Southern Lake 4th of July Madness 7/4-7/6

[T-Rex]

Perfect answer. My youngest worked with the Utah Conservation Corps cutting down non-indigenous Russian Olive trees in the upper Escalante Arm, and he had a black light to spice up the evenings at the end of the work day (they packed in nine days at a time). I always thought scorpions would not mess with you unless you messed with them, AND that they were generally under rocks and rock ledges, afraid of light. Turns out, they are everywhere and for sure afraid of light (but NOT black light). You won't see them in the daytime unless you go looking. But ah ah at night? That bush you put your cot next to? Full of them. That pad on the ground for sleeping, probably under it. I don't know if they make noises, but if one is crawling across your face while you are trying to sleep you might be done sleeping, and you will definitely make a noise.

Anyway, in 35 years of sleeping under the stars at Powell the rule of thumb is have a cot to be above ground, and don't cozy up to bushes or under rock ledges. I've not been hit once in several hundred nights on the lake, nor do I know anyone who has been. So now, when I am up there in a couple weeks, you know my fate But I will go and sleep in the open because the beauty of the sky at night is too much to pass on. We take tents along only for emergencies. And cots, to avoid emergencies.

 

[bubba]

In the early years I would park next to the lake, drop the jet ski, secure the legs of an EZ-UP and inflate a Costco air mattress to sleep on. This went on for years until the jet ski turned into a ski boat and then a houseboat.

The open air beach campinging abruptly ended one night when a rattler slid between two chairs at the campfire.

Since then I have seen hundreds of mice, a few ring tail cats, more snakes, scorpions, spiders, horned sheep, wild horses, a ufo, distant lightening storms, shooting stars, satilites, and even a few eclipses.

Enjoy it until somethings spooks you. For me it was the snakes.

 

[birdsnest]

Never had a problem on the ground with critters, blowing sand is another story. If I do sleep on the ground I find a spot on the flat rocks away from the sand since I am using a self inflating mattress anyways.

Funny story.... When I was working at Stateline houseboat rental dock and doing my best to get as many free ($23 a day) houseboat trips. I got a 7 day trip together and stopped in Oak for the night. It blew like crazy all night and one of my fellow workers, a Navajo kid, slept on the sand with no sleeping bag. Couple cocktails to many that night. Found him in the morning, a pile of sand at least 8" over his whole body. Yikes.