Steve, We did go out to Taft Point for lunch. There was a warning at the trailhead reporting that a mountain lion had been sighted at Dewey point. As for your "backdoor" up to Cathedral Lake, we stopped at the turnout on our way into the park. Your directions to this parking spot were right on. However after a short hike around the turnout I could not find a trail. There was a fair amount of water and snow. If I was alone I would surely have found my way, but with six other people I'm sure they all would not enjoy the uncertainty of the trail.
