Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
Left Sabrina Lake trailhead Friday July 2 around 11am. No mosquitos until we passed Blue Lake. From Blue Lake to Dingleberry we encountered several groups of skeeterz although when moving we pretty much were able to avoid them. We did have a light coating of Natrapel on though (Picaridin). Reached Dingleberry Lake around 4pm. Skeeterz were at a 2, a good breeze kept them at bay. Camped at Dingleberry. Skeeter level hit 3 at dusk. Temp was roughly mid 50s. Was cold enough that layers kept them from biting. However we did get several bites through wool socks, beenies and exposed areas. A quick dousing of Repel Lemon Eucalyptus fixed that pretty good. Kept them from biting but not from bugging. At 6am the ambient air temp was low 40s and they were already starting to come out. Never got too bad though. Day hike to Midnight Lake and Hungry Packer Lake. Encountered no more than a 2 along the way. At Midnight Lake and Hungry Packer Lake we saw 0 (zero) mosquitos. Wished we had camped there instead of day hiked (TR to follow soon). On night two back at Dingleberry they were MUCH worse. Went from a 3 to a 4 just in the one day and it was considerably colder the second night (Sierra skeeterz are hardy and air temp really has nothing to do with how many show up; air temp in my opinion only affects how much standing water is available for them to breed; once they hatch air temp does NOT seem to keep them from showing up for the human feast). In just one day they probably doubled in number so it's likely to hit peak skeeter density in the next couple of days.
Skeeterz are only a minor nuisance and with the right clothing and bug juice they are generally tolerable. Like with anything it takes some getting used to. If you want to hike in the Sierra in the early season then you better be able to tolerate a couple of pesky skeeterz. In my opinion it kinda adds to the experience.
July 2 - 4 Seville Lake and environs. 1 - 2 during the day. 3 at sunset. The mosquitos were pretty bad near the streams but tended to stay there. Away from streams they mostly left us alone except at sundown when they went on the rampage. All in all it wasn't too bad and I am a wuss when it comes to skeeters.
July 10, Wrights Lake to Maude Lake (7,000-8,000) - 1 on dry slopes, 2 near water
July 11, PCT from Carson Pass to Showers Lake (about 8,500) 2-3
However, each day we had a nice breeze - may be much worse on a still day.
Just came back from a four day trip yesterday to the Granite Dome area out of Kennedy Meadows.
No skeeters till after Grouse Creek, and after that they became bothersome in places. The higher I went, the more problems there were. Things were fairly manageable (2-3) and if I was too bothered wind-pants and shirt were enough, but day 1 to 3 became increasingly beastly hot (100's! At 8600 feet!), the hottest I have ever experienced in the Sierra, and by the end of day 3 and into day 4, it was a level 4 alert with the flying bloodsuckers. The heat must have hatched a whole new bunch. On the way back if I stopped they ganged up on me and followed me for a ways.
I have seen worse (Tilden Lake in early spring: Level 5), and if you know your stuff you can manage. The hard part was the heat: you got hot if you covered up, and expose yourself and you got attacked. At one point I was only wearing wind pants, camp shoes, wind shirt and head net, and I was hot.
At this rate things will dry out in a hurry and that will be it for the bugs. Maybe in a week or two. Still, if you are prepared, go anyway.
TR later.
(Night three I saw flashes, day 4 it cooled with clouds, thunder and lightening in the morning.)
Glen Aulin in Yosemite last weekend (7/16 - 7/18) = 3 Hardly saw any bugs during the day, but they swarmed at dusk to the point that I donned my head net. Oddly enough, they were fine during the day at river level, all the way from the high sierra camp to California Falls, but when I ascended the dome just NW of the HSC, they became moderately annoying until the wind came up.
“I don’t deny that there can be an element of escapism in mountaineering, but this should never overshadow its real essence, which is not escape but victory over your own human frailty.”
Yesterday all the lakes above Saddlebag were terrible with mosquitoes. They were swarming. The deet I put on my face, neck and hands worked for me. The little buggers were everywhere.
Which brings me to the question, is there anything natural in the mountains that one could use as a repellent in an emergency?
