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From this notch at the top I walked NE about 1/4 mile along the top to see the real Puppet Pass. The actual low point is above some nasty cliffs, but just a little bit further NE, climbing slightly up the side of "Puppet Peak" (12225), I saw a use trail heading down with some cairns. I walked down a bit to see what it was like, it looked like the dirt path disappeared down into some very steep stuff, turning the corner around a huge block. Probably very steep but if there is a defined route it's probably efficient and safe. I never saw the plaque.
When I was here in 2001 I came across the divide from Humphreys Basin above Rust Lake, making the mistake of assuming that the gap with the widest separation of contour lines is the best and safest route. This "pass" is an exfoliating vertical cliff on the N side. You can walk along the flat top of this cliff to the right the whole width of the pass, and I found a way off the cliff on the right side onto some of the loosest and scariest talus / scree I have ever set foot on. The short route down to more stable stuff terrified me, larger blocks were moving as I walked down the scree. Anyway, not recommended. That's why on the way back I took Puppet Pass, albeit my own version going up and right to the notch. Back then I thought it was an excellent route, sort of like a short version of the E side of Lamarck Col, and I was proud of myself for "discovering" it.