When he was in the arctic, the time of the year was

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Passage - I
As I slung my pack onto my shoulders, a big mosquito thudded against my cheek. There had been a few through the day, but it was early in the season - the ice had gone out just two weeks before and I had scarcely noticed them. But now as I would down the ridge, the last breeze faded and they were on me. Rising in clouds from the soggy tundra, they pelted against my face. I reached in my pocket for the repellent and came up empty.