2011 Skeeter Reports

[tim]

Cottonwood Pass to Lower Soldier Lake to Miter Basin June 30 - July 3

Chicken Spring Lake (6/30): Density was a 3, but they weren't biting yet
Lower Soldier Lake (7/1 & 7/2): 2, just starting to bite the second day
Miter Basin (7/2 day hike): none at all while we were there (too snowy still)

[windknot]

Leavitt Meadow area, 7/3-4

2-3 at Roosevelt/Lane lakes, pretty heavy during the evening and morning, but very light during the day.

[cahikr]

Big Pine Lakes is a 4
Hiked the loop on Saturday visiting all lakes and was eaten alive.
Was fully clothed and they were even biting through my shirt.
I will be wearing a looser fitting shirt next time.
Temps. were in the 70's at 10,500.
Hiked White Mtn. on Sunday and saw no Skeeters.

[sparky]

Cloud canyon July 3rd, 3 out of 5. Lots biting, but not constant swarming.

[dave54]

Lassen Park, just outside the Park in the Butte Creek/Pole Springs area.

No mosqitoes, but thick with biting gnats. We camped there before and no problems. Previous years had a healthy population of Golden Mantled and Gray squirrels, but they seemed to have moved on. Best guess is the gnats chased them away.

On the plus side -- Butte Lake is as full as I recall ever seeing, with the water crystal clear all the way down.

[tomba]

2011-07-02:
Area between Kibbie Lake and Inferno Lakes: no mosquitos during daytime, but they come out at dusk moderately and bite. Close to 8000 ft there are some biting flies.
Kibbie Ridge: between Shingle Spring TH and Sachse Spring mosquitos bite at daytime, especially when one stops not far from meadows, the lower the worse.

[richlong8]

Monanche Meadows, June 30-July 6, 0-1, not an issue

[jallen]

richlong8, how did you get into Monache? I had heard that the road was closed until further notice...

[gary c.]

richlong8, how did you get into Monache? I had heard that the road was closed until further notice...

This is a backpacking forum, who needs roads?

[richlong8]

To jallen:
I backpacked, mostly using the pacific crest trail. There are many trails into Monanche, from all 4 points of the compass, and Monanche is huge. The northern section of Monanche that the 4 wheel drive road goes to is just a very small portion of the largest meadow area in the Sierra.

regards

richard