High Sierra Topix

SSSdave wrote: From what I saw on my two South Yuba backpacks over Memorial Day and my Desolation backpack two weeks ago, this is going to generally be a low mosquito summer.

I've got a trip planned to Kaiser Wilderness July 2. Here's hoping for a lackluster sucker season!

North Lake to Pine Creek June 19-21--one half of the party took the Piute trail down to Hutchinson Meadow, then went up to Elba Lake (above French Canyon), others went to Elba via Humphrey's Basin/Puppet Pass:
Hutchinson (9,900ish): MAR 7
Piute Pass/Humphreys: 2
Elba (11200ish): 4-5

Raymond Lake from Wet Meadows on June 19-20. The mosquitoes weren't too bad at the lake itself due to some pretty strong winds most of the evening and throughout the night, but the trailhead at Wet Meadows was full of the buggers. Used this interesting eucalyptus-based repellent that worked wonders, the swarms that descended on us when we stepped out of the truck vanished completely within two minutes of spraying the stuff on.

Buena Vista Lake (9000') on June 1st was pretty thick with them and I kept the bug juice and netting handy, but they didn't really seem to be biting much. Next night at Ostrander Lake (8500', only a couple of miles away) and there basically weren't any bugs. A little windy there, but not too much. Made for much better camp-relaxing. I expected early June to be much worse.

Just back from 3 day trip out of Kennedy Meadows west of Sonora Pass. Mosquito level zero (0). There were plenty of bugs evenings on the creek, but they were the good kind like mayflies and caddis flies that make for good fishing.

Mike

Just got back from the 20 Lakes Basin and it was pretty bad on the west side of the loop, especially in the morning. It got so bad we left a day early (forgot mosquito nets). The 3M Ultrathon seemed to work pretty well but I still wound up with 25 or so bites. Friday morning in camp there was 30 or more in your face if you stood still for more than a few seconds. It was as bad as I've seen in a long time. Little bastards !

Went to Tuolumne Meadows/Tioga Pass area on Friday. Just had no mosquitoes at Siesta Lake, none at Olmsted Point and just a few (3-4 bites) at the trail head of Mt Hoffmann and Dana/Gibbs View. And no...I wasn't hiking to Hoffmann, just checking out the scenery and using the "facilities"!

Just got back from a 6 day trip to the western side of the Ansel
Adams Wilderness.
Never had to use or even think about using deet.

june 18-23: mosquitos were moderate at the lakes (lower graveyard, lone indian) in the late morning and early evening. Mucho DEET used.
Chief lakes no mosquitos.

I also learned that mosquito bites on me amount to nothing. no bumps, no itching, nada. makes up for my severe reaction to poison oak

June 22-25

Heart Lake / Sally Keyes Lakes / Selden Pass:

Moderate conditions. Nothing at the pass, few at Heart Lake, but enough to kill a couple in one swat in and around Sally Keyes Lakes. Had to whip out the Deep Woods OFF, even though I was moving down the trail at a fairly good clip.

Heather Lake:

I think winter is the only time this place doesn't have a high population of mozzies. Less than I remembered a couple years ago when I was up there in July, but fishing without repellant still wasn't going to happen (especially in the evening, and/or on the side of the lake that's somewhat sheltered from the wind.