Stung By a Scorpion

When reminiscing about Lake Powell memories Matt reminded me about the time I was stung by a scorpion. (See!  There is a good reason I don't like scorpions--or spiders.)

When I was about 10, my family vacationed at least twice a summer at Lake Powell.  In the olden days, before my brothers and dad became doctors and bought a luxury houseboat share, we would take our speed boat and do all our eating/sleeping/skiing on it.  Mom and Dad had a bed in the covered bow of the boat, I believe that Randi slept on the bench and could also turn into a kitchen table, and that the rest of us slept in various places, back bench, on the floor by the driver's seat etc...  (Hey! This could be the reason I coveted being an adult at lake Powell--the cushy bed that my parents slept in.  Had I known that it came with the "responsibility" price tag, I probably would have been content to sleep on the small bench, or the floor of the boat indefinitely.)

When I looked down the scorpion's tail was curled up
and it was poised to strike again.

One afternoon, with our boat tied up on a beach, I was digging in the sand--I believe with Becky by my side.  Suddenly I felt a prick on my hand.  I turned my hand over to take out what I was sure was a sticker.  However there was nothing but a small red mark on the palm of my hand. When I looked at the sand below, I saw a small clear-colored scorpion with it's tail curled up on it's back, sitting in the sand where I had been playing.

I yelled to my dad that a scorpion had stung me.  He came leaping out of the boat, with a BB gun in hand.  Both Dad and Todd moving towards the danger as I backed away and into the water.  Dad pumped the BB gun and shot it several of times, as I was loaded into the boat.  Dad had the forethought to collect the dead scorpion into a cup for identification purposes and we quickly headed to the marina.  Mom iced my hand, while I laid in the covered bow with my hand dangling off the bed, below my heart.  Dad used the marine radio to call ahead and arrange for a ranger and emergency team to meet us at the dock.

When we arrived at the marina about 20 minutes later, EMTs and a park ranger were waiting on the dock.  The ranger asked how I was.  The reply was that I seemed fine.  He asked to see the scorpion, took one look and announced to all "This is not a poisonous one."  Then he took the time to explain that the most dangerous ones are much smaller.

Surprisingly this didn't sour me on going to Lake Powell or even playing in the sand.  It is just more of a cool story to tell when your playing two truths and one lie.