Re: Mosquito Forecast for Tuolumne Meadows 8/3?

My husband and I were planning to take the kids (8 and 10) up to TM for 3 days at the beginning of August, but having second thoughts due to the reports of bad mosquito action up there. The first bad omen for the trip was the closure of Old Priest Grade, now vicious swarms of blood suckers all day... might be more than we can take. Any possibility that the mosquito situation will improve in the next 3 weeks???

It'll probably be better by then. But those blood suckers can be hard to predict.

I was enjoying a nice evening north of Stampede Reservoir on Monday and it didn't seem the skeeters were around. Nice and quiet...left around 9 p.m., and by 9 p.m. the next day...six welts up and down both arms...they seem extra sneaky this year

Had lunch at the grill Saturday and there were none during that time. Some breeds only come out in the evening.
We had a ton of them Saturday night down in the canyon just south of Hidden Lake by Olmstead Point. Today there were lots of them near the water in the canyon but none at Olmstead Point around noon today. Your experience will vary.

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Old Dude

Mosquitos are almost non-existent by August 3 in TM. Very few except in the early morning and late evening.

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Ulysses61
Mosquitos are almost non-existent by August 3 in TM.

That may not be the case this year.

I have always avoided TM this time of year because of the mosquitos. My son really wants to do Catherdral TH to Happy Isles, says he doesnt care about mosquitos Myself I am really concerned that they will *ruin* the hike. I bought some nets for sleeping and repellant. Should we just go for it? Or will it be life in hell for 3 days?

I really value anyone's honest opinion, call me a sissy, whatever I got some sweet blood.....

(also if we go northward (like Lassen) will they just be waiting for me there) (i think I got a phobia doc)

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rroland
I have always avoided TM this time of year because of the mosquitos. My son really wants to do Catherdral TH to Happy Isles, says he doesnt care about mosquitos Myself I am really concerned that they will *ruin* the hike. I bought some nets for sleeping and repellant. Should we just go for it? Or will it be life in hell for 3 days?

You'll probably get bitten. However - for the inevitable, this works pretty well, is easy to apply, and doesn't take up a lot of space:

http://www.benadryl.com/#/Adult_Products/Extra-Strength-Itch-Relief-Stick/

thanks for that tip. someone also is touting a belt clip-on fan from 'off!' seems like that will not be 'robust' enough for TM skeeters tho...

Skeeters were the worst last weekend at Tenaya Lake. The TM campground was not so bad if you paid attention and put on a little DEET in the evening. The afternoon breezes really helped a lot. On Tioga Pass near the gate we found more skeeters but when that breeze started up they all went away.

At Tenaya, we were crossing the outlet to get to the trail and the instant you pulled up a pant leg to wade there were a cloud of them descending. The minute we got off the trail at the end of the hike, we ran to the car and dove inside, smacking and swatting, and watched the cloud hovering just outside the windows. Horrible. The hike itself, up Sunrise to Clouds Rest, was great, hardly any skeeters, and we were walking through meadows and boggy bits of trail - walking helps, as do the wind gusts/breezes, and long sleeves and pant legs too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2010 09:48AM by AlmostThere.

Invaluable feedback, thanks, like Jimbo...I'm goin for it!