Oregon Hikers

Does anyone have current skeeter beta for the Indian Heaven area?

Might be mostly using the PCT anyway, skeeters traditionally just hanging out near all the lake portions of the area anyway?

Thanks in advance

Got a send-hand report a few days back from a PCT thru-hiker that they were really bad in the southern part around Green and Sheep Lakes. I don't think that they necessarily congregate around lakes. There really is no reliable pattern to where and when they are bad. They are or they aren't.

On Saturday (6/29), from the northern PCT TH heading south on the PCT, mosquitoes were generally moderately bad, but not too annoying if you kept moving. They were nonexistent in some spots. However, we scrambled up Sawtooth, and on the ridge out in the sun, they were some of the worst I've ever experienced. I thought it was kind of strange they wouldn't have been the worst down in the trees, but who knows. We also went down to Wood Lake, and they were moderately bad there. We stopped to have lunch there, but didn't linger too long. There's also quite a bit of snow going down to Wood Lake still. The lake itself is snow-free and fully melted, but probably half of the Wood Lake trail is under snow, with some patches being not insignificant.

We're looking at hiking in from East Crater and camping around Blue or Tombstone Lake this weekend. Anyone have any updated info on the bugs?

I can't speak to the area you are asking about but in general, IMO this has been a bad year. I'm out every other day on average and I'm getting eaten alive - even in the eastern gorge when I don't hose myself down with bug spray. They are even getting me through my shirt and pants! I'm not used to it being this bad so I forget every now and then and pay the price. All I can say is: Bring the deet, use it before the hike, take it with you and re-apply as needed.

dn

Don Nelsen wrote: ↑

July 30th, 2019, 6:42 pm

I can't speak to the area you are asking about but in general, IMO this has been a bad year. I'm out every other day on average and I'm getting eaten alive - even in the eastern gorge when I don't hose myself down with bug spray. They are even getting me through my shirt and pants! I'm not used to it being this bad so I forget every now and then and pay the price. All I can say is: Bring the deet, use it before the hike, take it with you and re-apply as needed.

dn

They seem pretty bad to me also. I think we're going to bail on Indian Heaven since they are often terrible there and try Quartz Creek or something.

I've never seen a mosquito in Quartz Creek but the hiking is much harder, all the ups and downs. I'm thinking of going to IH just to give my Thermacell a thorough testing.

Don Nelsen wrote: ↑

July 30th, 2019, 6:42 pm

I can't speak to the area you are asking about but in general, IMO this has been a bad year.

Interesting. I found St Helens to be surprisingly buggy in the first 19 days of June, then switched to Hood and have scarcely seen one since. Have yet to apply repellent this year, except permethrin on shirt. Have suffered maybe a dozen bites over seven hikes.

Just got back from a weekend up there. Went in at Crest Camp and hiked to and camped at the base of Lemei Rock. Almost no skeeters along the PCT, a few at Junction Lake, none till there. Fairly bad up at Lemei Rock, which I think is the highest place you can camp in Indian Heaven.

Anyone have a sense of how they will be in about 2 weeks (around Aug 20?) Does the cool weather in PDX this week mean it might have gotten too cold for them up there (she says with fingers crossed )?
Thanks!