Mimi, my girlfriend, hiking partner and wife (all one person in case you’re confused), decided to hike to Minaret Falls in the Eastern Sierras, a leisurely day hike. We were visiting Mammoth Lakes, California and had been staying in some friends’ mountain cabin. The trail was easy and beautiful, the weather idyllic.
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I’m not bothered a lot by mosquitoes, so when one landed on my hand, I slapped it off and continued trekking and enjoying the scenery.
My wife’s different. When she gets bit by a mosquito, nothing much happens until 24 to 48 hours later when ugly, itchy welts begin to pop up. They don’t go away easily, either. So, when she discovered a blood sucker on her arm, she called an all points bulletin and grabbed the insect repellent. We didn’t have much with us. She had given away one canister. After she had sprayed every inch of exposed skin, she handed me, in a business-like manner, the canister. I dutifully applied a couple of squirts and tucked the canister back into the back pocket of her day pack.
When we reached the top of Minaret Falls, we decided to push on another mile or two to Johnston lake. Rounding a bend, we came upon a work crew constructing a new log bridge. They, to the last worker, were wearing hats and mosquito netting that shielded their faces and necks from the attackers.
A half mile up the trail we encountered a group of backpackers heading down the trail. We asked about mosquitoes, and they replied that they were pretty bad, especially up around Johnston Lake. They were all wearing broad-brimmed hats and mosquito netting as well.
Indeed, the lake was, not amounting to much more than a shallow pond, a perfect breeding ground for the tiny vampires. We took a quick peek and a photo of the mist-covered lake in the morning light and started back down the trail. When we finally reached our car at the Devil’s Postpile Ranger Station, we took an assessment of our bites. Nothing much to write home about. Our small arsenal of repellent had done its job.
I was reminded of the worst encounter with mosquitoes I had ever experienced in my life. I was hiking with friends on the John Muir Trail. We came to a fence and a gate with a sign that said, “Livestock pasture, close the gate behind you”.
As soon as we passed through that gate, we were besieged by droning mosquitoes. It was like we were walking (more like trotting) in a dark cloud. Our backpacks were black with mosquito hitchhikers. We had no netting and no repellent. In that half mile of insect hell, we stumbled, flailed and swatted like madmen.
When we fell through the gate on the opposite side of the pasture, it was like turning off a tap. Virtually no more mosquitoes. And heaven was just a few yards away – a hot spring where we stripped and soaked away the itch.
Would I recommend mosquito netting? I don’t know. Personally, it makes me claustrophobic. Repellent works for me. It’s a personal choice.
by Richard Davidian, Ph.D.
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NOT a fan of mosquitos, I haven’t been attacked badly enough to try out the nets but I’m not ruling them out.
I haven’t found a fan yet, except maybe another mosquito.
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