mud and bugs?

[nancy]

I pretty much know the answer to this question, but I'll ask it anyway. Has anyone been up to Indian Pass from Upper works lately? What's the status with the bugs and mud? Hey I know it's wet and early summer and I know what that means. Just want to know if anyone has been on this trail lately. Some friends are headed up there to rock climb at Wallface.

Thanks!

 

[billski]

I pretty much know the answer to this question, but I'll ask it anyway. Has anyone been up to Indian Pass from Upper works lately? What's the status with the bugs and mud? Hey I know it's wet and early summer and I know what that means. Just want to know if anyone has been on this trail lately. Some friends are headed up there to rock climb at Wallface.

Thanks!

I can't speak for NY, but I was in the Berkshires yesterday. The water was flowing down the trails that didn't have effective runoff mechanisms. The boggy areas reminded me of early May, kinda sloppy. But in general, while the creeks ran high and fast, most of the tramping was dry. This year I'm designating June as "Mud Season Part II".

The black flies were kinda behavin' odd. I had DEET on, and when I was at rest they would come up to me and hover about 3" from my skin. A brave one or two would make the plunge. As long as I was moving the BFs couldn't keep up with me. The Deer Flies are out in force here, and the mosquitoes are about average.

I am praying that in two weeks when my wife and girls come up that the BFs taper off. If not, there is going to be a murder in the cabin, and I am likely to be the victim!

 

[DSettahr]

It's a little bit lower in elevation so conditions are probably different there than in the Indian Pass area, but I was in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness last week. I saw zero black flies, but the mosquitoes were horrendous enough to more than make up for their absence.

 

[nancy]

Thanks for the info. My friends decided to wait till October to do this climb.

 

[billski]

Thanks for the info. My friends decided to wait till October to do this climb.

Well, the bugs should be gone by then, but with the current weather, I have no idea about the rain and mud!

 

[TCD]

They might want to consider August - early September, if their schedules allow. October can be a little late for Wallface. Might lose half the day waiting for the verglas to melt.

 

[TMax]

Hi Nancy!
I know you said you were planning October instead but just in case anyone is interested, I was on Algonquin. Iroquois, and Wright on Saturday and there was too much rain for bugs! But Sunday I did Phelps and Tabletop and the black flies were terrible. At lower elevations they were nonexistant but once I gained some altitude they were swarming. The mud along the trails was typical (greasy, wide, and frequent) but on the Tabletop ridge is was swamp-like!

 

[Neil]

The bugs are not too bad in January. I still bring a head net just in case. (DEET is useless in January because it freezes.)

 

[TCD]

You must be hiking on some COLD january nights. Freezing point of DEET is minus 45C. Even in the Adirondacks,we don't see that very often...

 

[Neil]

You must be hiking on some COLD january nights. Freezing point of DEET is minus 45C. Even in the Adirondacks,we don't see that very often...

Nowadays they sell DEET in weaker dilutions. Hence the freezing point elevation.

Too bad about the rapid evolution of the Adirondack Winter Black Fly. I understand it was caused by cell phone towers and gps units. All that radiation. Tsk tsk.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Besides bugs and mud, there will also be rocks there...