[pct-l] JMT questions

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

1.  Mosquitoes - probably will not be an issue in august.  I have 
done the trail twice in august and bugs were of no concern both 
times.  In fact, in 1998 (heavy snow year) i had been in emigrant 
wilderness a week earlier and the mosquitoes were so bad that they 
could carry you away, but they were non-existant on the JMT.  Most of 
the JMT near or above 10,000 ft, which means that there will be less 
bugs.

2.  Sun - I tan very easily and only hike witha baseball cap and lots 
of sunscreen.  sun has never been an issue for me.  I have also been 
on the JMT in late august and been rained on for 10 of 12 days and 
only saw the sun for 3-4 days.  It also snowed one of those days.

3.  Pine Sap - I have no solution for this.  I gave up trying to stay 
clean on the trail.  I found that it gets in the way of my 
enjoyment.  I get to worry about being clean for 95% of the rest of 
the time that I am not on the trail.  I allow myself to get dirty and 
not worry about it while hiking.

4. Kelty Pack - I recomend fining a good seamstress.  I found one 
here in Eugene that can do anything.  She produces much higher 
quality work than I can achieve and is much faster.

HTH.

peace,
dude




> A friend and I will be doing the JMT starting August 16th. I have
> a couple of questions. The first is about mosquitoes and other
> biting insects. Last year in the Emigrant Wilderness we ran into
> swarms of aggressive mosquitoes about mid June. Three weeks later,
> we were in the same area and were not bothered at all. What can we
> expect on the JMT in mid August? Lots of mosquitoes? Very few?
> Other insects...horseflies and such? Best ways to deal with the
> biters.
> 
> We've been told that the sun can be very intense on the JMT in
> August. What are good strategies to handle the heat? Is the mylar
> covered umbrella (a'la Jardine) a good idea, or is it more hassle
> than it's worth? What other things could we do? Or is the heat
> issue not really a problem?
> 
> How do you clean up sticky pine sap on the trail? Whenever, I camp
> on pine duff it seems to get on the groundsheet, the pack and
> sometimes other stuff. Seems impossible to get off in the field.
> Any ideas?
> 
> I'm using a Kelty Flight pack (modular, now discontinued). It's
> pretty light in it's stripped down mode, but I have a couple of
> problems with it. The shoulder straps are "fixed" and fit me
> pretty well, but not perfectly. Does anyone have experience
> removing the seams and re-attaching shoulder straps in a different
> position? Is this even possible? Any leads to help me figure out
> how to do this and find the best way to get a good anatomical fit?
> 
> TIA,
> 
> Ron
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