Distance: 7.1 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 475m to 1375m. Gain: 518m. Loss: 945m . Gradient: 12 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Streams (2/6) Winter - Iceaxe/crampons (4/7)

Unmarked route, clear (7/9)
Unmarked route, follows obvious geography (river, spur, trail, etc)

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

Alpine weather (difficulty: 2/7)
Tramp on open tops, exposed to alpine weather

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

Iceaxe/crampons (difficulty: 4/7)
Ice axe and crampons required in winter

From Irthing Hut cut SE through the open bush (avoiding scrub on the flats) to pick up the creek draining Shepherd's Saddle. Follow the creek up through beech forest and tussock clearings, climbing finally to the saddle on steep tussock faces. Climb 300m north from the saddle to pick up the obvious spur dropping NNE to Shepherd's Creek Hut. Follow the spur down - sections are covered in low scrub - until you pick up the 4WD track zigzagging down to the valley below. Shepherd's Creek Hut is 300m upriver along the 4WD track.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Several routes exist from the Irthing to Shepherd's Creek Hut. This is the lowest, crossing Shepherd's Saddle, but is scrubbier than high routes via pt1536.

Head downriver 500m from Shpherd's Creek hut and pick up an old farm track zigzagging up the southern valleyside. Follow this to it's end on the top of the spur, and then follow the spur up to the main ridgeline. Sections of this spur are covered with low scrub, but can be passed ok.

At the ridgeline drop 200m south to Shepherd's Saddle, then drop easy tusock faces west into the creek head. Follow the valley down through beech and tussock clearings to the Irthing Stream. Irthing Hut is 200m upriver along the northern bushedge.