Polar DiscoveryExperienced

Description

Run up the Hawdon valley following occasional markers till you reach Discovery creek (1 hour) which is just before Hawdon Hut. Pleasant boulder hopping up this stream through an impressive gorge soon follows, then you meet a side-branch that comes in on your right (small cairn on mossy boulder). Head straight up the true left (i.e. right hand side looking up) of this stream in dense bush, it's steep but avoids waterfalls. Stay close to the stream higher up so you can pop out onto the rocky stream bed and follow it up towards the head of the valley. Higher up this valley an obvious deep ravine appears ahead on your left; just before this ravine head up left and climb up onto the Polar range, and over the high point of Pt 1937 (various options). From here there is some airy running along the ridge, particularly if you are close to the sheer eastern side! Closer to Mt Scott some obstacles on the ridge come into view - they can easily be negotiated with care on the western side. There is only one safe spot to descend east off the ridge and this is a col just before the rock ramp that leads up to join the start of bulky Mt Scott - run down from the col on excellent scree into the head of Sudden valley - once off the scree, the going is quite slow until you reach the open valley. Nice running from here to the Sudden Valley Biv, and onwards along this open hanging valley to where the valley narrows. Marked trails follow the river through this section on both sides of the river; be sure to pick up the last one on the true left that leads around the impassable Barrier Falls. Once you've landed in the lower valley there is more boulder hopping before the valley finally opens up for some pleasant running back to the car park.

Features of interest

This alpine circuit linking Discovery Stream, the Polar Range, and Sudden Valley, has a bit of everything - river running, bush bashing, rock scrambling, short sections of ridge running with fantastic views, a big scree descent, hanging valleys and bush trails.

Make Up of Run

Untracked / Route only: 30%

Technical Single Track: 70%

Route Data