2013 Mosquito Reports

[Wandering Daisy]

July 8-22.
July 8, Maxon Meadow- moderate (2), North Fork Kings, none (breezy).
July 9, 1000 foot climb to Portal Lake, annoying plus black flies (still muggy conditions), Pearl Lake and Cathedral Lake cirque - none (nice breeze)
July 10, Lightning Corral Meadow, just a few, Rainbow Lake, a few (1-2) even though I was camped next to a pond on grass.
July 11, Horsehead, Filly, Little Joe Lakes - just a few, nice breeze. Guest Lake - horrible (4)
July 12, Schoolmarm to Bullet Lakes - just a few (1-2), Crabtree Lake- a bit more, Big Shot Lake, and Devils Punchbowl, few because of nice breeze.
July 13, Horseshoe and Hell For Sure Lake - none
July 14, Diamond X, Davis, Upper and Lower Indian Lake, Flemming Lake- a few (1-2).
July 15, walk out to Maxon Meadows TH - no wind, (2)
July 16, Florence Lake to Balany Meadows - annoying (2-3), still conditions.
July 17, Sallie Keys, (1-2), Heart, Marie Lake - none (windy)
July 18, Melody Lakes, Three Island Lake, only a few (1)
July 19, Sandpiper Lake (2-3), Lou Beverly Lake (3-4), Rose Marie Meadow (2-3), Orchid Lake (1-2), Apollo Lake (1-2), Cirque Lake 0-1.
July 20, traverse Apollo Lake to Rosebud Lake (1-2), Hooper and Niel Lake 0-1, Rose Lake, none, breezy.
July 21, Rose Lake to Rose Marie Meadow (2-3 headnet walk), Seldon Pass none, JMT down the switchbacks (none, even with no breeze, hot as hell), John Muir Ranch, none, hot as hell (85 degrees!)
July 22, walk back to Florence Lake, none.

[maytag]

Echo Lakes- 0 (during the day, hiking through)
Lake of the Woods- 1-2 (morning and evening)
Aloha Lake- 0 (gotta love that Aloha breeze)
Heather & Suzie Lake- 0 (during the day)

Worst area of the trip was hiking the main pct near the Lake Lucille turn off- we got hammered for about 1/2 mile. A 3 on the scale so really not all that bad...

[julie]

July 18 - 19 Nelson Lake (9605' el.) : Very few during the day, but heavy at dawn and dusk (3)
July 20 - 21 Reymann Lake (10,050' el.) : Less than at Nelson, but still annoying except when it was raining and hailing (2-3)
July 22 Townsley Lake (10,353' el.) : Not too bad (2)
July 23 Townsley Lake (10,353' el.) : Temperature dropped, yay, no mosquitoes, or none to speak of really (1)
July 24-25 Ireland Lake (10,735' el.) : For privacy, we camped at the closest lakelet along the outlet creek. Mosquitoes not too bad (2). Hiked out via Lyell Cyn...raining, and we were on the move, so didn't notice mosquitoes unless we and the rain were simultaneously pausing.

We never had to don our net hats at any point. My hiking partner (Rich Apple) and I used only herbal-based repellants (mostly Herbal Armor). We took vitiamin B-1 pills twice a day (200 mg total per diem) starting a couple days before the trip and throughout the hike. The current thinking about vitiamin B-1, is that it doesn't really repel mosquitoes, but it reduces the bites' allergic reaction limiting the itch factor, and I find that bites heal a lot more quickly.

[maverick]

Thanks for the update and welcome to HST Julie!
Hope to see a great TR if you have the time.

[austex]

Gardisky Lake last Sunday a 1. They were swarming but not biting sunrise especially.
Barney Lake Monday and Tuesday a 0. was too windy/rainy
Rock Creek Lake Wednesday no skeets; but a few flies were bothersome at times, no bites

[gary c.]

Cottonwood Lakes: 1, Four days and three nights without a single bloodsucker and no one in our group had to use DEET even once. One of the guys did get bit a couple of times while wading and fishing the swampy part of a lake at dusk.

[gary c.]

Sabrina Basin: 2
There were few to be seen during the day and light to moderate during the evening. A once a day coating of DEET kept them off of me but some in our group needed a second application to keep the mosquitos at bay.

[no2haven]

July 27-28: Tuolumne meadows - Vogelsang pass - Bernice Lake.

0-1 throughout the trip. Didn't need DEET or anything else really.

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[Xosob]

Sun 7/28: 0 along Mono Pass trail to pass and back (but fun pea-sized hail mid-day!)
M 7/29: 0 Agnew Meadows->Shadow Lake at sunrise, 1-2 Shadow Lake-Ediza early morning, 0 above Ediza-> Iceberg-> Cecile -> Minaret -> Reds. I used no repellant, barely noticed any bugs, but had a couple of bites.
Tu 7/30: Toulumne -> Ragged Peak via Dog Lake trail & back: 0.

[Vickster]

Meiss Meadow trailhead to where Tahoe Rim Trail cross hwy 89 (sorry I forgot the name of the trailhead):

7/26- Meiss Meadow TH to Round Lake....nothing to write home about while walking but moderate at Round Lake in the evening

7/27- Round Lake to Dardanelles Lake....not much on this day except at dusk some came out but less than at Round Lake

7/28- Dardanelles Lake to hwy 89...nada