Mosquitoes in abundance … surviving blood donation in the mountains

It has become an annual tradition of backpacker with my daughter, my boyfriend and her mother every summer. This year we chose Treasure Lakes near Bishop Pass.

The path begins in South Lake at 9,800 feet of elevation, and rises gradually and consistently, until it bakes. The trail to the left takes you to Bishop Pass and to the PCT/JMT, while the bifurcation to the right takes you to the Treasury Lakes. While he had walked Bishop Pass numerous times before, he had never been in our new destination. There is a tree at the crossroads that my 7 -year -old daughter, Cora, said she looked like a butt. We laughed well. On all paths, this Waypoint is marked as «unique tree.»

Being that we drove from about 2,000 feet that morning, we all feel the elevation when we reach about 10,000. We took breaks and ate snacks. My son is growing like a herb and, in everyday life, I always stay with the snacks when he is away. The backpack is no exception. Before going on our trip, we all went to the store and obtained ingredients to make «S’mores Trail Mez». It consisted of Mini Teddy Grahams, M&M and Malviscos. It was a success.

After the crossing, we finally found a couple of stream crossings. We find ourselves with swarms of mosquitoes. When I say swarms, I mean it was like a gray cloud of vampires that suggested blood, could not escape. At the same time with my other backpack experiences, Bug Spray didn’t seem to work. I have officially surrendered. I admit that when Eric packed Swatters Fly for this trip (after seeing recent reports), it was a bit skeptical. Those fly swatters ended up saving us being eaten!

Cora generally likes to play Ranger in walks, leading the way and giving advice not to leave trace and protect animals and plants. I followed her behind her, constantly hitting my mom instinct to protect my offspring and seeking revenge against those little demons.

He was close to Sundown and we had not yet reached our camp. Cora and I were going and we tried to stop to meet with our group, but we couldn’t. The mosquitoes felt our presence and I am sure they sent a secret signal to all their friends to ambush and bite! I had several blood splashes in my arms and legs when I hit those annoying insects against my skin and clothes. We continue, looking for a good place to establish the camp to spend the night. We had risen about 1,600 feet.

We met with Eric and Mom and explore a beautiful Lower Treasure Lake place. He had space for our two stores, good sitting rocks and beautiful views of the snowy peaks in the distance not so distant. We fight against the Skeeters while installing the camp. Cora got into the store while I turned on the stove and made Ramen Vegano. It was fast and easy. When the sun set and cooled, the insects seemed to dissipate a little. I had a mini cocktail of Trader Joe’s, a tequila pigeon as a golden rule. It is a mixture of 26%, 52 52 proof, small but powerful. Eric had the knees Bees Gin & Lemon, which I discovered after the trail that I liked the most.

We finished dinner, we keep our bear boats and crawl in our tents. Eric and I were quite tired and we didn’t even see the episode of Yellowstone We had downloaded. I threw and turned for a while, unable to feel comfortable. My body was sore and itching. I finally fell asleep. Temps arrived at 40 that night, but we were all quite warm and roasted in our store.

In the morning, we drink coffee and a quiet breakfast. The mosquitoes were out, but still not so bad … it was still great outside. Cora and I had semolina with cheese.

We decided to take a step in the lake, that it was freezing! It cost me a lot to recover my breathing after leaving the water alpine water. Cora enjoyed being an Alpine Lake siren for a while (he had done this at Thousand Island Lake last summer). Treasure Lake was crystalline and full of trout. They were jumping from the water to take their food in the morning. We had the lake for us and it was magical.

He had brought a watercolor mini and some solar photographic paper to make art from the images of piancas and flowers. The watercolor was a success, but the solar role did not work. Cora loved «making art for animals.»

When the sun began to heat the air, the mosquitoes returned. They were horrible. Our original plan was to keep our base camp and explore the nearby area for the day, enjoy the camp and relax, spend another night in the desert. After much consideration, we decided to pack and leave that afternoon. After lunch, Cora took us all the way, chatting with hikers on mosquitoes and how we gave ourselves a dip in the lake. I was walking so fast that I had to tell him to reduce the speed several times! We arrived at the car, we got a hotel room in Bishop and enjoy the pool, warm showers, pizza and a real bed. We evaluate our error bites. He was about 30 years old and one of them swelled two inches in diameter. The itching kept me up most of the night.

In general, it was a great trip, except mosquitoes. Any day is a great day in the mountains, and I am always grateful for each experience.

Then … a single through the Timberline Trail walk!

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