[pct-l] Mosquitos

[Steel-Eye]

Good morning, Ellen,

Those most affected by high mosquito populations along the PCT are people
with minimal bug experience -- people such as city and desert dwellers, and
people who have spent most of their lives semi-attached to a couch or the
seat of a car.  With your experience about the only real surprise will be a
good one:  There aren't any no-see-ums or black flies on the PCT, and only
an occasional large biting fly.  One small difference might relate more to
the duration of exposure rather than to the intensity.  Not only is a
thru-hike long, but also as a NoBo hiker moves up the trail they tend to
somewhat push the prime mosquito season ahead of them like a bow wave,
effectively elongating the season.

I have long said that mosquitoes are not a problem; mosquitoes are an
irritant.  Compared to no-see-ums or black flies, mosquitoes are rather poor
quality predators.  They are relatively large and "frilly" so they can't
sneak into tight spots, they are greatly affected by even a light breeze,
and they are slow.  Their one most undesirable advantage is their quantity,
and there's a comment attributed to V.I. Lenin to the effect that, "Quantity
has a quality all of it's own".

I use a variety of deterrents: Clothing cover, a headnet, and DEET.  I
haven't tried all of the numerous "all natural" or non-DEET options but
nothing I've tried seems to be anywhere near as effective as DEET.
You get to decide whether to use it, but it was developed for use by our
military in the Pacific Theater early in WW-II and there seems to have
been no identified problems since.  I've used it for about 60 years.

My advice is to reject any idea that you are tough and can just gut-it-out
without any protection.  You can't - or won't.  If you elect to try some of
the non-DEET options I further suggest you also carry a small bottle of DEET
just in case the other potions don't pan-out for your physiology.

Steel-Eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

^^^^^^^^^^  Serious hikers gather at:  http://www.aldhawest.org/  ^^^^^^^^^^


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ellen Shopes" <igellen at comcast.net>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 8:21 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Mosquitos


> Really, how bad are they?  I've hiked in the Adirondacks, with all the
> no-see-ums, black flies, mossies, etc.  And I've spend time on the barrier
> islands of N Carolina, with the coastal marshes spawning hordes of
> mossies, etc.
> Yet I keep hearing how bad they can be in Oregon with the snow melt.
> Does anything help?
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