Highest peak in Tatoosh range, a pleasant beginner friendly early season climb
Follow the Snow Lake trail to the lake, then hike up the gully into the Unicorn basin. Once in the basin, head left toward Unicorn and the West Unicorn Col. You might find a moat problem here late in the season. After climbing over the moat, ascend either left or right toward Unicorn Peak. You will have to traverse some steep snow to reach the base of the climb. We climbed the classic 5.4 route. There is a solid 5.4 move in the middle. Rock shoes are recommended for the leader.
Chutang and I went to the park on the first day Stevens Canyon Road opened for the season, since this climb is more pleasant earlier in the season. It was a Friday, and there was no one beyond Snow Lake. The trail to the lake was in good condition and dry. After the lake, the boulder field had some snow cover. In a few places the snow wasn't thick enough and we ended up postholing, which was annoying. The snow in the gully was soft enough that we didn't need crampons.
Soon we were in the basin and moving toward the Unicorn Col. After climbing a steep snow slope, we found the moat was easy to navigate. I think it will become more of a problem later in the season.
After the moat, we went left toward Unicorn Peak. The snow on the north side was firmer than what we found elsewhere. After a steep snow traverse, we reached the base of the climb.
We chose the 5.4 route, which was easy to find. I led it, but the 5.4 move in the middle wasn't as easy as I expected. There aren't good hands or feet, and I had to search for a while before finding a hold and committing to the move. The other moves on the route are on the easy side. The route is very short, but we had heard some reports that a 30m rappel won't get you fully to the ground, so I carried a 60m rope.
When we got to the top, I found a tick crawling on my t-shirt. I wasn't sure ticks could be found up here. Luckily we didn't find another one. The view from the top is pretty good, and it was a relaxing climb.
The descent was fast. We glissaded almost half of the elevation and were back to the car within 2 hours of leaving the base of the climb.
