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DOC Land
Altitude: 198m to 1462m. Gain: 1272m. Loss: 770m . Gradient: 15 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Streams (2/6)
From Glade House, follow the Milford Track upstream, crossing the Clinton on the bridge, and following the track to the westernmost point of the big loop in the river south of Clinton Hut. From here, aim SSE negotiating confusing ground of thick vegetation, marshy flats and deep creeks to hit the face just south of a large slip of low scrub. Climb the spur south of the 1st creek south of the slip, leading you onto the gentler slopes 80m above. This is the SSE-climbing 'ramp' that can be seen in the contours on topomaps. Climb SSE up this ramp until you reach a flat terrace at around 900m, from where you can ascend directly onto the ridge above. After a brief section of scrub which can be negotiated on excellent deer trails, good open short tussock slopes lead to pt 1483. The ridge is dotted with tarns - though ground is marshy lower down, the upper tarns offer potential camp spots.
Cross pt1483 and drop to the low (~1330m) saddle 500m to the NW. From here an easy tussock descent leads into a large basin above Indecision Lake. Head for the bushedge on the southern side of the basin - the last 50m are incredibly scrubby. Sidle SSE ('towards the view of Lake Te Anau' as Moirs puts it) just inside the bushedge, keeping the scrub above in view. The bush ends but for a line of trees some 20m below you. Continue to sidle at the same height through brief thick scrub onto tussock and rock faces beyond. Follow the curve of these round and down, leading you into the rocky head of a large dry creek which you will descend to the valley below.
The creek splits round a small vegetated spur. Follow the southern side of this spur down, just beside the southern dry creekbed, where you will pick up deer trails descending the very steep vegetated face past waterfalls in both creeks to the gully below. From the base the descent is steep but simple in the dry creekbed. The creek vanishes some 100m from the lakeshore, but continue downhill until you hit the lake, and follow the shore south to the forested dam.
There are a couple of grassy flay dry, but flood-prone campspots on the lake shore at the SE corner, and other mossy but safer spots on the top of the dam near scrubby clearing on the eastern side.
Glade Ho to Indecision Lake 5.5-8 hrs