[thuja]

Unless you want to be drained of blood and driven to the point of insanity. I was devoured by clouds of ravenous zombie mosquitoes while attempting to backpack at Carne Mtn yesterday. Even way up on the ridge below Carne summit, surrounded by the late snow, the mosquitoes still swarmed. Trying to eat dinner with a bug shirt on, even one that covered my entire head with a zipper for eating, was insufferable. It was like something out of a horror movie. You would think the dozens of dead mosquito bodies littering my pants would discourage other mosquitoes from landing on me, but you would be wrong, wrong wrong. Blood! We must have blood! Scream the zombie mosquitoes as they seek out the weak spots in my bug armor and fling themselves at me repeatedly. I could clap my hands in the air in front of me and kill a mosquito every time but it didn't make a dent in the zombie horde. Ended up bailing and hiking out in the evening. Lots of blowdowns on the Carne mountain trail, but nothing that can't be navigated over, under or around. Trail is a bit brushy (what trail in the GPW isn't?) but otherwise in good shape. Plenty of water at Carne Mtn camp. Too much perhaps. Still lots of snow on the trail going up to the ridge and to the Carne summit. Had good views looking west towards Buck, Little Giant Pass, etc. So much snow still up there, it will be a while before it melts out.

[philfort]

I've always wondered why the mosquitos seem so much worse on the east side... don't they like water?

[SpookyKite89]

sounds awful. how was the road out there?

[ozzy]

that's f### awesome! Hans and I overnighted S. Spectacle butte the same day...I know your pain oh so well!! The skeeters were out in full force, they tore me up rather well but the wind picked up later in the evening forcing them out thank God! How can such pristine environments harbor such hordes!? thanks for the good laugh and cheers!!

[Chief Joseph]

For every negative there is a positive....if you are near a lake, mass mozzies usually means good fishing and they keep me moving on the trail when I am frickin' exhausted, which is frequently.

[Trailhead]

There is nothing positive about swarms of mosquitoes.

[gb]

Just wait a week. It gets pretty warm this week, and then looks to get hot the end of the month. A good time should be had by all......mosquitoes and black flies, horse flies, etc. We have been lucky so far.

[MangyMarmot]

We saw this guy at Big Gee. He's big enough to take an arm off.

Huge fly

[snowmonkey]

Look up: Alpine Snowmelt Mosquito, Aedes pullatus. The hiking glee of melted out trails has its demons!

[Justus S.]

Mosquitoes out of Lake Wenatchee during meltout...I seem to think I have experienced this crazyness several times. Good reminder.