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[pct-l] RE: Skeeters???



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The email about how mild the sierra is and how one doenst need deet or
suncreen is a joke or from someone who has little experience in the Sierra. I
have been working in Kings Canyon for the past 6 years, working and living in
the backcountry and my experience is that in the Sierra the mosquitoes can be
living hell. They are most ubundent about a month after the big snow melt, so
lets say June to mid July. But that changes with the elevation. They are like
a wave that starts in the lower elevation early in the season, then slowly
work their way up in elevation as the snow recieds and it starts getting hot
and dry in the lower elevations. But if you are caught in the midst of their
peak and you are in a moist area, such as a meadow or a drainage: watch out. I
have seen grown men scream in agony, I have had clouds of them following
around me like a mass of screaming women in a beatles concert, I have had
every exposed part of my body get bit, like the sides of the finger nails,
under the finger nails, in the cracks of my joints. Then there is the suicide
missions: they dive into ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. So yea, they can be bad
and yes bring DEET!  Depending upon the year and the snow, thru hikers usually
mis the worst of the season, especially in the higher elevations.

About the suncreen. It would be crazy not to bring it, especially if you dont
have a natural block from the sun, like light skin, or no tan and you are
hiking early in the season when there is lots of snow. The summer days in the
Sierra are georgous, with bright sun, clear skies, and lots of solar
radiation. And above timberline, where the PCT lingers for long stretches,
there is little shade and lots of glacier polished rock and bright snow to
focus those rays even more intensely. Sunscreen is essential!

About not bringing shelter. When I hiked the California section of the PCT in
96 is was stuck below Glen Pass for two days in a snow storm. And more
importantly shelter provides a respite from mosquitoes.

About no dangerous animals. Actually there are dangerous animals, and they
come in the form of 250-300 pounds of fur, claws, teeth, muscle, and stomach.
I know of several cases where people have been mauled by bears in Sequoia
Kings Canyon National Parks in the past few years. However, in those cases the
people either slept with their food or somehow attempted to defend or retrieve
their food once a bear has it. Dont do either and you will be fine.
Ryan

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