mosquito report

Where are you? How bad are the mosquitos there?

I'm in Black Hills, and they aren't too bad. In the Bighorns you'll get carried away, according to a friend who was out there late late July. Anyone in the Wind Rivers?

The Uintas are no picnic. Wait, maybe they are a picnic. I guess it depends on your perspective.

Just got back from the Cirque de Towers... mosquitoes were awful, especially higher. They attack on the route and the rap stations.

By Big Sandy Lake they were OK, so maybe in a couple of weeks they will be better higher up. Right now it is the worst climbing conditions due to bugs I have ever experienced.

Maine and New Hampshire have been moderate compared to last year. I might have to revise my post about Jockey's cap.

In Northern Utah we had a late spring so everything is a few weeks behind normal, meaning the mosquito season will probably last through August in most places.

Funny, mosquitos have been bugging the crap out of me lately too.

Here's my mosquito report from a few ; ) of the places we've explored in the past 6 weekends in June-July.

Far South Egan Range, NV.- out, and about including camping

• minimal

Caliente-Ely NV exploring a variety of terrain- out, and about w/camping

• minimal

Zion- out, and about including camping

• moderate

Mt. Charleston, NV.- out, and about

• minimal

Great Basin NP- out, and about including camping

• moderate

Red Rock, NV- out, and about

• minimal

Lamarck Lakes, High Sierra- out, and about w/backpacking/camping at upper LL.

• HORRIBLE:got eaten alive!
• Santa Monica, Malibu- Ventura-McGrath SB- out, and about including camping.
• moderate

Toroweap/Tuweep, Grand Canyon - out, and about including camping

• moderate

The Strip

• Nope, not ever! (ps, bring lots of money to support our economy).

The worst mosquito invasion I've ever experienced was on the Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica (we suffered extensive bites even with Deet), and nearly as bad in The Winds this time of year. If heading to The Winds, bring insect repellent, and at least a full face mosquito net to wear at your bivy site. Whatever areas you've missed with the Deet, they will find. Wear long sleeves, and long pants, and thick socks to cover your ankles (if you don't like getting bit). Your meals at camp will most likely include a skeeter convention swarming about your head, and your bivy sack will be encased with the pests in the morning, where you really don't want to crawl out of your sack to be greeted by them, but well worth the trip, overall!

I've worked in the jungles of Hawaii, Uganda, Lake Tanganyika in Burundi and Indonesia. I always used the "jungle juice" that I bought at the Army Surplus store, which was supposedly what they issued to our troops in Viet Nam. It was oily, stinky stuff that worked, seems like it had about 10 times the active ingredient of most over the counter things. Between that stuff and a good cigar, I was able to keep most of the buggers at bay.

That being said, The Wind Rivers are a whole different story, it helps to have a net over your face just so you don't breathe em in! It is certainly motivation to get altitude up on the rock when you are there.

They were crazy bad at the base of Hallet a couple weeks ago. We had to wear rain jackets to gear up and until P3.

Tundra Slogging, North Slope Brooks Range

It's only tolerable when it's pouring rain.

YDPL8S wrote: That being said, The Wind Rivers are a whole different story, it helps to have a net over your face just so you don't breathe em in! It is certainly motivation to get altitude up on the rock when you are there.

You ain't a'kiddin! Holy cow! Mid July a few years back heading up toward Squaretop! Aborted the approach before we got 100 yards down the trail...absolutely the worst and biggest I have EVER seen anywhere.

JML wrote: You ain't a'kiddin! Holy cow! Mid July a few years back heading up toward Squaretop! Aborted the approach before we got 100 yards down the trail...absolutely the worst and biggest I have EVER seen anywhere.

Second only to Spring in Maine in my experience!

I will never forget the time a friend and I did the hike into Indian Basin in the Winds and the mosquito's actually made the hike easier... they were so bad they latched on to you and actually lifted you... making you lighter for the hike.... actually.... they were just so bad while hiking you just kept your head down (head covered with absolutely nessasary netting) and hiked as fast as you could to try and keep ahead of the nasty cloud. We came upon a boy scout troop packing their way out of a long week somewhere up in the back country. None of them had any netting and they were literally covered in bites and had swelling bumps all over their necks and foreheads and looked terribly miserable. That vision will all ways stay with me....

Worst I have ever been eaten was 116 bites... I just sat on the way home with a cotton ball and witch hazel dabbing the bites trying not to itch them.

Pretty bad in Glacier Gorge RMNP. You stop and they are all over you.

The park is absolutley drenched with moisture, waist high wildflowers in places. Good thing is with the cooler temps, your bite to kill ratio is pretty decent in your favor.