Re: 2010 Skeeter Updates
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:07 pm
Sabrina Lake to Midnight Lake/Hungry Packer Lake
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.
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.