3-4 openings for Rae Lakes loop 8/12-8/15

@ Ken, sorry, I meant to post that to Jack.

@Jack, If you decide to take your 5×8 tarp and want better rain protection, you're welcome to use my bivy.

Gotcha. You had me worried for a second. I spent a few hundred on my dream bivy and was thinking that I made a mistake! No worries

Thanks for the offfer Adan. I also have access to an 8×10 tarp, but if I bring that I might as well bring the Moment because the Moment would be lighter. If we don't have any rain than I'll just use the bivy and bring out the tarp when it starts to rain.

What do y'all think: trail runners on this one? Also, rain gear for possible sustained rain ( Arcteryx, in my case) or something lighter but not as waterproof? What do you think the night time lows could be? Mosquitos? Thanks in advance.

I always wear trail runners..So I yes to that. Rain protection? I have a poncho and some chaps. We will be along the Sierra Crest once we hit Rae Lakes. We might get some thundershowers, but those are usually more. Pack something that is waterproof though. Nightime lows should be around the high 30's to low 40's. Mosquito and black fly protection is a must. Especially from the trailhead up to Upper Paradise Valley. It could be NASTY, especially the flies

Katharina Pierini wrote: "What do y'all think: trail runners on this one? Also, rain gear for possible sustained rain ( Arcteryx, in my case) or something lighter but not as waterproof? What do you think the night time lows could be? Mosquitos? Thanks in advance."

I was there last week. Running shoes worked fine for me, including going over Glen Pass. My approach to summer rain in the Sierra is that if it happens during the day, you hike through it and get a little wet, and if it happens at night, that's why you bring a tarp. The exception might be that you don't want to go over a high pass late in the day in bad weather. In case of a really long storm (which I have never encountered in the summer in the Sierra), you can always bring a trash compactor bag that can be cut up into an emergency rain poncho. Nighttime temps were quite mild when I was there, even at 10,000-12,000'; probably 40's-50's. I was fine in a 15-degree down bag, usually not bothering to put up the tarp. Bugs are present; what worked for me was to hike in long sleeves and long pants, and to use a head-net and DEET in the evenings. I never had any problem with flies.

My approach seems to line up with Ben's comments. If my new Houdini doesnt stop the rain, then i get a little wet and change in camp. Only difference is that i plan on spraying permethrin on my long shirt and head net. Skeeters up on Walker lake drained me dry right through my shirt last year.

Thanks for the info. I was mainly debating on what rain pants to bring, since there is such a difference in weight between my Arct. pants and my lesser Red Ledge. I am not about to buy another pair of pants though. Sounds like I will have to buy a head net. Trail runners it is. Sublite Sil, Neoair, 30 degree bag, Mariposa plus, I'll try and weigh it all at some point.
Thanks again.

Adan wrote: "Only difference is that i plan on spraying permethrin on my long shirt and head net. Skeeters up on Walker lake drained me dry right through my shirt last year."

My understanding is that permethrin will not stop mosquitoes from biting you. It will just cause them to die afterward. It's more helpful against ticks. I prepared my clothes for that recent trip with permethrin, and it didn't seem to do a lick of good against mosquitoes.

Really? I thought those bug proof shirts used permethrin to fend off skeeters. Hmm. Good to know, thanks Ben!

Mosquitoes love me .It's one of the reasons I insist on a tent. I'm always the first in our group attacked by them. I've used Deet for years , but recently we had a record hatch of a type of mosquito whose eggs can lay dormant for 6 years here in Portland Oregon.They decribed them in the newspaper as a type that often occurs during snow melts in the Cascades-I've encountered them on Mount Adams These would dive your face and bite you repeatedly not just once. Very tiny and fast. I shot a long sleeve cotton shirt and a head net with a .50% Permethrin spray. That stopped them cold for my face and shirt. They still bit the backs of my fingers despite 100% Deet. They couldn't make it through some thin White Sierra nylon pants with cord cinches at the pants hem. It has been working now for 30 days.

Adan wrote: "Really? I thought those bug proof shirts used permethrin to fend off skeeters. Hmm. Good to know, thanks Ben!"

Hmm…not sure if I'm right about this. This is just what I've heard here on BPL, and it does seem to match up with my experience. On the other hand, it's possible that if I hadn't used permethrin-treated clothes, I would have had far more bites through my clothes than I actually did on this trip. The Wikipedia article on permethrin does seem to suggest that it's not really effective against mosquito bites; they only describe it as being useful for killing mosquitoes before they can find a hole in bed netting. But other sites turned up by googling suggest that it also acts as a repellent. It would be useful to have some more authoritative info on this. As it is, I'm not certain whether permethrin is a complete waste of money against mosquitoes or not. Of course if I was living in a Lyme disease area, I'd be using the stuff like crazy. Searching on the BPL forums turns up a lot of info, some of it contradictory.

Kat, here is the 7 day from the National Weather Service for where we will be going. As of now, the highs have been in the 80's and the lows in the mid 40's. If were to hike on this week we'd all have some fantastic weather. Let's hope that it continues.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=36.81917959744268&lon=-118.48068237304687&site=hnx&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

Here is some more on weather with lots of details http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/firewx/?latitude=&longitude=&wfo=hnx&interface=fwzones&click.x=437&click.y=185

Mosquitoes were the worst I’ve ever seen, they’ll give you plenty of incentive to move far and fast. Deet barely slowed them down, I spent most of time with my BPL bug net on… It was miserable I don’t recommend a tarp at this time unless you also have some form of anti bug shelter under it…

Scratching bites as I write this… ouch!

anyone who has not attended one of ken t and ken h s
bpl hikes in january or febuary you need to go if you can swing it it is a total blast i drove 600 plus miles round trip to attend and it was worth every mile of the drive and the hike those bay area bpl ers are a fantastic group of guys who will welcome you with open arms and probably loan you gear if you want to try out something they have that you are interrested in and then there is jays guacamole
which didn t last very long imagine that lol
seriously its a must do trip
kevin

I can leave at 2 pm on Wednesday if that's OK with Dylan. If traffic isn't bad, we can be in Scotts Valley around 3:15 pm.

Jack and Others,

Are you planning on cooking at dinner only or dinner and breakfast?

I don't want to be the guy sitting around eating cold food while everyone else is eating hot food.

Also, do you plan on eating breakfast at camp or hiking an hour or so before the breakfast break?

That's great Casey…I will pm you my address as we get closer.

As for cooking. I rarely eat breakfast so I just snack along the way in the morning and then have lunch. I am not opposed to hiking a few miles, and taking a break for breakfast. I do like a mid day break for lunch. Take the shoes off, eat relax for a bit thing. As for dinner, I cook dinner which is usually boil in the bag style

I usually cook a light breakfast and stop for lunch, later cook dinner, don't want to loose my shapely figure. LOL

Casey, I'm not working on Wednesday and can be at your office anytime. Since I'm riding BART over from the city how does between 1:30-2:00 sound?

When I backpack with my wife we make coffee and hot cereal before leaving camp. But… if I'm by myself I will walk for an hour or so and then take a break to make up a quick breakfast. Dinner is a FBC meal. I'm super flexible about what/when we eat, take breaks, etc. Tomorrow I'm going to TJ's for all my snacks and treats, that means the trip is getting close!

Yup it is….I had to remind my bosses that I could not attend some meetings next week..bummer! Excited!

I just finished the loop yesterday with my son. The bugs were bad but head nets with long pants and long sleeves at dusk and dawn make it tolerable. The bears are out in the Paradise Valley and Sphinx areas. Photos to come when I post a trip report.

Thanks for the update Sean. We take off next Wed. and I cannot believe mosquitos are still an issue in Aug. Well maybe not, we had a big snow year…but still! I am excited to do this loop with a manageable weight! If I can ask, how was the snow on Glen Pass??? Creeks??? I have a new ULA to try out, a new Nemo GoGo bivy, new stove, new cooks set and now a SPOT to try out. Excited!!!!

Here's a picture from last week showing Rae Lakes with Glen Pass in the background. The weathers has been warm so there's little if any snow… Be more conserned for mosquitoes.