Deadwood Peak from Blue Lakes

Deadwood Peak didn't really show up on "my radar" until now, but I am almost running out of peaks which make sense for me to do as "day hikes" (meaning: leave home early in the morning, drive not much more than about 2 hours, hike and then return home the same day). Deadwood Peak is one of the few left on this list. After reading some reports on the web (summitpost and Bob Burd), I knew it wouldn't be a difficult hike. I didn't find a a route description along the actual east ridge from Granite Lake to the top, but judging from the map it shouldn't pose too many difficulties either.

I planned to start my hike at the parking lot near the dam at Upper Blue Lake. However, when I arrive at the lake from Highway 88 via Blue Lakes Road, I don't pay attention, but for some reason just blindly assume that the lake I'm at is Upper - and not Lower Blue Lake. The hiking path which takes me gently uphill in southwestern direction feels about right from what I would expect from the map, even though I didn't think the path would be a gravel road. Still not really thinking I keep walking. After the road turns northwest and I see a big lake, I notice the mishap and after consulting my map, I know that I'm at Twin Lake, not where I planned to hike to.

It's not a big deal, because it looks like I can easily get to the Granite Lake hiking path from here, just walking north on the northern end of this lake. After walking uphill for a while and following a little stream, I see a "No Snow Mobil" sign. My next wrong assumption now is, that these signs follow the Granite Lake trail. Later I realize that they mark the "Mokelumne Wilderness" border. However, at this point I'm trying to follow this "path". I find a few more of the signs but soon completely lose this non-existing path. Again, no big deal, because the way up to Granite Lake is not difficult and doesn't cause any headaches due to bushes or other obstacles. So I get to Granite Lake without walking a single step of my planned (or the marked) route from Upper Blue Lake.

From Granite Lake I then purposely leave the trail, walk west and up towards the "winding" east ridge of Deadwood Peak. The first few pinnacles I bypass north and then walk on the south side of the ridge towards P. 9545. The ridge is very curvy and not very steep and the actual summit can only be seen shortly before I stand on top of it. I'm surprised that there is no summit register here. After a short break I decide to also visit the pinnacle straight west of the summit (unnamed and not marked with an elevation mark on the map). It looks about as high or even slightly higher than Deadwood Peak. After getting there, it's clear that this summit is lower than the actual peak but to my surprise the register is here.

I make another short break and then walk down to the clearly visible Pack Trail southeast from here. I walk down to it in the relatively steep flank, follow this trail to Granite Lake and continue along to very clear and marked trail to Upper Blue Lake. Since my car is parked at the Lower Blue Lake, I also have to walk there along the road (most of it gravel).