Page 1 of 8

Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 11:30 am
by maverick
Skeeterz are around, but not yet active/biting according to my sources in Yosemite.
Post your updates so others can know what to expect when visiting a certain area.
The levels for activity are the following.

1-no mosquitos or there are some, but not biting yet
2-very light during the day, moderate at dawn and dusk
3-moderate during the day, heavy at dawn and dusk
4-heavy during the day, heavy at dawn and dusk
5-unbearable all day, no breaks, cannot eat outside of tent, if you stopped hundreds
will land on you, when looking thru a camera viewfinder you see more skeetrz than
lake, if you slapped your arm you'd smear blood all over your arm from the dead skeetrz.

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 12:16 pm
by cgundersen
Hi Maverick,
I've been out of the HST loop for what feels like forever, but in ~2 weeks, my wife and I plan to head for the backside of the Kaweahs to see if we can find any of the footprints you & Trailblazer left up there. We are a bit worried that the early snow melt will mean more bugs than we are used to during trips in June, but since we cannot leave any earlier, c'est la vie. Anyway, we plan to be out for 10 nights, and that should give us plenty of time to do skeeter counts. Regardless, if the scenery is even close to the photos I've seen, the bugs won't matter.
Ciao,
CG

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 6:38 pm
by maverick
Hi CG

That means the beginning of June might be kinda early for 11000+ feet, hope your
ready for some snow.
What is your intended route?

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:15 am
by cgundersen
Hi Maverick,
Over the years my wife has found that she much prefers falling in/on snow versus rocks. Thus, we usually try to get up in the hills in June before the snow is too far gone and before the bugs are in full bloom. Regardless, we're pretty comfortable on snow (snow, not ice). Anyway, we're going to head in at MK over Sawtooth and up to 9 Lakes, over Pants and continue clockwise around the backside of the Kaweahs over to Chagoopa Plateau and back out. With 10 nights, I'm expecting that we'll have plenty of time to explore the far side, but since we got beaten up pretty badly by smoke (from the fires in northern CA) and then by rain on our June trip last year, I'll be crossing my fingers for better conditions.
CG

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:41 pm
by maverick
Hi CG
Let me know the first thing that comes out of her mouth when she looks down
the eastern side of Pants Pass.
By the way snow level at Sawtooth is at around 9000 ft as of this past weekend
so you may be looking pretty good in 2 weeks, especially if we got some rain and/or
another heat wave.

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:21 pm
by MountainMinstrel
maverick wrote:Hi CG
Let me know the first thing that comes out of her mouth when she looks down
the eastern side of Pants Pass.
By the way snow level at Sawtooth is at around 9000 ft as of this past weekend
so you may be looking pretty good in 2 weeks, especially if we got some rain and/or
another heat wave.

What heat wave? it was only 106 here in Fresno/Clovis yesterday. :rolleyes:

4 more days \:D/

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:57 am
by cgundersen
Hi Maverick & MM,
Shall do; I last (only time) went over Pants in the 70's (when I was immortal), so we'll see whether age and wisdom improve the passage. Doubtful. Still, I think we're sufficiently stoked about this loop that even if it takes us all day to get down, we'll do it.
Ciao,
CG

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 3:36 pm
by will_jrob
I spent 3 days in South Sierrra 5/19-5/22 looping around Domelands at betwen 7000-9500 ft... few mosquitoes present. Even spent a night beside Trout Creek at 7000 ft with no problems. In the upper meadows with some snow (8700+) I attracted very few, no bites. One or two watched me leave from Big Meadows.

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 5:15 pm
by maverick
Thanks will_jrob. Posting a TR with photos I hope.

Re: Post Your 2009 Skeeter Updates.

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 8:53 am
by tim
The Skeeters were a 2 in Yosemite Valley on Saturday. The cars were a 5 (complete gridlock - so bad that all the buses stopped running and we had an unplanned 2.5 mile walk back to the car with some very tired kids at 7pm in the evening). The Mist Trail was great for the kids though (our 3 year old walked most of the way to Clark Point), and temperatures were perfect.

Guess I've learned my lesson about where not to go on holiday weekends...