Mount Chester II
July 13, 2014
Mountain height: 3054 m
Elevation gain: 1120 m
Roundtrip time: 6:30
Solo scramble.
My first successful ascent of Mount Chester was completed under pretty
dreary skies and so a return trip with better weather was definitely warranted. The
Chester Lake and Headwall Lakes areas are ones that never lose their charm.
The trip unfolded with predictable ease and the predictable outstanding
scenery. The skies did turn out to be a little hazy, but a darn site better
than the 2002 ascent. Perhaps the most pleasant aspect of the trip was to
arrive at the summit to be greeted by four very friendly individuals. Oliva
Jost, her husband Logan, and two of their friends introduced themselves and we
had a very nice conversation while enjoying the outstanding summit views.
On descent I decided to visit the summit of Little Chester (the minor
outlier southwest of Chester) and determine if was possible to descend the
northwest ridge of the outlier. Though fairly steep in places, this descent
route was straightforward, and provided excellent views throughout, in addition
to offering a pleasant alternative to the normal descent route.
An excellent trip, in an excellent area, on an excellent mountain, with
the added bonus of meeting some excellent people!
Emerging from the forest into an open area
First good view of Mount Chester
Mount Galatea (right) and one of its western outliers
Mount Chester (left), Little Chester (right) and the obvious ascent gully between them
Galatea, Gusty Peak, and The Fortress - three terrific Kane scrambles
Birdwood, Smuts, The Fist, Shark, Tent Ridge to the west -
two terrific Kane scrambles, one terrifying climb (Birdwood), and one awesome hike (Tent Ridge)!
Looking up the ascent gully to the col. It starts off gently but gets fairly steep.
Mount Galatea and its two western outliers. The farthest left is Little Galatea.
Looking back down the gully, while trying to catch my breath
Looking up the gully while trying to catch my breath.
The grade here is not horrific, but steeper than it looks
Mount Assiniboine and tiny Eon join the show
Dirty snow doesn't look so bad when backed by the British Military Group
Looking up to the summit of Little Chester
The original ascent route Mark and I took up Little Galatea from the Chester Lake side
Mount Sir Douglas is prominent in the centre. Also visible are Murray, Cegfns, French, Prairie Lookout, and Robertson.
Heading over to the ridge
Glaciated Mount Soderholm and Shark Fin (Talon Peak) at the left, with much closer Birdwood at the right
Typical grade of the ascent
Mount Joffre - another distant but immediately recognizable peak
Fun scrambling up slabby terrain
Nearing the summit
Good chunk of snow on the east side of the ridge
Someone is up there
Olivia and Logan (right) and their friends
Self-timed photo by Olivia or Logan of our summit group
Summit view to the north
Summit view to the southwest
Summit pano
Galatea, Gusty, and The Fortress are front and centre
Galatea (centre) and The Tower behind and to the left
One of the amazing Headwall Lakes
Logan and the Olivia team leave the summit
Last look at the summit snow before leaving
Almost at the Chester/Little Chester col
Looking back to Chester
Looking forward to Little Chester
Olivia and company make good use of a snow patch while descending the normal route
Wild flowers are always a nice addition
Summit view from Little Chester. Little Galatea at the right.
Galatea, Gusty, and Chester Lake
Parting look at Mount Chester
Parting look at Little Chester
The End
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