From the trailhead at Muddy Creek, the track descends to the valley floor. Although remaining on the TL, the track crosses several side streams - keeping your boots dry is not an option.

Poles assist your passage past a boggy section at Arthurs Creek, about 2km from the start of the tramp. Otherwise, it's a pleasant stroll (in good weather) up the grassy valley.

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From the track to 25 Mile Hut (private and in poor repair), continue down the grassy flats of the Rees Valley, picking up poles to assist crossing the boggy Arthurs Creek.

Another 2km and the obvious track leaves the river and rises to cross Muddy Creek on a made road.

A poled route leaves the Rees-Dart track and crosses the Rees about 1km north of Twenty Five Mile creek and leads to the bushedge below Kea Basin.Once in the bush a good cut, marked track zigzags far more than the topo map indicates as it climbs onto the marshy, clear knob at pt777. A second shorter climb follows to a marked track junction. Earnslaw Hut is 20m down the right-hand track. The lefthand track continues to zigzag for another 200m before emerging from the bush into Kea Basin. The first of many rock bivs is located just left of (below) the track as you emerge into the basin proper.

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A good cut marked track zigzags down from Kea Basin, passing Earnslaw Hut after 200m. The descent is gentle but about 3 times as long as the map suggests owing to the zigzags. Once at the bushedge, a poled route leads across farmed paddocks, crossing the Rees to the Rees-Dart track on the eastern side of the valley. Twenty five mile stream is 1km to the south.

Basic Hut/bivvy

Follow track.

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Follow ground trail on the Esquilant Biv track until the giant cairn at around 1650m, traverse north (scree/tussock) to reach ridge above Hunter Creek South Branch. Descend ridge and cut back left on easy slopes to reach the South Branch. Some short scrub sections to reach the river flats.

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Basic Hut/bivvy

Climb moraine wall and follow along top of wall. Follow stream to reach flatter area at about 1600m.

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Gain flattish slopes at about 1720m and traverse to reach the Grant Glacier. Ascend glacier to about 2400m and climb steeply to south ridge of Mt Head and Jura Glacier. Ascend glacier and then summit pyramid.

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Gain flattish slopes at about 1720m and traverse to reach the Grant Glacier. Ascend glacier to about 2400m and climb steeply to south ridge of Mt Head and Jura Glacier. Ascend glacier and then summit pyramid.

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Climb moraine wall and follow along top of wall. Follow stream to reach flatter area at about 1600m.

Follow Moir's description.

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Basic Hut/bivvy

Ascend stream directly to Shepherds Pass. Scramble up unlikely-looking ledges in a zigzag fashion on the west side of the ridge in the direction of O'Leary Peak to reach to ridge 100m or so above the pass. Ascend easy scree/snow to Luncheon Col. O'Leary Peak easy scree/snow to summit.
Descend Luncheon Col, we did not take the best route and descended almost directly, this involved steep downclimbing (belayed) just above and crossing the shrund to the Birley Glacier proper. The better route (as we saw from below and as marked on the topo) would be to traverse/descend SW before cutting back in an SE direction down a broader spur to reach the glacier proper.
Easy travel across Wright Col to the Biv.

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Basic Hut/bivvy

Follow Esquilant Biv/Wright Col descent route as per Moirs to reach the tarn near Pt 1445.

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Traverse the wide tussock shelf past tarns to reach Lennox Creek. The creek is a deep gorge and it requires scouting to find a route across and down the other side. It also requires climbing and abseiling ability is an exposed situation. We ascended 100-150m to a rocky buttress, stepped across the gorge, followed by a 5m belayed vertical climb to another rocky outcrop. Then two abseils (one about 20m off a wire, second about 30m off some boulders) to reach the walkable tussock shelf/slope. We then kept the height and traversed until we could make a rising traverse to Lennox Pass. It would probably have been smarter to descend 100-150m on the slopes below pt 2026 to avoid some steeper craggier sections.

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Follow the ridge south, at times descended to the west side to traverse steep sections.

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Public carpark (unsignposted) on true left of Earnslaw Burn

Cross farmland, Rees River to join the road back to the Rees Valley roadend.

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