First off - bugs. Not skeeters but ticks. We met one hiker on his way out who said he'd picked more than 15 off himself while his buddy had none. With skepticism we went on. After a lunch break and a quick visit into the bushes we picked 6 or 8 off of my partner! Large, my guess would be dog ticks? Yet those would be the only we saw.
Anyway, pleasant 4 day hike as far as Lightning Creek and back. The first lake view is at Rainbow Point, 8.9 miles from the trailhead. The lake is crazy low, making water fetching downright dangerous due to the steep, loose round rocks down to and into the lake. We switched to topping off at the many stream crossings instead.
We passed just a few other backpackers or dayhikers on the trail but had the camps to ourselves - other than the very friendly camp hosts (deer) at each. The latrines at the high and dry boat-in camps are the cleanest and fanciest I've seen in the backcountry, and those sites have picnic tables and bear lockers. A kind person installed a paracord bear wire at Roland Creek camp. There are a few crossings that require some deft footwork, but Roland Creek is a challenge. Not wanting to cross the rushing water barefoot, we finally found a suitable log a couple hundred feet upstream. There are a few trees across the trail, largest maybe 18" and of course right at stomach height.
Deep down in the NCNP pages are the instructions to email ahead of time for the free reservations and permit since the WIC doesn't open until May15.
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