tpendley4968 wrote:Has anyone hiked up either Sacajawea or Matterhorn this year. I am going to go hiking up with some friends, up to the summit of Matterhorn. I am tempted to hike up to Ice Lake and camp there for the night, however I heard that the mosquitoes are fierce! Has anyone hiked up there this year? And if so, how were the skeeters? A few ain't bad, however last year I hiked up Diamond Peak and the mosquitoes were brutal!.....is there an alternate camping area that is not as bad? Thanks for your reply!
I was just up there a little over a week ago, and camped at Ice lake.
I found the mosquitoes to be not bad. A bit of repellent on in the mornings and evenings when they were buzzing, but I found them annoying but just tolerable. Depends a bit on one's level of tolerance, I suppose, but I hardly found them "fierce.". . nor did my son, who hates skeeters. And, I'm sure now that a week + has passed, they've declined a bit.
As far as the Matterhorn goes, we didn't hike it, but went for a ridge separating the two basins(Ice and the Lakes basin), instead. Got good views of everything, including the Matterhorn, etc. Many were going for the Matterhorn, and I heard its fairly straightforward, though one person said he had a bit of trouble with route finding.
Anyway, that's it. I think camping at Ice lake is a fine idea. Be prepared if you're going toward the weekend, (we went during the early part of the week), as it appears to be a popular destination.
Have fun!
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:43 am