Guide
to the
Pinnell Mountain Trail
Will there be mosquitos?
If you hike the trail in October, November, December, January, February or March you'll have to bring your own mosquitos. In April, the snow mosquitos appear. Snow mosquitos "winter over". The Alaska Science Forum has an article on these creatures which you should read.
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF12/1283.html
Now that you know all about snow mosquitos, don't worry about them. They are big and stupid. Naturally you are bigger, but unless you are also more stupid you should be safe. These critters will land on you, look around, and ponder for a while.
Around the second week in June, the new crop rises up out of the swamp. These are fast, they land beak first. The rest of June and July they go at you full bore. Usually they taper off in August and are gone by mid-September. There are good mosquito years and there are bad mosquito years. Good mosquito years tend to be dry and smoky. The less said about bad mosquito years, the better. Freezing nights help.
Bring mosquito repellant. Bring more! Use it only if necessary. Don't ask how you can tell if it's necessary. You'll know!
