The mountains don't test your strength as often as they test your judgement
Navigation Point 6. Rock Turret (route choice)
Navigation Point 6 is the Rock Turret decision point. It is shown on the map and in the accompanying photographs. The map shows Navigation Point 6 just east of Little Arrow, with the main yellow route staying on the higher ridge line and an alternative orange dotted route dropping towards the Small Cave area.
The main route stays high here. It does not descend downhill before reaching the Third Arrow cave and Central Gully area. Around the Rock Turret, and only a few metres further west, boulders partly obstruct the obvious line of travel. These boulders need to be climbed over or carefully worked around to remain on the higher route towards the Large Third Arrow Cave and Central Gully.
Dropping onto the lower line is a deliberate route choice. If you take it, you are committing to losing height and heading northwest towards the Small Cave at the base of the Eastern Buttress. This is not just a minor variation in the track. It is a different line, usually taken with the intention of camping in the Small Cave or traversing around base of East Pinnacle to avoid the more precarious descent of East Pinnacle Gully.
The common mistake here is not the lower line itself, but drifting onto it unintentionally. Some walkers treat the boulders on the main track as an obstacle, leave the ridge, and begin descending onto the easier open slopes without realising they have committed to the lower route. If you do that, you will miss East Pinnacle Gully and lose the higher line.
Make a clear decision at Navigation Point 6. If you are staying on the main route, hold the ridge, step over or around the boulders, and keep trending west while continuing ascent towards the top of East Pinnacle Gully. If you are intentionally heading for the Small Cave, accept that you are leaving the higher line and descending onto an alternative route.
Used together, the map and the photographs provide a comprehensive understanding of this important navigation point. The map clearly identifies the split between the higher main route and the lower Small Cave alternative. The first photograph provides an overview of the terrain beyond Navigation Point 6 and shows how both routes relate to the surrounding landmarks. The second photograph focuses on the decision point itself, clearly identifying the higher route past the Rock Turret towards East Pinnacle Gully. The third photograph looks back towards Baker's Knob, allowing walkers to confirm their position and recognise the route from the opposite direction.
At this point, the key instruction is straightforward, remain on the higher route for Third Arrow, or descend only if you are intentionally taking the Small Cave option. Walkers travelling east from Third Arrow towards Baker's Knob will remain on the higher route and will normally pass through Navigation Point 6 without needing to consider the Small Cave alternative.
The mountains don't test your strength as often as they test your judgement
Looking west towards Third Arrow and Navigation Point 6
This photograph was taken during the north west flank descent from Baker's Knob, looking west towards Third Arrow. The following description primarily relates to walkers travelling west from Ellen Peak towards Bluff Knoll. Compare the photograph with your map and identify the route leading from Navigation Point 6. The main route is shown in yellow, while the optional variation to the Small Cave is shown in orange.
From Navigation Point 6, the main route continues past the northern side of the Rock Turret before ascending towards Little Arrow. The track then skirts around the northern side of Little Arrow before climbing to the top of the Central Gully, which separates the East Buttress from the North Buttress.
The optional variation continues past the Rock Turret before branching west to the Small Cave. From the Small Cave, the route continues by contouring around the base of East Pinnacle before crossing west to Third Arrow Cave, located at the base of the North Buttress.
From this vantage point you can clearly identify the Rock Turret, Little Arrow, the East Buttress, the North Buttress, the top of the Central Gully and the optional route to the Small Cave. Although the photograph clearly shows East Pinnacle as a distinct landform, it is not represented as a separate detached feature on the map. Compare these features with your map and note how the route weaves between the prominent landforms before continuing your journey.
Looking west towards Third Arrow
This photograph was taken from Navigation Point 6 and provides a closer view of the route choice at the Rock Turret. Compare the photograph with your map, noting that the main route is shown in yellow, while the optional variation is shown in orange.
From Navigation Point 6, the main route continues ahead, remaining on the higher line as it passes the Rock Turret before continuing towards the East Pinnacle Gully between East Pinnacle and the East Buttress. This is the natural continuation of the ridge and the route most walkers will follow.
The optional variation branches to the lower route towards the Small Cave. It is included not as a normal detour, but to help you understand the terrain should you inadvertently follow the lower route. From this location, the continuation of the main route towards the East Pinnacle Gully is partially obscured by the large boulders immediately ahead, making the lower route appear more obvious than it actually is.
Compare the photograph with your map before continuing and identify both the higher main route and the lower optional variation before leaving Navigation Point 6.
Looking east towards Baker's Knob and Navigation Point 6
This photograph was taken from the main route west of Navigation Point 6, looking east towards Baker's Knob. If you are travelling west from Ellen Peak towards Bluff Knoll, it provides a useful perspective of the terrain you have just crossed.
From this viewpoint, you can clearly see the descent from Baker's Knob leading down to Navigation Point 6 at the Rock Turret. The Rock Turret can be clearly seen on the higher route, while the optional variation to the Small Cave follows the lower line before contouring around the base of East Pinnacle. From this viewpoint, the relationship between the two routes and the position of Navigation Point 6 can be easily understood.
Compare the photograph with your map, noting that the main route is shown in yellow and the optional variation is shown in orange. Looking back from this position provides an excellent overview of the route between Baker's Knob and Navigation Point 6, helping to place the Rock Turret and the route choice into their correct context before continuing west towards Little Arrow and the East Pinnacle Gully.
Video: 360° panorama for Navigation Point 6, Route options to 3rd Arrow
This video begins at Navigation Point 6 with a view towards Third Arrow from the northwest flank of Baker’s Knob, before identifying Navigation Point 6 and the different route options from this important junction.
The footage shows the main route towards East Pinnacle Gully and the lower route leading towards the Small Cave. A 360° pan from Navigation Point 6 then provides broader terrain context, showing the direction towards the Small Cave, Baker’s Knob, the Rock Turret, and the prominent boulders lying across the main track towards East Pinnacle Gully.
The video is intended to help walkers recognise Navigation Point 6 from several directions and understand the relationship between the surrounding landmarks and the different routes departing from this point.