FYI for those of you starting the LT in the next few weeks, the mosquitos and black flies are hatching and WOW are the biting. Bring your DEET especially for areas North of the AT.
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FYI for those of you starting the LT in the next few weeks, the mosquitos and black flies are hatching and WOW are the biting. Bring your DEET especially for areas North of the AT.
I'll second that. I hiked from FR 72 (near the base of Stratton Mt.) to Goddard Shelter and back last weekend, and the blackflies were horrendous when it warmed up. I actually cut my trip short by a day because the bugs were keeping me from enjoying myself.
It's too bad that spring is so buggy in New England--it's the nicest time of year for birds and flowers and (usually) has great weather. Makes me long for someplace nice and dry that doesn't have any biting insects.
Rats. I was thinking of doing a weekend hike with my daughter over in the Big Branch area. Maybe I'll wait a week or two. Bugs are out but still manageable with repellent on this side of the CT river - they weren't too bad when I was mowing the field yesterday.
Must've gotten lucky this weekend.....bugs were not much of a problem between Johnson and Eden....maybe I'm used to them? The mud on the other hand....was knee deep in more places than I ever recall.
I'd take spiders over mosquitoes any day.
Big snow melt = lots of bugs...yikes.
Bugs were especially bad at Stratton pond last week (Thursday) when I hiked through (from Kid Gore Shelter). I stayed on the tent platform near the pond and nearly had to stay in my tent the whole time.
I was up in the Big Branch section last weekend and the bugs didn't get bad until 5ish while I was setting up a tent at Lost Pond. But if you were hiking there were fine. Of course, I was wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a bandana sprayed with permethrin that might have kept them more at bay than just deet.
I am starting north from Jonesville on July 6. Do you think the insects will be better by then? All the bugs seem to indicate no problems finding water. do you have any specific water info for that section?
The black flies were awful on the north side of camels hump yesterday.
The bugs have been bad. I've heard that they are worse than ever due to the dying bat population. We hiked from Bolton Notch rd. to the Lake Mansfield Trail a week and a half ago, and the black flies were swarming our eyes, mouths, noses, and every other orifice. Some of that area involves some scrambling where you have to put your hands down, and it is really hard to swat bugs when you are clinging to a rock slab! I applied lots of deep woods off and at the time, everyone was complaining about getting bitten. I thought I wasn't getting bitten. However, when I returned home that night I was COVERED in bites especially on my elbows and knees for some reason. Why, I don't know, but the outsides of my elbows and knees are absolutely covered. Bleccch. Save the bats!:eek:
Bugs on the LT? Come on folks, this is the 21st century! Do you really believe we would allow bugs in OUR national forests in this enlightened age of outdoor recreation? All these stories of bugs are perpetrated by elitist left-wing tree-huggers trying to keep you from going out and enjoying your birth-right.:rolleyes:
What's killing the bats? Sorry for ignorance.
No need to apologize....white nose syndrome.