Walking Around (Through) Pruess Lake

 On the first day of Thanksgiving Break, it was warm. Actually it was hot! We joined some friends at Pruess Lake, south of Garrison, Utah. We had had a crazy morning so were running a little late, so we hurried to catch up.

 These boys were busy trying to make a little dam, so it wasn't too hard to catch up!

The low water (we have hardly had any rain in two months!) met that the lake level was extremely low. We found lots of California floaters along the shore.

After about an hour, we were hungry, so broke out some snacks and a stove to cook hot dogs. (The fire didn't work, so good thing there was a backup! We'll have to practice our fire making skills.)

Then came something particularly interesting--a live California floater. We had fun looking at its gooey insides. Then Desert Girl put it back in the lake.

Isaac found a goose decoy.

Desert Girl had a bag to collect her treasures.

The kids were excited to find a mini-lake. It was obvious they were interested in the water. So was I.

I couldn't resist taking off my shoes, rolling up my pants legs, and walking in the water. Most everyone followed.

The water was warm. The mud was gooey. It felt great.

The water was so calm that we had great reflections.

Eventually we came out to a muddy beach.

And then it was time to wallow in the mud!

I accidentally stepped into a soft spot and ended up coated in mud.

Desert Boy got trapped later and needed help.

We hiked a bit further.

The water was so shallow the kids could go way out in the lake and it was still only ankle deep.

And then they started wallowing in the mud and water again. You'd think it was summer!

The mud was a little sticky, so they were looking a bit dirty.

Maybe "a bit dirty" is an understatement.

We tried taking a shortcut to get back, but the mud got super deep. I was sinking up to my knees with every step. It was like post holing through snow, only warmer. The beautiful views kept us going, and we eventually made it back to the vehicles. It was a good adventure, and quite amazing we could do it in late November.

The part I didn't get photos of: the cleanup! The kids didn't particularly like being hosed off. And we had to soak their clothes in a bucket of water outside before putting them in the washer. It was still worth it!