[JimK]

I'll second Dslayers comment on Tumac. On 7-7-90 I hiked up Mt. Aix and had almost no bugs. The next day I went up Tumac Mountain and was eaten alive. Even on snow they kept coming. The distance between the 2 hikes was no more than 5 or 6 miles but the mosquitoes were many times worse on Tumac. I never stopped moving the whole hike. The worst biting flies I have encountereed were at Cascade Pass-Sahale Arm on 8-27-88.

[Dslayer]

Despite a myriad of hikes onto the Plateau, I've gone to the top of Tumac Mtn only once and my thinking was, "heck, at least there aren't going to be any mosquitoes up there," because it's roughly a thousand feet above the rest of the plateau and the thousands of lakes, ponds, puddeles where my little friends repopulate themselves. No luck-they were as thick there as anywhere on the Plateau-until August sometime when we get a cool snap, they'll be there in force.

[catwoman]

I've never encountered any at Camp Muir, so I may have to pay my yearly visit there very soon.

[janders]

Worst bugs I can recall in, well, ever was about a mile above the treeline on the Monitor Ridge route up Mt St. Helens. The only thing alive up there was hikers and biting flies. Couldn't believe how bad they were, even in the middle of the snowfields... Bugs =

[Scrooge]

Now you see 'em, now you don't. Saturday, potting around the Moolock Lakes north of Mt Si, we had to slather on the DEET about every half-hour to keep the bugs (mostly) at bay. Later in the afternoon, a scant three miles north, up east of Lake Calligan, we spent a pleasant hour lolling around a pond on Upper Calligan Creek: same elevation, same exposure, same proximity to water - no bugs at all. Not any. If anybody can explain how this can be, I sure would like to be able to plan accordingly.

[Erik the Nav]

That plateau is hell. Far and away the worst bugs, and I've spent a bit of time in SE Alaska with the B-17 size skeeters. Last day of trip from Chinook to White Pass, woke up on the plateau after pretty bad bug evening, and just looking out the tent they were so bad we didn't even get out to pee. Ate cold breakfast, packed everything but the tent, leapt out, packed tent (finally peed), and made record time to the pass, stopping precisely twice, once to pee, once to get water. One nice thing: since then, other bug swarms don't seem so bad.

[polarbear]

For some reason the last couple years I've had some pretty bug free hikes. There were so few mosquitos up at Lake Annette last week the I found myself occaisionally humming at a high pitch and then slapping myself just to remember what it was like. I'm starting to wish I'd run into the buggers somewhere. In the meantime, I'm marketing myself as a human bug repellant. For a mere $50 and meals, I am hiring myself out.

[smokeydon]

I have been very fortunate to have not had any problems with bugs yet this year although the end of July and begining of August are usually the worst. I think the late snowmelt is going to make for a late bug season. Worst Biting flies I have ever encountered were up the N Fork Bridge creek July 26, 1994, lots of fires that year. Worst Mosquitoes; Pioneer Basin in the Sierra`s in July 1996. Worst horseflies; upper peninsula of Michigan in July 1988 . I think there is a pattern here and thankfully July is almost over !!!

[Bushwacker]

I can't figure it out. Yesterday at Lake Dorothy(went in for day hike) we ran into a bunch of bugs at the trailhead and figured it was going to be gruesome. Then they became non-existant for most of the day. An occasional horsefly at the lake(I'm glad only occasional) because they were bloody big buggers!...the kind where if you try to smoke 'em, they come back to get even. Then on the way out they were thick again at the trailhead. Go figure. BW P.S. Polarbear just remember what they say"Be careful what you wish for...You may get it"

[#19]

Couple days ago on Mt Daniel, plenty of mosquitoes from car to about 6500' - but vertually no blackflies. Hope others will continue to report bug sightings.

[Dslayer]

The bugs on Tatoosh last Sunday were as good as they get-a very few black flies and one horsefly who died a miserable death when I flicked him into my stove fire... both can be real bad later...I was up on the Tumac Plateau Sunday and Tuesday via different routes, the PCT and Cortright Trails and mosquitoes are just ridiculous up there-On the Cortright I was in a cloud of mosquitoes from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. It was almost no fun.

[polarbear]

Yikes, I've seen skeeters like that too and some of them don't fly anymore because they are too lazy. They come swooping in on Jackelopes. After you get bit by one you have to have a glass of orange juice and three cookies and lie down on a table.

[Anne Sect]

Heya, looks like the weather this weekend will be a tad cooler than normal. Snow level down to 6000'. Arrrrrrright! Gonna snap the bug population! Well, hopefully. Gonna be an awesome August hopefully. Cross your fingers.

[Mentalfloss]

First off...it was 32 degrees in Baker City, Oregon this morning. Great!!! The worst mosquitoes I ever ran into was camping at (duh) Mosquito Point in the southern part of the Everglades. There was a really stiff, hot wind and we figured that would keep the mosquitoes away like it will in the mountains. No such luck. And when we'd break out the repellant they seemed to smell it and recognize that meant humans and they'd swarm. The tent was full of them and even burning a mosquito coil with the door open helped very little. There were several sizes and they worked in shifts. Don't camp there.

[Quark]

Wind sometimes seems to simply help slam even more mosquitoes into you. It imports them from down wind. It also helps them to drill their stingers into your skin harder, faster, deeper. Worst = Larch Lakes near 5th of July Mtn.