[TYPO3] Unable to get the correct register: value!

[Surer Dink]

All,
  For about 2 days I've been trying to figure out how to get a register
value into PAGE.headerData - to no avail.  The problem is that there are
multiple menus on the page, and I want to get the count_menuItems from a
particular one.  Everything I have tried with LOAD_REGISTER has failed.  The
code bellow works - however retrieves the incorrect menu's count (I want to
get the count for nav.1, it appears to get the count for tree.1 - I have no
idea why)  [if there is a better way to do what I am trying, by all means
please enlighten me]   Thank you.

temp {
  amenu = TMENU
  amenu {
     noBlur = 1
     ACT=1
     NO {
       allWrap = <li>|</li>
       stdWrap.htmlSpecialChars = 1
       ATagParams = class="lb" |*| class="im"
     }
     ACT {
       wrapItemAndSub = <li>|</li>
       stdWrap.htmlSpecialChars = 1
       ATagParams = class="lb active" |*| class="im active"
     }
  }
}

lib {
  nav = HMENU
  nav {
    entryLevel = 1
    1 < temp.amenu
    1.wrap = <ul id="nav">|</ul>
  }
  nav_width = TEXT
  nav_width {
    cObject = TEXT
    cObject.dataWrap = 100/{register:count_menuItems}
    prioriCalc = 1
    wrap = <style type="text/css">/*<![CDATA[*/ ul#nav li { width: | %;
}/*]]>*/</style>
  }
  tree = HMENU
  tree {
    entryLevel = 2
    1 < temp.amenu
    1.wrap = <ul id="tree">|</ul>
    2 < temp.amenu
    2.wrap = <ul>|</ul>
  }
}

page = PAGE
page.headerData.1 < lib.nav_width
page.10 = USER
page.10.userFunc = tx_templavoila_pi1->main_page