Altitude: 541m to 981m. Gain: 477m. Loss: 42m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate)
Skills: - Streams (2/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)
Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey
An easy bush route drops down Ross Creek from Ross Hut to the 4WD track just north of Robert Creek Hut. From Ross Hut, sidle east to the first main spur and follow it down to the creek - this avoids falls in the upper creek. Travel down the valley floor is open and easy for about 800m on faint deer trails, before the river becomes tight. Climb the northern face 20m-or-so to gentler slopes of open beech, and follow good deer trails down to the next forks. Reasonable valley floor travel then resumes taking you to the 4WD track. Robert Creek Hut is 150m SW along the track by the next sidecreek. (Ross Creek is small and ankle deep in normal flows. Severe rainfall will, however, make crossing impossible in which case climbing to Ross Spur and following forestry tracks down may be safer - but crossing private forestry land).