High Sierra Topix

Kathy, off track, but what were conditions like on Agassiz?

Bearpaw Meadow 8/13 - 1 - evening arrival
Kaweah Gap 8/14 - 1 - evening arrival
Upper Kern Kaweah River underneath Triple Divide Peak before the Colby Pass Tr 8/15 - 5 - beat them off all evening 1 hr. past dark, chased us out in the AM
Upper Kern Kaweah River Tr 8/16- 4 got progressively better as is got warmer but Gallats Lake and other "standing" water areas were HORRIBLE
Wallace Creek 8/16 - evening arrival 5+ - got there at 6P and had to get in a bivy sack and stay there until ~8:30
Guitar Lake - 8/17 - 1

Missed this - skeeters we ran into are mutants and immune to DEET. Had 40% pump (unsuccessful), 35% 3M lotion (unsuccessful), and 100% pump (also unsuccessful). Only thing that works is a physical barrier (bivy in our case).

mattherrington wrote:Missed this - skeeters we ran into are mutants and immune to DEET. Had 40% pump (unsuccessful), 35% 3M lotion (unsuccessful), and 100% pump (also unsuccessful). Only thing that works is a physical barrier (bivy in our case).

As an alternative, I've had good luck with Picaridin. The one I've been using is "Cutter Advanced Outdoorsman Heavy Duty Formulaa (15% Picaridin). Unfortunately it seems to have been discontinued. I found another brand with comparable Picaridin at REI but it smells like body lotion - not something I want on me when I'm sleeping around bears.

Apparently mosquitoes really can develop immunity to DEET...
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/hun ... -captivity" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Emigrant Wilderness (August 18- August 20, 2011)

Day 1: Coyote Meadow to Toejam Lake: 3-4, skeeters were really heavy at every meadow we came to.

Day 2 : Coyote Meadow to Upper Relief Creek: We left Toejam Lake a day early because it was so bad (intended to stay 2 days for fishing)...headed down toward Kennedy Meadows, where the rest of our party was camping for the weekened. I would say 1-3 during the hike. Meadows were the a 3 but anything with elevation was a 1. We camped just after the trail crossed Relief Creek and found the mosquitos to be a 1 (quick and easy hike)...though I think that was mostly due the breeze.

Day 3: Upper Relief Creek to Kennedy Meadows: Meadows were a 2, and again with elevation was a 1.

I was first introduced to the Emigrant Wilderness around the age of 11 (thank you, grandpa) and have visited almost every year since; as a thirty-year old I would say this is one of the worst mosquito years I've experienced...but that's part of the experience, right?



- "I would have hated to been around when all this was made" My Grandfather (referring to the Emigrant Wilderness)

Week of 8/15-8/19, Mineral King to Upper Rattlesnake Creek area. 0 all the way. very nice.

BrianF wrote:Kathy, off track, but what were conditions like on Agassiz?

We were able to avoid the few remaining snow patches between Bishop Pass and the summit of Agassiz pretty easily. Here's a pic from Saturday with our route (more or less):



If any of the moderators want to move this post to another part of the message board, please do so because I know it's off topic for this thread.

Anybody have any guess what the skeets might be like in the Southern Minarets at the beginning of next week?? My brother and I are heading there on the 29th and I'm starting to fear the hordes may be out.

Specifically Anona Lake, Gertrude Lakes area?

Tuolumne Meadows area 8/20-21: 2ish, morning and evening, even by the water. Wasn't bad at all.
Dog-Lake to Young Lake trail - Mosquitoes were a 2-3, BITING FLIES were a 5. Really annoying. I've never seen them swarm like that.
Young Lakes to Soda Springs trail - everything was a 2-3. Much better (and drier).
Saddlebag Lakes area - 1-2

8-14 to 8-15 at Lake Sabrina campground was at most a 2.

8-16 to 8-21 at Blue Lake was a 2, with the worst time being between 7 and 8:30 pm, nearly none during the rest of the day except at the wetter spots.

Dayhikes during the week to Baboon Lakes, Hungry Packer Lake and Emerald Lakes being about the same during the day but info from others camping in those locations indicated the bugs were bad at times (dusk). We originally meant to move camp a couple times in the area but had such a good set up at Blue Lake we stayed put where the skeeters were tolerable or absent during the day and avoidable after dinner by some tent time until after 8:30. Unmolested star gazing later at night was a joy.

I never did put any repellant on, or use the headnet but others in our group did use both at times. My clothes were treated with permethrin which may have helped.