Having grown up in the Midwest, I was sure I had encountered the worst that mosquitoes had to offer. Even after living in California for many years, I am still amazed by the absence of mosquitoes and most insects. Because I am not accustomed to encountering mosquitoes in California, this seemingly idyllic weekend backpacking trip in the high country of Yosemite was more than a shock.
The trip started out well enough. We hiked from the roadside up towards our destination for a number of hours, crossing creeks on fallen tree trunks, through open forests, and across meadows. When we got within a mile of our intended camp area, however, we descended into a wet valley, and clouds of very hungry mosquitoes suddenly appeared .
The swarms never diminished from that moment until we left camp as fast as we could the next morning. I could tell that cooking dinner outside the tent would be a nightmare, as 20 or more mosquitoes waited hungrily on the tent's screen door, even hours before the sun went down! When I finally did have to go out and cook, I jumped and swatted constantly.
Ignoring the mosquitoes (which was impossible while we were there), the location was beautiful. We camped a couple hundred yards from the shores of the lower Young Lake, on top of a hill in an open pine forest. Julie and I hiked and swatted our way to the lake shore and watched the sun set, shining golden on the steep stone walls of the mountains that surround the south shore of the lakes.
We had planned to camp two nights there, but the mosquitoes forced our retreat. Fortunately, we found a magnificent campsite about halfway back, off the main trail, along a small river. We camped on a high gravel and dirt berm just between the forest and the river. The river had natural pockets in the rock, which made great pools for relaxing.
After a relaxing night there, we headed off cross-country, following the river and relying on our topo maps, reaching the trail end several hours later.