Routes
Huts / campsites
Roadends
Summits
Passes / crossings
Scenic features
Junctions
DOC Land
Altitude: 909m to 1476m. Gain: 1008m. Loss: 972m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7)
From the eastern end of the open clearing on the Green Lake Saddle enter the fairly dense bush and climb sraight up the hill to the south. Once out on the open slopes (20ish minutes) its an easy climb up to the low bump at 1040m. The northeast face of Mt Cuthbert has a dense scrub belt which needs to be plowed through. Dont try and sidle around the flanks of the hill as they are ravine-y. Bash up through the scrub and after about 40 verticle metres the scrub thins out and reasonable travel leads up onto the summit of Mt Cuthbert. The views are spectacular.
Easy ridge travel leads to the southwest until the low saddle beneath Pt1430. We chose to sidle around 1430 but it looked like a straight forward slog to get up onto it from the north. Sidling southeastwards, theres a kind of mini hanging valley to aim for. The slopes are very steep beneath the "hanging valley", so cross the lip of the "hanging valley" at about the 1140m contour and then straight foward sidling leads around the rest of the eastern spur of P1t430 to reach the flat boggy terrain near the large lake beneath Rocky Top/Cleaughearn Peak (known as The Devil's Punchbowl). The terrrain near the lake is lumpy, boggy, and wind swept, with the boulders along the outlet stream not offering much in the way of suitable camping. Probably ok camping later on into Summer and nicer conditions.
Climb the hillside south of the lake in a southwest direction. There's a second stream on the way up, draining an alpine wetland, and a ridge between it and the stream shown on the map leads up past the upper tarn beneath Cleughearn Peak which looks like it has flat dry camping at its outlet. Its a simple climb all the way up the ridge to Pt1490. Great looking ridge top travel stretches over flat Rocky Top although I have read theres a tricky section near Pt1382/Pt1430. Cleughearn Peak is an easy looking scrample to the southeast.
Easy slopes drop down to the broad saddle at Pt1324. You can sidle across to a tarn beneath Pt1453 with good looking camp sites without any dramas. Straight forward ridge top travel leads all the way south over the verious points the rest of the way to the start of the track down to Rodgers Inlet. The everchanging vista of Lake Monowai and the surrounding peaks of Fiordland are spectacular, but the ridge is completely exposed to any bad weather.
There may be camp sites at the large tarn near Pt1169, we didnt drop down for a look.
A couple of rusty poles are on the ridge down from Pt1315 towards the Rodgers inlet track but the first real marker is an orange triangle at the bush edge.