Route:  Clark Mountain, Walrus Glacier Carry Over
Climbed:  July 2, 2000


Features:  White River, Bolder Pass, Walrus Glacier, Clark Mountain, Roberts Glacier, Napequa Valley, Little Giant Pass.

This was a 4 day trip from 7/1/00 to 7/4/00 done with my mountaineers
Basic Climbing Class mentor group.  

Day 1:  Arrange car shuttle.  Hike in White River -> Bolder Creek,
camp at 5,000 ft in Bolder Creek.  (2730 Ascent, 90 descent, 5 hours).

Day 2:  Pack camp.  Climb to Bolder pass.  Climb snow fields on north
of ridge to base of Walrus glacier.  Rope up and climb glacier.
Glacier has moderate wall with cravasses, then flat, then short wall,
then flat below ESE end of summit (~8150 ft).  Cross to south side and
make a rising traverse.  Ascend major gully and scramble ridge to
summit or traverse further and ascend rock slope to summit.  

From there we return to the ESE end of summit and traversed around
the north side of Clark Mtn to the west ridge.  Cross the west ridge
at about 8000 ft and descend rock and snow on south side to saddle.
From here you can descend loose gully or steep snow for about 130 ft
to head of Roberts Glacier.  Descend glacier to 6000 and exit left on
snow to basin south of Butterfly Bute.  

(There are several alternate routes.  North of the summit is a wide
glacial ramp that descends to moraine of Roberts glacier.  Snow covered
at this time of year but crevassed latter.  One may also directly
descend a steep section of the Roberts from north of Clark Mtn summit.
Also probably crevassed latter.  Finally, one may drop on to the head
of the Roberts as we did, then climb up again toward Luwanah (sp?) and
descend steep snow to head of Piltz glacier.)

(3640 ascent, 2930 descent, 10 hours)

Day 3:  Snow in morning, shifting to rain, then easing about 1:30.
About 2 inches new.  Pack camp.  Climb Butterfly bute and descend east
Ridge to Napequa River.  Head up stream till we find snow bridge
crossing just upstream from Lewis Creek.  There is a small forested
camp site near Lewis Creek.  We hike downstream for an hour then camp
in established site under some trees.  Rain stops in evening.

(440 ascent, 1970 descent, 4:20 hours)


Day 4: Continue down valley on trail.  Because of wet brush and snow
we choose to take a snow ramp up to Little Giant Pass.  This feature
can be seen on maps as a gully running diagonally down below Little
Giant Pass.  There is a stream flowing under the snow but we encounter
only a few places where the snow bridges have broken.  A little brush
brings us to an upper ramp.  We then cut back left, pass through cliff
bands directly below pass, and gain pass.

East side is corniced.  We rappel down a non-overhanging section.
Stay right (near small ridge in basin) till we are below the snow,
then cut left to find trail.  Brush dense.  There is a largish gully
running down from pass in middle of basin (between rivers marked on
Green Trails map).  The trail descends the rocky ridge to the south of
this basin.  One could pick up the trail sooner by heading for this
ridge.

We cross the Chiwawa by going up stream about 200 ft to a place of
moderate shallows where we can make a diagonal down stream crossing.

(2380 ascent, 4060 descent, 8:40 hours)




[Route description written by Tom Unger]