Little Galatea

Dist: 11.4km    Elev: 840m    Summit: 8665'    Time: 6h    Difficulty: 5/5

Due to mandatory "social distancing" my annual birthday hike looked a little different this year. I reluctantly decided to postpone the usual group outing, opting to err on the side of caution to protect us and our loved ones. Knowing I had been looking forward to getting out to the mountains after a two month hiatus, my supportive wife encouraged me to go on a solo adventure instead. When hiking alone I often try to do challenging trips that I would not typically invite others to join me on, aware most people have a more sensible definition of fun and recreation. This was certainly one of those times. Nonetheless, it was my birthday and I was going for it!

The day started on the popular Rummel Lake trail, making for an easy first half-hour on well-packed snow. However, when my GPS told me it was time to deviate from the path and pointed towards a forest full of untouched powder, I knew I was in for a real workout as I would have the pleasure of breaking my own trail to the summit. The next two hours were spent bushwhacking in waist-deep snow on an exceedingly steep slope, often using tree branches to pull myself up and belly-flopping into the snow to prevent slipping back and losing hard-fought elevation. Huge thanks to my buddy Joel for lending me his snowshoes (I recently sold mine intending to replace them with a more aggressive pair, but was unable to this week due to city-wide store closures). There is absolutely no way I could have completed even half this trip without them!

I eventually arrived at the rocky and wind-swept ridge, then swapping snowshoes for my usual microspikes. There was still considerable elevation ahead, but it felt great to be back on solid ground. Views along the ridge were spectacular in all directions, and special care was taken to stay far from the edge to avoid the risk of unstable cornices. I stopped on the summit for photos and a brief snack (I discovered about an hour later that I had accidentally left my much-anticipated banana up there!) before beginning the return descent. The way down was very slick, but still significantly less strenuous than the climb. Once back on the Rummel Lake trail I encountered many groups and the first people I had seen all day - I think I could get used to this whole social distancing thing.

Stopping for a break after finally earning a view.

Spray Valley looking beautiful in the sun.

On the ridge at last!

The summit comes into view.

Summit view, looking east.

Summit log box, decorated with rainbow unicorn stickers.

Summit views to the south.

Summit views to the west.

Summit selfie.

 Heading back down the ridge. Spray Lake in the distance.

Impressive cornices and subpeaks.