Little Giant Pass — Sunday, Sep. 6, 1998

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

The Glacier Peak Area - We took the White River trail 4 easy miles to Boulder Creek and worked our way up to Boulder Pass, 4000 feet up. The brush wasn't bad, probably due to horse trampling. Two excellent nights at the pass, where a trickling stream still provides water. We attempted to climb Clark Mountain via the Walrus (Clark) Glacier, but it was too broken up. We were able to climb down into some amazing crevasses though! For a great viewpoint, scramble to the top of Peak 7240, above a rocky basin just north of the pass. This place was amazing! On Labor Day, we zoomed down to the Napeequa and crossed at 7:30 am. At this hour, the water was only knee deep but extremely, painfully cold! Another hiker told us the water was hip deep in the afternoon when he crossed. The current is strong, and you can't see the bottom due to the glacier silt. Cross early! The trail up to Little Giant Pass was difficult. Extremely, unrelentingly steep. About 500 feet up is a section where brush and tree limbs have taken over the trail. Navigating these with a heavy pack, and serious exposure below makes for a nerve-wracking experience. We were glad to attain the pass without leaving any ""bleached bones"" to horrify others. Going up is much easier than going down this pass, just as in rock climbing. The path down to the Chiwawa from Little Giant was very steep for the first 2500 feet, then the grade improves but you also get many blow-downs. Many trees to step carefully over, and about a dozen which require a detour or painful undercrawl of some sort.