One of the park service flyers posted at the trailhead says the same thing as your guidebook; Easy Pass is one of the most scenic areas in the North Cascades, but the trail going up there is anything but easy. Good thing you and your partner are in pretty good shape! You adjust your pack, happy to feel that the forty pounds on your back doesn't feel too bad. Not yet anyway. It's a cloudy Monday morning and you'll be out in the woods until Friday. The park rangers in Marblemount warned you about recent bear activity in the area, and you're not sure if this makes you nervous or excited. After one last gear check, you start up the trail...
Within the first quarter mile, you're faced with a fairly sketchy log crossing over icy Granite Creek. To make matters worse, you feel a raindrop land on your nose. Fighting back visions of slipping, you focus on putting one foot in front of the other. You try not to notice all the rushing water below. After what seems like fifteen minutes, you make it safely to the other side, but more rain drops fall and you wonder if there are more crossings ahead. You would hate to walk across a wet log. Do you:
Pick up your pace to get as far as you can before everything gets wet
or
Take your time and conserve your energy for the long haul