High Sierra Topix

I'm taking a friend on one of his first backpacking trips, and want to minimize the number of skeeters he has to deal with. We are both pretty fit, so we could probably do up to 10 miles a day with up to maybe 1500 or 2000 ft elevation gain. From the skeeter reports I gather that the worst area right now is between 8500 to 10,000 ft, so I guess a trip where the campsites aren't in that range would be ideal. 3 days, 2 nights, no cross-country. Camping near lakes where swimming is good would also be nice, although I imagine that may make avoiding skeeters harder

Florence Lake at 7.6k up the South Fork of the San Joaquin River where you'd want to stay below 8.5k and not linger in just a few spots like Blaney Meadows. Lots of miles where mosquito breeding water has long dried out but the big river is always close by. Lots of glaciated bedrock, in a jeffrey pine and sierra junipers vegetation community. Most wildflowers will have gone to seed and some areas grasses will already be dry and browning but that is why there will be few squeets. Will want to take ferry across reservoir.

Thanks for the suggestion. Is swimming an option around the San Joaquin? I've never been up that trail. Isn't there a hot spring along that trail?

Talimon wrote:Thanks for the suggestion. Is swimming an option around the San Joaquin? I've never been up that trail. Isn't there a hot spring along that trail?

Yes, hot spring is across the river from MTR. Multiple springs in the meadow but only the biggest spring is on public land; the rest which are closer to the river within the same meadow are privately owned by the ranch (you'll get the idea once you see the barbed wire fence). Also, don't miss Warm Lake adjacent to the springs (see topo). Many people miss it due to heavy vegetative camouflage. Probably your best bet for swimming in the area - cool, but nowhere near as cold as the river and great rocks for jumping off on the Ward Mountain side of the lake. Some decent swimming spots along the river around that location, but if the river dies down enough the best river swimming would be the potholes about 1/4 mile up river - great rock diving pools, some as high as 30 feet.

Sounds like an interesting option. Any ideas north of Yosemite? Will Hoover Wilderness or Mokulumne be swarming?

Hard to say. From the reports I've read and the people I've recently spoken to, sounds like you'll be hard pressed to keep your buddy clear of mozzies this season with the late hatches we're seeing. Advice: go where you think you're buddy would like minus the mozzies. If worried about swarming, just soak his clothing in Permethrin, bring DEET and a head net. What doesn't kill him will only make him stronger, right?

I'm bringing my 10-week-old girl up to the Evolution Valley area this weekend.

Tell your buddy to suck it up.