Young Lakes Trip Report 7/10-7/12

[P. Rana]

This forum provided lots of useful info for my trip last weekend, so here is a quick report for anyone heading out to this area in the next two weeks:

We started on 7/10/10 and encountered almost no snow on the entire trip. Towards Dog Lake the low areas were green, but not too muddy. Dragonflies were emerging ("hatching" in fly lingo) in mass at Dog Lake and you could see their empty former exoskeletons all over every piece of vegetation near or coming out of the water. Walking around the shore would set off a small swarm of clumsy dragonflies and the robins were having a feast.

A log bridge and a fixed rope set up by those before us allowed for a dry crossing of Delaney Creek. The bridge is set up 2-3 ft over a deep section and looked intimidating to some in our group, but we all made it across without incident. All other creeks were easily crossed.

There were lots of boggy and muddy sections of trail and we were attacked by a ravenous swarm of mosquitoes right before getting to the meadows surrounding Delaney. That was the only section where using a head net, dousing yourself in Jungle Juice, and running while smacking yourself with a towel only delayed the evil swarm from discovering the 1x1in section of skin you somehow forgot to protect.
There were thankfully no mosquitoes at the high point on trail (+10,000 on the west shoulder of Ragged Peak) and few mosquitoes at the middle and upper Young Lakes. My group got bites mostly on the face, annoyingly behind the ears or jaw. WARNING: the middle lake shallows were full of large, twitching larvae and I expect it to be FULL ON mosquito misery in 1-2 weeks!

For wildflower lovers, Arrowhead Butterweed is abundant on trail and there were lots of Phlox and Lupine in the meadows. At the Young Lakes the Mountain Heather, Bog Laurel and Cinquefoil are blooming.

The cross-country shortcut across the saddle on the NE side of Ragged Peak to Lower Young Lake is still covered in snow and not recommended without proper gear and experience.

I have pictures to share but can't post them yet due to the site rules. I will post them when I can.

Thank you all!

[P. Rana]

Trip pictures have been posted on my website - just hit the button below.

I just started getting into photography this year and managed to lug in 10lbs of photo equipment in addition to all the necessary gear items. During the entire climb up to 10,000ft I was sooooo wishing I had left all that stuff at home but in the end it was worth it.

Please enjoy!

[bill-e-g]

Love the Dragonflys. Thanks!

btw... 2 weekends ago wife and I went over Parker Pass and
there were a number of Dragonflys right at the pass...
losing their fight for their life... stuck in some suncups...


Never saw that before...

[MumbleyJoe]

This forum provided lots of useful info for my trip last weekend, so here is a quick report for anyone heading out to this area in the next two weeks:

We started on 7/10/10 and encountered almost no snow on the entire trip. Towards Dog Lake the low areas were green, but not too muddy. Dragonflies were emerging ("hatching" in fly lingo) in mass at Dog Lake and you could see their empty former exoskeletons all over every piece of vegetation near or coming out of the water. Walking around the shore would set off a small swarm of clumsy dragonflies and the robins were having a feast.

A log bridge and a fixed rope set up by those before us allowed for a dry crossing of Delaney Creek. The bridge is set up 2-3 ft over a deep section and looked intimidating to some in our group, but we all made it across without incident. All other creeks were easily crossed.

There were lots of boggy and muddy sections of trail and we were attacked by a ravenous swarm of mosquitoes right before getting to the meadows surrounding Delaney. That was the only section where using a head net, dousing yourself in Jungle Juice, and running while smacking yourself with a towel only delayed the evil swarm from discovering the 1x1in section of skin you somehow forgot to protect.
There were thankfully no mosquitoes at the high point on trail (+10,000 on the west shoulder of Ragged Peak) and few mosquitoes at the middle and upper Young Lakes. My group got bites mostly on the face, annoyingly behind the ears or jaw. WARNING: the middle lake shallows were full of large, twitching larvae and I expect it to be FULL ON mosquito misery in 1-2 weeks!

For wildflower lovers, Arrowhead Butterweed is abundant on trail and there were lots of Phlox and Lupine in the meadows. At the Young Lakes the Mountain Heather, Bog Laurel and Cinquefoil are blooming.

The cross-country shortcut across the saddle on the NE side of Ragged Peak to Lower Young Lake is still covered in snow and not recommended without proper gear and experience.

I have pictures to share but can't post them yet due to the site rules. I will post them when I can.

Thank you all!

I just made my trip up to the Young Lakes this last week (Thursday-Saturday).

We didn't care for the log bridge creek crossing, and found a route over the water instead - our feet got a little wet on the way back, but nothing soaked into our boots. The log just didn't look stable enough for us - it may have broken down somewhat in the couple weeks in between.

I thought I'd mention that the mosquitoes were atrocious at all three lakes. We spent two nights at the Upper Lake, which was spectacularly beautiful to be sure, but we used up a full bottle of jungle juice and it had seemingly little effect. And just as you said, any square fraction of an inch left uncovered or untreated came out covered in mosquito bites.

We ended up really wishing we'd had better foresight and came better prepared for the assault. (No regrets though - it was spectacular)

[orion]

just a couple layers of light clothing on top and some loose pants and their is no need for the chemicals for mosquitoes. what patches of bare skin remain are easily squatted.

the only mosquito that bothers me is the one whining in my ear at night sleeping without a tent. if they really bug you, why not just wait til august to make your trip?

if you must wear repellant, do everyone a favor and avoid contact with the water anytime soon after application. the stuff is toxic. especially deet.

mosquito bites are generally harmless. don't scratch and they go away almost immediately, or maybe i just have thick skin. or maybe it just takes a few visits to become accustomed. some people hate mosquitoes their first few trips, and hardly notice them later. suffering is relative.

[LVRAY]

The impact of mosquito bites varies greatly from person to person and with the number of bites received.

There are less toxic alternatives to Deet. We have had moderate success with Citronella oil, though it does not last as long. We used it extensively when we lived in upstate NY, where the number of mosquitoes and black flies dwarf anything Yosemite will throw at you. And it smells better too

[Gorby5]

mosquito bites are generally harmless. don't scratch and they go away almost immediately, or maybe i just have thick skin. or maybe it just takes a few visits to become accustomed. some people hate mosquitoes their first few trips, and hardly notice them later. suffering is relative.

I know that when my wife gets bit she swells up quite a bit and the bites cause her a lot of discomfort, and this is always the case.

Hearing this makes me glad we're not going until September. We're hiking up to Young Lakes as well, but hopefully the bugs will be down by then.

[orion]

nary a mosquito in september, fewer hikers too. excellent clouds for evening photography, with the occaisional snow squall.

[MumbleyJoe]

Rest assured, I didn't get anywhere near contacting the water with the DEET on my skin - I put the preservation of the park far ahead of my desire to take a dip in the lake (or wash my hands in it, or anything like that). My water filter was the only thing I put in contact with the water.

And why not go in August? Well, because this was the weekend that my wife and I were able to make it down there from Seattle - there are far more variables in planning a trip to Yosemite than just when the mosquitoes are at their worst (which is also hard to predict months in advance, to a degree).

I'm simply passing along information about my experience, not looking for sympathy. I grew up with mosquitoes during the summer and am certainly used to dealing with them, but even with that said they were worse than I ever remember seeing them before. (how on earth my left ankle got covered in bites I don't know). DEET was limited to my hands and face.

[P. Rana]

You probably ran into the type of mosquito assault at the lakes that my party experienced at the Delaney creek crossing! It kinda felt like walking through spiderwebs until you looked down and realized that there were at least 50 bugs on each leg simultaneously trying to drill through your pants. Wish I got a picture of that but I was too busy running!
I am sadly very reactive to bites and also reactive to DEET so I hiked in loose pants, a head net and a gortex rain jacket ...after realizing that the bugs bit through two layers of pre-treated clothing.
No DEET (or sunblock due to head to toe coverage) so I did get to sneak away and take a dip. It was chilly but fabulous and made up for being the one out of place "over-dressed" sweaty person in every group picture.

[MumbleyJoe]

Sounds about right to me, right down to looking overdressed in the photos.