[b00]

stevens 6-7-18

i guess it should not have been surprising to me how well our route worked and how close we were to the route i sketched out beforehand. especially considering all the amazing people involved. the whole day just felt like going for a walk with a group of friends. there was just a really relaxed vibe and everyone really shared in the joy of getting in some fun before the weather turned bad this weekend. matt originally suggested stillaguamish, but modern wanted to ski and suggested stevens. with a group this experienced, it is hard find a peak none of us had done and all wanted to do, but modern picked a winner. the trip reports we found made it seem like it would strenuous and long, often 12+hours. but we, going at a really casual pace, were under 10 hours, including almost an hour on the summit and numerous breaks. lots of time to visit :>) carla, modern and i did a ski trip four years ago and decided to check out the terrain over to the boulder/stevens saddle. this trip we were a week earlier, but there was a lot less snow, due to such a warm may. we really wondered if the route we found 4 years ago, would work with less snow. not only did it work, but it was really fun! definitely the theme for the day - fun :>) quick and dirty route info: hike up to near unicorn peak summit block, walk ridge between summit and and boundary and take first available spot to descend ene. descend directly to ~6550 and then do descending traverse se aiming for the base of the east shoulder of boundary. then take easy terrain to boundary/stevens saddle. then level traverse e (on s side of ridge) at 5800' to get around below rock buttress and then ascend to stevens sw ridge which easily takes you to summit. easy class 2, moderate, but sometimes exposed, snow slopes. many other options would work, including traversing from the boundary/stevens on n side of ridge ~5800' around large rock and then up steep snow to saddle on ridge and then follow stevens sw ridge to summit.

shiver me timbers matey

8.98mi 4640' gain 5:18 car to summit 0:48 summit stay 3:46 summit to car 9:52 car to car equipment: ice axe, crampons equipment brought, but not used: helmet

[Matt]

Thanks for organizing the trip, b00. Party: Matt, Dicey, b00, GeoTom, Art, peakjunkie, Cartman Several pleasant surprises for this trip: We found a destination that none of this very well-traveled group had been to. The clouds cleared off and gave us mostly clear views. Great snow conditions made for easy travel. A lens fell out of my sunglasses, which I verified by poking myself in the eye. Avalanche lilies were starting to bloom; always a treat around Rainier.

Hiking past Snow Lake

ascending toward the Unicorn west shoulder

solar ring above Unicorn

rainbow sun

looking back down from the Unicorn west shoulder

b00 going over the edge of the non-protruding cornice east of Unicorn

descending from to the Unicorn-Stevens saddle

arriving at the Unicorn-Stevens saddle

the route down from Unicorn

traversing around the south side of Stevens

me on Stevens looking back at Unicorn

Stevens summit

Stevens summit

Rainier and Stevens Canyon

Adams above Tatoosh Mtn

returning from Stevens (you can see one person still out on the traverse around the south side)

the rock step above the Unicorn west shoulder

Ethereal Rainier floating above Foss

glissading and skiing down from the shoulder

ski tracks below Unicorn

Avalanche lilies low on the Snow Lake Trail:

unusual colors

open face

from shadow into sunlight

To get to Stevens, you have to go almost over the of Unicorn, so this trip managed to rack up 4600 feet of cumulative gain for a net gain of only 2040 feet. =Stevens GPS Track

[BarbE]

Looks like a most excellent trip. Great views, fun terrain and a new peak for all. Throw in a rainbow sun above Unicorn- why, that’s downright magical! 🌈 As seen on a previous trip. 😊

Oh look, it's real!