High Sierra Topix

There had been a cold snap just before our short trip, so maybe mosquito activity kind of paralleled the warming temps...

5/29 - Courtright Reservoir to Cliff Lake = 2 en route, but oddly = 1 at Cliff Lake late afternoon and evening.
5/30 - Cliff Lake to Island Lake = 2 at Cliff in the morning and en route to Island, then Island more of a 1 that first evening. (camped up from lake with some breeze probably helping, and we wondered if the visitors we had were mostly the males still, which biologists at Ten Lakes once told us appeared first and didn't bite)
5/31 - Island Lake morning = 2, but yes in a biting mood, and for a day hike to slightly higher els just south-west (10196 peak) was = 3. Back to a 2 at Island Lake for the evening, but "dawn and dusk" didn't really apply so much to these guys (gals?). Mornings had them out more with the sun.
6/1 - Island Lake morning = 2, and on day-hike to Second Lake/South Lake/Swede Lake and back - all lower lakes more of a 3. Island Lake late afternoon and evening more of a 1, but mostly 'cuz of a blessed breeze.
6/2 - Island Lake morning = 2, and mostly a 2 for the hike out back to Courtright Reservoir, but sometimes a 3 when near more water.

AAAAGGGGHHHH, a 5. I left a day early because I couldn't take it anymore.

When I got home I decided to count the bites. When I hit 22 on my left arm and shoulder alone, I gave up.

Call me scratchy.

6/3 Jerseydale campground, just outside Yosemite out of El Portal. About 7500 feet. I'd say it was a 1. Got a few bites. Mainly at dusk and in the morning. We were camped next to a large meadow. But once we applied OFF they seemed to stay away.

6/4 Drove Tioga Pass through Yosemite- it rained and thundered in the afternoon. Strangest thing- mosquitos attacked us at Tenaya Lake during the rainstorm. Big swarms of them. I'd rate a 3. Elsewhere in Yosemite they were nil. Ended up camping at Crags campground outside of Twin Lakes near Bridgeport. About 5500 feet. I'd say it was a 0. We even camped next to a moving creek. I was impressed.

6/5 Mt Whitney portal campground- rate it a 2 at 8500 feet next to a creek. A few mosquitos at dusk but enough to get us to go into our tent early.

Glen Alpine trailhead - no mosquitoes
Trail junction to Gilmore Lake - 2
Suzie Lake - 3

Lots of swarming but not so much biting. Afternoon and evening winds helped keep them down. Real bad in morning June 8 - no wind. I talked to a ranger who said the mosquitoes were "bad" at Aloha lake (she was there on June 7). Since I was not actually there, take this with a grain of salt.

June 6/7: Mosquito Flat to above Mills Lake

No problem between Mosquito Flat and just below Ruby Lake.

From Ruby Lake to Mills Lake they were light in the early part of the day, but heavy in the afternoon and evening. I was happy to have DEET with me because they were all over me between Ruby Lake and Mills Lake on Friday (6/7/13).

Lyons trailhead to Desolation entrance (2.7 miles). 2
Entrance of Desolation to Lyons (2.3 miles). 1 - 2

There was plenty of skeeter stew brewing from about 7,200 feet up to 8,400 @ Lyons. But I read a book next to the lake relatively undisturbed in the afternoon.

With the warm weekend (last night there was a hot breeze...ugh) the snow melt was fast and furious. A stream I hopped across on June 8th at 10 AM had to be forded on June 9th at 9:15 AM.

20 lakes basin had almost no mosquitoes, 3 nights and zero bites, we camped at shamrock lake and saw a few buzzing around but they just wern't hungry. My son got a couple of bites but overall very plesant for how warm it was.

Guest Lake (Bench Valley, Sierra National Forest)

Was there yesterday - we were going to camp and then head over Blackcap Pass.

I'd rate the mosquitos as a 6 - open your mouth to speak, they fly in. Take off your glasses, they bomb your eyes. They were all over my permethrin treated pants and shirt. Dive in the tent and dozens zip in after within seconds. We were applying DEET every half hour. I smeared it all over the poor dog. There were a few raindrops as the afternoon clouds passed - I figured my tent would stay dry, as the thrumming hoard all over it as I huddled playing cards with my friend would certainly deflect each drop. (This is only slight hyperbole...)

We were there for about two hours, setting up camp, then playing cribbage and praying the breeze would be continuous (it wasn't). They just kept getting worse. We packed up really quickly and zipped down the very steep trail to the Kings River, where the mossies were only very occasional. I shook a bunch of smashed ones out of my tent there. We actually could sip tea without having a side order of mosquitos.

Based on that and the report of the only other backpackers we saw who were heading down from Devil's Punchbowl (over in Red Mountain Basin) the mosquitos are booming in high elevation areas that have foliage, such as these lovely basins - once we dropped down the trail to 8,000 and below, there was a radical difference - we could breath without inhaling them...

Needless to say - not going to try Blackcap again for a while.

Yosemite, Ten Lakes. June 8-9.

I would have put them at a 2, but for some reason they weren't bothering me as much as other people in our group (maybe I should get a blood test...). Others in the group might have called it closer to a 3-4.

TM to Waterwheel - 2 or 3. Moderate in shaded areas, light in exposed areas. I got 10-15 bites with 4 itchy ones. Other members of my group were not so lucky and got 40+ even with DEET and bug nets.