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Treasures upon Treasures: Hike Records from the 1920s and 1930s

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In the archives of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, I found an original document typed in 1957. Although its pages are faded and brittle, and errors are lined out and corrected in pencil,  what treasures it contains! Historic documents like these offer a wealth of information that is both interesting and surprising.

The document contains the following seven sections. After each section title is a short synopsis. 

This month’s article will highlight section VII: SCHEDULE OF OUTINGS

  1. THE FOUNDING: by Alexander Hume Ford on April 5, 1910, in the rooms of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce.
  2. THE CLUBHOUSE: The Waimanalo lot was purchased  December 14,1925. Construction of the clubhouse began in April 1926.
  3. WORLD WAR II: After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Club did not resume weekly hikes until sometime in 1943. Membership fell to 36 and the Club was not able to access many of its favorite hikes.
  4. CHRONOLOGY OF THE HAWAIIAN TRAIL AND MOUNTAIN CLUB: Various activities and events are listed in this section including numerous neighbor island hiking trips, the first clubhouse event (a dance) held in September 1926, the first luau at the clubhouse held February 27, 1927, and others.
  5. DEVELOPMENT OF TRAILS: “Developing trails was one of the original aims of the Club. There had been well-defined trails used by the Hawaiians. Many have been lost, but many, to this day, are followed by hikers. One, the Tom-Tom trail, was used by  Hawaiians to go from Kamilo Nui Valley, through what is now called Marconi Pass, and down to Waimanalo.”
  6. PRESIDENTS, HAWAIIAN TRAIL AND MOUNTAIN CLUB
  7. SCHEDULE OF OUTINGS: JUNE 1921 – NOVEMBER 1938

Many of the “outings” are no longer a part of our repertoire. For example, there were many “Moonlight” hikes and outings!  Following are six examples of moonlight outings:

  1. PACIFIC HEIGHTS BY MOONLIGHT. The Club will be the guests of Mr. McGuire for an evening of pleasure. Assemble at Nuuanu Street and Pauoa Road at 5 p.m. Bring Supper.
  2. “MOONLIGHT PICNIC” Kokohead. Autobus trip. Assemble Army and Navy “Y” 4:30 pm. Members $1.00  Non-members $1.25
  3. “MOONLIGHT PICNIC” at the Nuuanu Pali. Assemble at the end of the Nuuanu car line at 5 P.M.  Bring lunch and canteen.
  4. MOONLIGHT CLIMB OF PUNCHBOWL. Meet at the corner of Lunalilo and Emerson Streets on Punahou carline, 7 P.M.                   “Carlines” referred to  electric street carlines operated by the Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Co. from August 31,1901 until July 1,1941. 
  5. OLOMANA BY MOONLIGHT. Assemble at the end of Nuuanu St. car line at 11 P.M. Bring lunch and canteen. C.B.Olsen, Guide.
  6. MOONLIGHT SWIM. Assemble at Public Baths at 7 P.M 

These public baths fronted the surf break now called Publics. 

“Not only is it pleasant to bathe here during the day, but moonlight bathing is indulged in. … It is a novelty, worth seeing, if not worth trying.”  (Whitney, 1895)

The creation of the Public Baths alongside the aquarium in 1907 made it so there was a public beach for the first time in Kapiolani Park’s history.  (Reynolds)

The next list contains other examples of  “Outings”  the club no longer enjoys:

  1. SUGAR MILL at AIEA
  2. SALT LAKE AND MOANALUA GARDENS
  3. Manoa Cave. Assemble at end of Manoa car line 1:30 P.M. A steep but easy climb to a natural cave on the east side of the valley. Wear hiking clothes.  Last month’s newsletter article highlighted hiking sign-in sheets from the 1920s, one of which was for “Manoa Caves.” For this month’s article, I learned that the Manoa Cave is in fact towards the back of Manoa on the east (Palolo) side, but where?!
  4. KAPENA FALLS for a swim in a mountain stream.
  5. SAND ISLAND, for a view of the bay and the mountains.
  6. Fort Kamehameha, Leave O.R. & L. Station for Puuloa. In the 1920s, the Oahu Railway and Land Co. offered 18 passenger train departures daily
  7. “Kolekole Pass” Class “A” hike, but an excellent view.
  8. Barbers Point Lighthouse: A 7-mile hike in algaroba forest on an old coral reef in a hot dry region: don’t forget canteen. Swimming at the beach.
  9. Queen Emma Home, Museum of Hawaiian relics.
  10. Moanalua Park and Japanese Garden.
  11. Bamboo Forest (largest on the island and impenetrable). Pauoa Valley.
  12. Bishop Museum. Feather capes and large collection of land shells. Assemble at the museum at 1:30 p.m.
  13. South Halawa Gulch returning via north Halawa Gulch. 
  14. Coasting on Ti Leaves. Assemble at end of Manoa car line at 8 A.M.
  15. Mango Grove East of Hairpin Turn on Nuuanu Pali Road. Meet at the end of Nuuanu carline at 8:30 a.m.  Chop Suey on return to Honolulu.
  16. Mokapu Point – Auto bus trip
  17. Outrigger Canoeing at Waikiki Beach from 2 to 5 pm. Bring bathing suits and lunch. Eat under the hau tree at 6 pm. Coffee and chocolate free. Book with the secretary. $1 per hour.

Lastly, here are some challenging hikes that the club was doing in the 1920s:

  1. MOUNT KAUA. This is a railroad trip to Robinson Station near Wahiawa. Leave on the 7:30 a.m. train, returning at 7:13 p.m. Wear hiking clothes and bring lunches and canteens. Approximate cost, $1.26.
  2. MOUNT OLYMPUS. Class A hiking. Assemble at Wilder and Pensacola Streets at 8:30 A.M. Wear hiking clothes, bring lunches and canteens.
  3. PALOLO CRATER. An afternoon hike into the mountains. Assemble at 10th Ave and Waialae Road at 1:30 p.m. Wear hiking clothes and bring canteens. A Class “B” hike.
  4. Auto bus trip to Wahiawa with Class “A” and “B” hikes into mountains. Magnificent mountain view.
  5. “Kolekole Pass” Class “A” hike, but an excellent view. 
  6. Kalihi Valley and pali. Assemble at King St. and Kalihi Road 7:30A.M/ Easiest climb to top of range in the Island. Class “A” and “B” hikes.
  7. Lanipo via Wilhelmina Rise and the ridge leading back to the crest of the S.E. Koolau mountains, overlooking Waimanalo. A strenuous Class A hike. 
  8. Ascent of Mount Kaala (4030 ft.) Highest peak on Oahu. 
  9. Bowman Trail. Assemble at King St., and Kamehameha Fort. Road at 8 am. Class “A” and “B” hikes. 

At the top of each typed Schedule of Outings was:

Phone 6668

Club Headquarters

418 Hawaiian Trust Building. 

Office Hours 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

Weekly Luncheon

Mrs. Davey’s Kitchen

Thursday at noon

The following disclaimer was added at the bottom of each of the Schedule of Outings:

Visitors are cordially invited to participate in all outings. The Club assumes no responsibility for accidents or injuries. Qualified guides are chosen in advance. Strict adherence to the guide’s instructions are essential. 

I would like to conclude by speculating who it was that typed up all of these Schedules of Outings. My best guess is Miss Zarel Jones, who was the Club Secretary during this time. On January 5th, 1921 the decision was made to hire an executive secretary and to maintain offices with the Pan Pacific Union.

“In the beginning, the Pan Pacific Union may with justice be acclaimed the handiwork of one man, Alexander Hume Ford. It was he who in 1908 translated an idealistic dream of a brotherhood of Pacific races into an equally idealistic but more substantial organization dedicated to the furtherance of interracial good will and amity.”

On October 14th, 1926 the decision was made to abolish the post of paid secretary and to give up the club offices downtown. At this time, in honor of her service, Zarel Jones was made a lifetime member of the Club.

Please feel free to peruse the attached two examples of the Schedule of Outings from the 1920s and contact me with any questions or comments at:  booksrec@htmc1910.org