A Backpack Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets

To get to Deadhorse Lake, head to the lawn on the right around the rocks and go left following the stream for a ways before climbing.

Heading to Deadhorse Lake

A Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets, August/September 2006

From our packs we headed back to where the stream nears a slope. We traversed up the slope where the stream exits a zig-zag swale (see below). Near the stream and to the right I spotted a duck and crossed over low level talus and rock studded with greenery to get to the  tall duck, nearly a cairn. From there it became more obvious and open and easy to follow the  stream on my left.

The best way to get up this swale and avoid bushes is to cross the stream down there at the end and come up on this side.

I stayed on the north side of the stream which required some maneuver through a bit of bush and avoiding wet potholes. On the way down I discovered that the best thing to do, once past the cairn and upstream a short ways, was to cross the stream to the meadow-lawn on the south side of the stream and walk up the easy grassy swale to the lake. Either way, it is not too hard at all, as you can see from the picture above. A last steep bank brought us to the lake.