Rees-Dart (or maybe Dart-Rees!) 10 April start?

okay, booked with Dart River Safari to take me from Glenorchy up river Thursday, they expect all the way to the new slip area, so plenty of first day time to explore that, and get to Daley's Hut early. Day 2 hope to get from Daley's to Dart Hut early enough to drop pack and trot up towards Dart Glacier or even the Cascade saddle (is that possible for one day, or better to try to add to the Dart Hut-Shelter Rock day?). Sorry I've not a extra day at Dart Hut to day hike, but work calls Monday. Day three usual Dart Hut- Shelter Rock; Sunday out to ride with Glenorchy Journeys back to Glenorchy. Getting happy with the solo idea...

dont attempt the trip to the glacier in heavy rain, the side streams flash flood, at best you'll get cut off, at worst you'll drown crossing a stream...

thanks, I'll be cautious, weather report optimistic... Anyone know of a trail description written Dart-to-Rees? All the one (Lonely Planet, DOC) are written Rees-to_Dart and I'm finding "translating backwards" weirdly difficult!!

you mean over the saddle? theres a photo blog of that section going in that direction here. http://www.david-noble.net/NZ/Jan07/Cascade3.html

Thanks, that looks good.. But no, I meant the Rees-Dart Track but going in the less traditional "Dart-Rees" direction, i.e. Chinaman's Flat (the new slip, really) to Daleys Flat Hut, to Dart Hut, to Shelter Rock Hut, to Muddy Creek car park... in other words, Clockwise! I can figure it out from the standard and numerous Counter-clockwise, Rees to Dart, descriptions and my map, enough not to get lost, but it's hard to do the "translating" on the go...

its an easy route to follow going either way... allow extra time going up to dart hut, it climbs a few hundred metres from daleys hut...

I've done Dart hut to Muddy Creek before (I crossed over Cascade Saddle from the Matukituki. From Dart hut its a steady but gradual climb up to about the bridge in Snowy Creek. Beyond that its basically flat to the Rees Saddle. The saddle is good place to drop your pack and climb either northwest or southeast for good views. After a steep decent into the Rees its easy down to Shelter rock Hut. I got all the way down to 25 Mile Hut in one day at April so you'll be at Shelter Rock by lunchtime. The track down the Rees below Shelter rock is straight forward and usually good travel. 25 Mile creek wasn't bridged when I did it, there was talk of DOC bridging it as it is impassible in flood. Not sure if that's happened yet. Its farmland and flat the rest of the way to Muddy Creek. I estimate from Shelter Rock it would be another half day to Muddy Creek. Dart hut to Cascade Saddle return would be at least 6 hours and impassible in wet weather.

latest alerts on the rees dart http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/plan-and-prepare/alerts/otago/mount-aspiring-national-park/#ReesDart