South to North Lakes loop: mosquitos question

[sierradoug]

I'm anxious to get out into the mountains while they're not on fire. So, I got a permit for a South Lake/Bishop pass trip starting 6/21. Going for a week.

Would you expect the mosquitos to be bad then? I'm wondering if I should cool my jets and go a couple of weeks later. I"m planning on wearing long pants and shirt sleeves and bringing a headnet. But if it's awful much of the time, bug-wise, it might not be much fun.

What do you think? How are you planning around top-bug-pressure timing?

[gregw822]

I don't get it. Why would you postpone a trip because of mosquitos? They're out there. They're always out there. They belong out there. Wear DEET. Just go.

[Wandering Daisy]

I would not so quickly discount the impact of mosquitoes on a trip. It depends on how thick they are and wind conditions. I think everyone, even those who tolerate mosquitoes well, have their limit. I am extremely intolerant; so I simply do not plan trips when thick mosquitoes are likely. It is always a guess so you can get it wrong. And if that is the case, then no, I would not cancel the trip, but may come out early.

Camp in places with a wind, dry if possible, away from swamps and other wet ground conditions or water sources. When mosquitoes are bad, I plan to walk a lot (out walk the little buggers), simple cooking, maybe not fish because cleaning fish is a mosquito magnet, and altering my day- up very early when it is cold before the mosquitoes wake up, perhaps laze in the tent for an hour or so at dusk, then cook dinner in the dark. You may even want to have a few no-cook dinners that you can simply munch on inside the tent.

If all the above strategies do not work, then you can always bail out early. I did this once- at States Lake on Monarch Divide when all I could do is hide in the tent. This is an odd year and you may be surprised either way- better than expected or worse.

As for DEET, they may not bite but they still will swarm you and even land. You may consider taking a large spray-can of repellant instead of the wipe on kind. That way you can get your back and spray your pack (in which case DEET may damage the material so an alternative may be better). I also take a spare head net, because they are a bit fragile and essential.

[gregw822]

Depends on your physiology, I guess, but there's sure an unlimited supply of complaining. People in general can't be all that sensitive to mosquitos, can they? The bugsa are an annoyance to be sure, but i wonder what fraction of people find them intolerable. Mosquitos are a natural and expected part of a wilderness experience. I am aware, however, that my stinky physiology is not the same as for other people.

But the real answer to the mosquito problem is...cigars! That's the ticket! I've fished in Alaska several times, and cigars definitely keep the little buggers at bay. Enough so that my buddy, on our last 11-day trip remarked. "Hmmmm...I have 78 cigars. Think that's enough?"

At least we don't have cicadas!

[sierradoug]

I've read trip reports where people said the mosquitos ruined their trip. I don't mind some but I'm trying to time it so they aren't at their worst. I postponed my start date (which was supposed to be tomorrow, Monday). Now I'm trying to decide when to go (I'm also planning around a couple of in-town events coming up soon).

I'll keep checking the Mosquito Report here on the forum for clues.

No, I don't smoke cigars. And if someone doesn't mind mosquitoes, lucky them!

[sierradoug]

Wandering Daisy—Thanks for the tips!

[c9h13no3]

The bugsa are an annoyance to be sure, but i wonder what fraction of people find them intolerable.

Spoken like a guy who hasn't experienced intolerable mosquitoes.

To be sure, people are probably overly paranoid. I'd never skip a trip to the Sierra because of mosquitoes. But I also plan for them. I do more climbing, so I'm up on ridges all day. I trail run things in a day, rather than sitting around in a hammock near a lake. And I'd avoid the worst offending areas (looking at you Northern Yosemite).

[gregw822]

Not often, for sure, as long as I keep moving. I don't lounge around camp much. I'm usually out fly fishing or taking pictures. I don't camp in wet meadows, and I stay close to or above timberline most of the time. DEET is usually plenty of protection for me. And partners. If I go with partners they usually suffer more than I do. Mosquitos seem to find me unappealing. I've been told they're not alone.