Routes
Huts / campsites
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Passes / crossings
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DOC Land
Altitude: 760m to 1478m. Gain: 1224m. Loss: 1240m . Gradient: 14 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills:
Follow the cairns up towards Mt Douglas, and continue following these until you descend until you reach a fork in the track between the high route and low route (marked with cairns). Continue following cairns down and make your way into the stream that is marked just below Mt Douglas, that forms the headwaters of the Anatoki River. From here sticking to the true left of this stream is the typical way to go, with the odd brief crossing. We found at about the 1200m contour it was easy to lose the cairns, however the true left travel paid dividends. This section until about the 1000m contour is fairly well marked with cairns, where then lower down the cairns thin out. Stick to the true left and follow the obvious ground trails downstream, you won't need to enter the main Anatoki River at any point if you follow the trail properly.
Just downstream pt. 744 is a good campsite, marked with a frypan on a tree with 744 scratched into it. From here continue downstream until you see the obvious cairns, and cross the Anatoki. My GPX shows me crossing the Anatoki early, then drossing back. You can remain on the true left if you'd like.
Sticking to the spur provides good travel, albeit steep. Plenty of roots and trees to grab on to, and you'll find the odd cairn 'marking' the way. Just go up, the cairns mostly provide reassurance. When you breach the tree line, continue along the ridge until below the bluffs of the Drunken Sailors. Sidle below these, following the obvious cairns west, until you meet the high route track. Descend down on the true left of the stream that now forms until you reach Lonely Lake Hut.