condition of each.”
“A horse trail has already been completed from the roads at the end of Pauoa Valley, behind Honolulu, to the top of the plateau at the base of Mt. Konahuanui. the highest mountain peak near Honolulu.”
“On this plateau a trail and mountain rest house is to be built. It will overlook three valleys, and here trampers may rest for the night before ascending the Waimanalo Mountain range beyond.”
“For clearness in the mind of the non-resident, it may be stated that behind Honolulu are seven valleys, each with a beauty of its own. The electric cars pass each of these valleys, and trails lead from each to the mountain ridge behind.”
“An ascent of 3000 feet may easily be made in a morning or afternoon. The valleys are, in their order: Moanalua, Kalihi, Nuuanu (which ends at the Pali, or precipice, down which an auto road has been constructed to the other side of the island).”
“Pauoa, Makiki, Manoa, and Palolo. Trails are now in course of construction. or promised, that will lead along the main ridge and descend into each of the valleys. In Palolo Valley. 1600 feet above the sea. is a crater two miles, perhaps, in circumference.”
“A rest house is being constructed on its rim, and the lower part of the crater is to be turned into a lake. The Trail and Mountain Club has already made easy the way to and down the Seven Falls of Palolo, that carry away the waters from the natural springs in the bed of the crater.”
“These falls are among the most beautiful in Hawaii. not five miles from the street car line. yet until within the past few months practically unknown even to the old residents of Honolulu.”
“A little judicious trail building and the cutting of steps in steep places that the precipices of the falls might be ascended and descended, has made Palolo crater and the Seven Falls a most popular outing place.”
“Both near the City of Honolulu and in the mountain ranges at a distance away, private citizens have been most generous in their offers to promote the objects of the Trail and Mountain Club.”
“Many miles of mountain trail have already been turned over to the organization. several camps and rest houses, while others are to be built. Prominent business men owning summer cottages distant from the city have placed these at the disposal of the club for camping or rest purposes.”
“It is not only on the Island of Oahu that the Trail and Mountain Club will be active in its work. In Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, there is a thriving branch of the Club, and another in Maui.”
“The Hilo members are already cutting trails from their city to the nearby scenic wonders, and there are many in the vicinity of Hilo.”
“In the Kohala district, where precipices rise thousands of feet sheer from the level floors of the valleys, the ditch companies are placing at the disposal of the Trail and Mountain Club scores of miles of splendidly cut mountain horse and foot trails …”
“… with rest houses connected with each other by phone, and even donkeys to pack provisions and to carry those who prefer riding along precipitous trails to walking.”
“All around the Big Island rest houses are promised, and trails are to be put in order to the summit of Manna Loa, nearly 14,000 feet above the sea, to the very edge of the great crater of Mokuʻāweoweo, where a rough lava rest house will probably be erected.”
“On the Island of Maui, where the earth’s greatest extinct crater, Haleakala, may be easily visited, there is an enthusiastic branch of the Trail and Mountain Club. Efforts are being made to locate the lost trail over the mountains from Wailuku to Lahaina; this would lead through the Iao Valley, the Yosemite of Hawaii.”
“The Trail and Mountain Club will everywhere work hand in hand with the conservation service. Already steps have been taken to set apart the always active crater of Kilauea and the surrounding wonderland as a National Park, and this will doubtless be accomplished.”
“There is a growing tendency for the Touring Clubs of all lands to draw together in bonds of friendship. The Trail and Mountain Club of Hawaii extends a hand to the Mountain Climbing and Touring Clubs of America, to the Government Tourist Bureaus of Australasia and Java, and to the Welcome Society of Japan.” (Tuttle, Mid-Pacific Magazine, January, 1911)
The legacy lives on; visit (and even join) the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club at: http://www.htmclub.org/
Follow Peter T Young on Facebook
Follow Peter T Young on Google+
Follow Peter T Young on LinkedIn
Follow Peter T Young on Blogger
