High Sierra Topix

I have a couple of days off next week and thinking of heading from Gianelli to Toejam or possibly Leopold Lake or will be my first overnight with my dog. She is a 9 year old mini Australian Shepherd who has proven to love the trail. She's been on several day hikes of 10 plus miles and I will be carrying her food and water. I'm a bit concerned about sharing my TT contrail but other than that I am sure she will be fine.

From my day hike to Bear Lake last Friday, I am assuming that skeeters will be an issue. I'm wondering if Leopold will have less if the vicious little blood suckers, or if there is another option off if 108 that would give me around 10 miles a day with less chance of bloodsuckers.

Hah! Bear Lake is only a remote outlying frontier outpost of the Sierra's worst Flying Vampire Kingdom. It only gets much much much worse in June!

The closer you move east towards the core of that kingdom, the more likely you will end up a shrivelled wrinkled husk. Oh and pity any poor defenseless puppy trotting into that realm. Tis all rather obvious inspecting the topographic maps. During the Sierra's greatest ice age, a massive ice cap buried the region and more than anywhere else created all manner of small bedrock granite depressions that readily fill with shallow water. The core of the kingdom is between Cow Meadow and Huckleberry Lake and Lertora Lake ridge is its castle. A region also known for the best fishing in the area if one can cope.

In May as the last freezing weather moves up in elevation, the robust winter eggs of snow mosquitoes that can lie dormant in solid ice of these ponds, spring to life forming vast whining clouds. If a subsequent cold snap occurs, early emergents might die off, but there are countless more whiners ready to take their place. The relief only comes later in July when vast armadas of hungry damselflies rise from those same ponds followed by squadrons of voracious dragonflies moving up from lower forests.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.15950,-119.74604&z=15&t=T

So you could join we few on this board that have little issue going into all but the worst mosquito areas at peak season because we wear full combat gear and lather with 100% DEET. There are several old threads here describing it all. Yeah no more shorts and t-shirt.

I agree with Dave, you should expect the mosquitoes to be quite bad, especially after this weather system moves out of the Sierra this weekend. Please protect you dog while on the trail, and in camp from those bloodsuckers, especially at dawn and dusk!

This is what you have to look forward too

Ok, I get the picture. I was hoping that Leopold, because of it position on that ledge, would allow some breezes to keep the little bloodsuckers away. Looks like that is not the case. I'll have to figure something else out .

So I gave Summit ranger station a call and asked about taking the PCT to Wolf Creek lake. The nice lady seemed to imply that there may still be a fair amount of snow on north facing slopes and suggested suggested Boulder Lake from the Clark Fork TH.

Any thoughts?

let me know where you decide to go with your dog. I would like to start doing trips with my dog eventually. I have a year and half Australian cattledog that I would like to take on an overnight trip somewhere. Camp/fishing. He goes car camping with us now and does great.

by the way, what do you use on your dog for the skeeters? I just ordered this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051H ... ge_o00_s00

I already use frontline on my dog so this is supplemental.

I'm thinking of hitting the Dinkey Creek trail near shaver a couple of weeks since they allowed dogs on the trail.

crazyexplorer wrote:let me know where you decide to go with your dog. I would like to start doing trips with my dog eventually. I have a year and half Australian cattledog that I would like to take on an overnight trip somewhere. Camp/fishing. He goes car camping with us now and does great.

by the way, what do you use on your dog for the skeeters? I just ordered this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051H ... ge_o00_s00

I already use frontline on my dog so this is supplemental.

I'm thinking of hitting the Dinkey Creek trail near shaver a couple of weeks since they allowed dogs on the trail.

My girl is a Mini Australian Shepherd She is about 9 (she's a rescue so we don't know for sure). She has not yet done an overnight backpack with me, but she happily does 10-11 mile day-hikes. In fact if she doesn't get 4-5 miles a day in she gets a bit squirrely.

We have been using K9 Advantix II (fleas, ticks, AND skeeters) with good results.

If you're in the Fresno Area you might want to look at Jenny Lakes widerness between Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs as it is also national forest and so dogs are allowed.

For Dinkey Lakes, I recommend going in from Courtwright (Cliff Lake TH). The road is much better and both Cliff and Rock lakes are nice destinations in themselves.

Well both life and the weather ganged up on me so I have bailed for this week. However, I will be going northbound on Sonora pass to Wolf Creek lake if it is doable. I'll post up a report one way or the other.

Well both life and the weather ganged up on me so I have bailed for this week.

That seems to be happening more and more lately.

We have a fresh squeet report that confirms those Emigrant areas are just now entering prime time living up to their notoriety:

squirrel >>>"...Mosquitos were a 4 on the above scale. "

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=12302&start=36

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2015 ... 015-1.html