The Carthews  
August 28, 2022
 
Mountain heights:        2311 m, 2620 m, 2230 m, 2330 m
Total elevation gain:     approximately 1300 m
Roundtrip time:            7:25
 
Solo scramble.
 
Not a typo in the title with that “s” at the end, but simply the most efficient way to describe an ascent of Mount Carthew and its three outliers.
 
After a somewhat traumatizing day on Newman Senior, less than 24 hours earlier, my only goal for the last day of my summer holiday was to find an easy, stress-free, familiar trip. Driving into Waterton, I decided on the standard Alan Kane route up Mount Carthew. Hiking the Carthew trail however, a slightly more elaborate route seeded itself in my head. How about adding in all the outliers of Carthew that I have ranted and raved about over the years?



 
The big decision of the day was going to be the order in which to tag each summit. Many permutations were possible (including starting points), but I eventually settled on Carthew Summit, Mount Carthew, Carthew Minor-Minor, and finally Carthew Minor, starting and ending at Cameron Lake.
 


 
Without going into in the steamy and explicit details, the route was a resounding success, featuring the usual glut of outrageously colourful scenery that Waterton is famous for. And all under a beautiful blue sky. Saving Carthew Minor (my favourite of the four) until last was a great way to end the trip.  
 
 
Overall, a more than gratifying way to end the sunny and productive summer of 2022.   



Peaceful start at Cameron Lake



No wind at the north end of the lake







Gaining two things: elevation and good views of Forum Ridge and Forum Peak



Low-lying, early morning cloud near Akamina Pass



Akamina Lake



Close-up of the small lake



Flowers and Mount Custer



Close-up



Summit Lake



Back on the trail that goes to the one of most visually stunning passes/col in the Canadian Rockies. Carthew Minor at the left and Carthew Summit at the right.



The likewise visually stunning southeast side of Carthew Minor



Looking back to Minor. I wonder if avalanches occur here during the winter months?!



The trail traverses and ascends to the Mount Carthew/Carthew Summit col



Chapman Peak in Montana is ever-present



Almost at the col



At the col, looking north to Mount Carthew



Looking south to Carthew Summit



Mount Cleveland in Glacier National Park, Montana, is always the tallest peak visible in this neck of the woods



Slabs and Mount Alderson



Mount Carthew can be ascended year-round trip but can be very avalanche prone in the winter



Summit view to the southwest



The summit view to the north is a killer!



Lake Nooney is nestled under the northeast face of Mount Custer in GNP (Glacier National Park)



Lake Wurdeman sits below Chapman Peak, again in GNP



Summit Lake in Waterton looks tiny compared to the GNP lakes



All three lakes are visible here



Closer look at Chapman and Wurdeman



Alderson's awesome west ridge



Can't rage enough about this view of Carthew and Alderson



View of Alderson from the col



Same as above with Carthew. Contrary to appearance Alderson is the taller peak.



The Carthew Lakes - must see destinations



Heading up the easy south slopes of Carthew



I shocked myself by deciding to side-slope directly to the summit of Mount Carthew. Given that I would be following the ridge on return, it was logical to  side-slope on ascent.



The view of Alderson and the Carthew Lakes is absolutely irresistible



Looking back to Carthew Summit



Summit cairn in sight



The cairn and the rapidly becoming "classic" pink register



Alderson



Buchanan Ridge near the left - an amazing trip



Buchanan Peak - also an amazing trip. Dave and I descended into the hanging valley below the peak.



View to the north



View to the southeast



Descending Carthew's south ridge and still getting great views towards Alderson and the Carthew Lakes



The next destination, Carthew Minor-Minor, is at the lower left



Descending the easy ridge



And enjoying the far-reaching views



Looking back to Mount Carthew and steep terrain on the north side of the connecting ridge



On the Minor-Minor ridge



Glimpse of Akamina Lake and a slither of Cameron Lake



The red argillite forms of Buchanan Ridge and Mount Carthew at the right







The ridge I just descended



Carthew Minor



Approaching the summit of Minor-Minor



Had to check out this fissure that was full of snow on my first trip



Without the snow, exploration was easy



Red argillite and lakes - my favourite!



The summit of Carthew Minor-Minor



Buchanan Ridge at the left and Mount Carthew at the right. There are two terrific routes up Carthew from this side: here and here 



Summit view to the west



Summit view to the southwest



Parting look at Buchanan and Carthew



Heading back up to the col between Mount Carthew and Carthew Minor



Looking back to Minor-Minor



Back on the ridge, with Minor ahead



It's a very cool ridge, with many different types of rock



And the right side is lined with larches



A new colour of rock underfoot



Approaching the coolest part of the ascent



But first a run in with some flowers and their pollinators














Looking back to the connecting ridge



Looking forward (to) - pun intended!







Checking out the larches on the right side of the ridge



Heading up to a minor col before the short but exciting ascent to the summit (left)



The best part of the entire day was the blocky red argillite that comprises Carthew Minor



And the view back to Carthew was pretty sweet too - even though I have been here multiple times before







A close-up of a particularly striking pinnacle of the vibrant rock



Less close



And even less



Summit of Carthew Minor



While not as comprehensive as the view from Mount Carthew, Carthew Minor does feature all of the aforementioned lakes



And a pretty killer view of Mount Carthew



Alderson and Carthew Summit



Descending. I took a slightly different down than on my previous trips. It doesn't go through the "Garden of Red Argillite" but was still super interesting.



Lots of big blocks of the cool rock



In addition to Minor-Minor in the foreground, views to the north include Rowe, Lineham, Blakiston, and Ruby Ridge



A solitary larch and red rock



The blocky, lichen-covered argillite had me running around in circles



And it granted a few unique views of Mount Carthew and the connecting ridge



But back to the blocky red rock!



More views



and more views



and more views



Had to descend a few tricky spots to get down



Easy hike through the rapidly regenerating forest







This type of terrain will not be so easy to negotiate once all the burned trees start to fall



Back on the main trail



And back to Cameron Lake

The End

LOG