High Sierra Topix

From 6/5 - 6/8

Bishop Pass Trail to Long Lake: 1
Little Lakes Valley: 1
Duck Pass: 1

Basically, we saw mosquitoes where we went, but there were very few and not biting yet.

6/8
2-3 at Marvin Pass TH to Seville Lake. Once you put DEET on they don't bother you.

Friday, June 6th - Sunday, June 8th:

Eldorado NF, northern west border of Desolation Wilderness Boundary*

Loon Lake/Pleasant Lake (base camp) - 2- (none during the day, annoying at dusk)
Spider Lake (day hike) -1
Hidden Lake (day hike) -1
Winifred Lake (day hike) - 1
Buck Island Lake (day hike) - 2 possibly 3

*Technically all of these locations are outside of the wilderness boundary, but many include them in trips to Desolation Wilderness.

We base camped near the northeast shore of Pleasant Lake (eastern arm of Loon Lake) and day hiked to these locations. As expected, stopping in boggy forested areas quickly led to dozens biting your legs and arms. We had a good breeze all three days during the day which was enough to keep it clear if in an open area. Enjoyable trip with mosquitoes simply an afterthought, but each night at dusk headnets and full coverage clothing was worn.

6/7 - 6/8

Mokelumne wilderness
Granite Lake / Grouse Lake - 0 (NONE!!!)

Mostly 2, though some areas were worse. There were large swarms of bugs at one of the lakes but I don't think they were mosquitoes (midges?).

Ansel Adams wilderness 6/10
4 near Garnet, Thousand Island, Clark Lakes, other areas near 10,000'
0 pretty much anywhere below 9500'

Emigrant Wilderness 6/7 to 6/9

Camp Lake rated at a 3. All around you at night a couple retreated to the tent with dinner. In the day not so bad especially if you are moving.

June 7, 2014 off SR88 on the Margaret Lake Trail near Caples Lake, elevations 7600 to 8000 feet. Sunny breezy day. Highly glacial granitoid zone with considerable bedrock and lots of small stagnant ponds, many not on the topo. Between bedrock lodgepole pine forests often wet. Down by creek and any of the ponds level 3 moderate numbers of mosquitoes. Up on the exposed granite domes level 0. T-storms afternoon before so few mosquitoes at sunrise as they were still hunkered down wet and cold in vegetation while I was not about at dusk. Probably will get worse in next couple weeks.

At sunrise put on 100% DEET sparingly on face and hands while wearing usual jungle hat with full neck drape, light nylon shell, and full long pants, then never got bit. On my return from a 6 hour ramble, lots of groups heading out hiking at midday when the squeets were out. Virtually every person I saw was wearing only cotton t-shirts, shorts, and a baseball or floppy hat so yeah no doubt most of them did give bodily fluids to the flying vampires.

Welcome to HST, Jahcuzi and Shtinkypuppie. Thank you for providing these mosquito
reports to you fellow HST members.

Jahcuzi wrote:6/7 - 6/8

Mokelumne wilderness
Granite Lake / Grouse Lake - 0 (NONE!!!)

Odd. I saw someone on 6/7 who came from Grouse Lake and the said they were "horrible".
I never made it up to Granite