Mt. Chester > Little Chester > S. Galatea > Little Galatea

Chester and Little Chester. We started at the Chester Lake trailhead and took the regular route for both peaks. We probably drifted farther climbers right for the final 100m on Chester, but the scrambling was fun. We didn’t have much for views, as we were socked in. Little Chester is a high point on the southwest ridge. We had a time limit (8hrs for 4 peaks), so we ran up and ran down. The route is obvious from the col.

S. Galatea and Little Galatea. From Chester Lake, we followed the regular trail to the “Elephant Rocks” and continued on the trail towards Mt. Galatea. There is a map trail and I had a gpx track to know when to branch off from that main trail. However, the trail is not obvious in reality and we veered off from the beta I had. We bushwhacked for a while and aimed for some mellow cliff bands to gain the south slope. There were no distinct trails, so we just aimed for solid rock or supportive talus. It was a grind, and probably felt harder after doing Chester. The final 50m was fun scrambling with great views. The summit doesn’t have a register. In my opinion, it is deserving. Despite the location, this peak doesn’t seem to have many visitors. Overall the route was decent for the area, and you have to work to get it. Descending the south ridge was actually a lot of fun. A few times we dropped down to a lower ledge, and wished we had stayed high. There’s exposure, but the crest is wide and the rock is solid. The final 100m of elevation to lose was a little more tricky. We were aiming directly for the col which involved some awkward down climbing as it started to rain. Once at the col, we beelined for the summit of Little Galatea. Our decent line from there was directly down the drainage (we took a short detour on a sucker trail). The last bit of drainage involved some exposure while traversing a dirt ledge on skiers right of the waterfalls. Maybe skiers left would have been easier. Once at the pond, we stayed to the right side and found a trail cutting through the bush. It was overgrown and we emerged completely soaked. We then connected with the main trail and jogged back to the truck with enough time for a cold one before heading home!