High Sierra Topix

Desolation Wilderness - 6/20 - 6/24

Lake Schmidell - 3 Persistent during the day and at dusk/dawn

Lake Lois - 2 Mild nuisance at dusk/dawn

Heather Lake - 2 Mild nuisance at dusk/dawn

Lake Aloha -2/3 Pesky at dawn/dusk and when no breeze during the day

Used mosquito coils and tried out a handheld size Thermacell device. Thermacell seemed to work effectively but expensive over time to resupply.

June 22- 28, 2015.

Backpacked from Leàvitt Mdws up to Dorothy Pass and over to Tower Lake, upper and lower Paiute Mdws.

Mosquitoes generally 3 and 4 at the high elevations. Lakes Stella, Dorothy were 3. Chain of Lakes was 4.

Maybe a 2 at Roosevelt Lake.

Tower Lake is a 5 unless you can find a breeze. Headnet a must. 30% deet not terribly effective for me. 100% deet more effective for friends.

Recommend long pants and sleeves. Mozzies were so bad that hiding in your tent after an early dinner was the only relief.

Spent 4 days and three nights in the 20 Lakes Basin. Camped at Cascade Lake all three nights. We assumed the skeeters would be terrible and went prepared with LOTS of bug juice. They were not near as bad as I expected. Bullfrog skeeter repellent was enough to keep them off of me and both my grand sons. One of the women that went in our group still got bit using DEET. I would say that it was a firm #3 overall for the entire time.

Eastern Sierra - loop out of Horseshoe Meadow: Long Lake, Lower Soldier Lake, and Chicken Spring Lake; June 29th to July 3rd

Mosquito level = 1

You had to look real hard to find any mosquitoes, and the few I saw didn't have an appetite. Didn't have to break out the DEET. Didn't get a single view.

6/26 to 7/1

Primarily did the Circle of Solitude. Mosquitoes were most active from 8,000 to 10,000 feet. Roaring River station for example was fine with an occasional bug. Gallets Lake, Colby Lake, Lake 10,640 were bad.

General portion of the trip From Lake 10,640 to Kern River to Colby Pass to Roaring River to Avalanche Pass and down to Roads end we just kept moving when possible. Mosquitoes are hungry. Again the Roaring River station was fine.


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Tuolumne Meadows Area 7/2-7/4

7/2 - Elizabeth Lake TH cross country to Mathes Lake and Echo Lake - Started a 0-1 at the TH, hit 2-3 at times in wetter areas
7/3 - Echo Lake - 1-2 all day
Echo Lake to Tuolumne Meadows - 2 consistently until 1 mile from Tuolumne where it was 0-1

Cottonwood Pass to headwaters of Perrin Creek to Crabtree lakes, pass, and through Miter basin June 29-July 4th. Expected hellacious bugs. They didn't show. No deet. No bites.

6/29 n lake to piute pass: 3 down low, 1 above 10000 feet
6/30 humphreys basin: 1-2
7/1 puppet pass/lake/surrounds: 3, with periods of 1 when it rained
7/2 royce lakes and surrounds: 0-1
7/3 french canyon: 0. Glorious, glorious, lay out in the sun for hours and not see a single 'skeeter 0. Piute canyon up to lower honeymoon:3 to a multiple bug inhaling 4.
7/4 upper reaches of piute canyon/golden trout lakes/muriel area: 0-1 (windy)
7/5 muriel to piute pass and most of piute pass trail: 0. Lower trail near n lake: 1

Tuolumne Meadows to Young Lakes

July 3-4-5

Tuolumne Meadows - 1 - noticed a few but not biting. Did not hang out for long or stay in the backpackers camp as this was just our starting point

Young Lakes - 2

Note - I pretreated all my clothes with Permethrin. That seemed to work fine for mosquitos and biting flies. Got bit by some mosquitoes and biting flies on my exposed legs. I applied Picardin only once on my exposed legs and arms and that was on the hike out. In the evening at Young Lakes is when I saw the most mosquitoes and they were buzzing around the tent trying to get in at dusk.

Spanish Lake: 2- around the marshy part on the outlet and west side.