psyko: Good luck!
Maybe Harvey can chime in here (but I think he's out there right now). Your planned route up the stream channel just sw of "The Major General" troubles me. I came down (bushwhacked) from the upper lake last summer, and maybe I was too tired to try--so I set my eyes on the lower lake. I found a use-trail heading nw out of the lower lake
(cross-hairs here) and that worked pretty well. I have also been told that if you climb up several contours above the upper lake, you can walk around the Major General "nose" to that stream channel. I was too low coming from that upper lake, and the route from my vantage point was too "cliffy".
I recall Harvey wrote somewhere that the stream channel in the upper "flat" area has a sweet camping spot. Unless you know that your route will work, I would follow my use-trail route, and then head to the stream channel area once I topped out on the ridge.
