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Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:09 pm
by sandersans
First I want to quickly thank everyone who make HST possible. This is a great resource for wilderness adventures in the Sierra.

So...

I am headed to Midnight Lake for 3 days/2nights over the July 4th weekend. Curious if people have been out anywhere near that area yet and if so what type of trail conditions they have run into. Also curious if you think water crossings and mosquitos will be a problem given the snow levels we have had this year.

Cheers,
sandersans

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:57 am
by maverick
Hi Sandersans

Welcome to HST.
The roads to this area are still closed, I just checked the updates on the Inyo NF site's
under the White Mountain District, so I highly doubt you'll get any first hand info, which
will be several feet of snow, and the lakes frozen still.

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:59 pm
by sandersans
Interesting that the website says the roads are closed. I called the White Mountain Ranger Station and they said there is still a lot of snow up that way but the road is open. DOT also shows the 168 as open. Rangers said they are just now starting to get a few people heading out there so should have more intel in a few weeks. Will post back when I get more details about conditions in the area.

You think the later melt will mean a later start for the swarm of mosquitoes?

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:31 pm
by texan
The road is open to the trailhead at Lake Sabrina which is at 9100ft. I have been to Midnight and Hungry Packer Lake many times and this year you because of above average snowfall the lake might be frozen the first week in July. Midnight Lake is around 11100 ft. Also the skeeters are going to be real bad. I have been at Hungry Packer Lake right after ice-out and the skeeters were all over the place . I hope this info is helpful. Also please check lakeSabrinaBoatLanding.com and you can see how fast the snow is melting around the area. Its very useful info.

Texan

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 12:28 am
by sandersans
Thanks for the info Texan. Will the skeeters be bad up at Midnight if it's still potentially frozen? Or you mean they will be bad in route?

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:08 am
by texan
I think the skeeters will be bad in route. Especially between Blue Lake to Dingleberry. If Midnight is frozen it shouldn't be as bad. Have a good trip.

Texan

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:27 pm
by kpeter
Last year, a dry year, the mosquitoes were unbearable in the Blue-Dingleberry-Hungry Packer areas when I was there July 14-16. I do not know how early they began. Your best hope is to miss them early, but be well prepared just in case.

I had hardly ever seen a mosquito in that basin on my previous 3 trips --all in various Augusts. But last year in July both my family and two others we met on the trail packed up and left early. One group used all their deet. The marshy meadow above Dingleberry cost me at least a pint of blood. When we got to the waterfalls below Moonlight Lake we thought we might escape the skeeters but no, they were there too, at high noon in sunshine no less.

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:42 am
by sandersans
Reviving the thread...Has anyone been up this way in the past few weeks?

Re: Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake July 4 Weekend - Snow? Mosquit

Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 4:56 pm
by SPeacock
See link below. She was up out of South Lake to Long Lake (10,700') last week.

http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forum ... 9991138642" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;