Before firing up the huge engine that would drown out conversation, Chad Yamane gave one last safety instruction: “Remember, if you fall out of the boat, just stand up.”
It’s a timeless joke that never fails to bring a chuckle—and a measure of relief—to first-time hunters on the Great Salt Lake. Still, I had my doubts. We had walked to the waiting airboat in ankle-deep water, but looking across the broad expanse of the lake, which in normal conditions is about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide, it was hard to imagine that the 30-minute ride to our hunting spot wouldn’t transport us to deep water. But, for the duration of the ride, the water remained only inches deep.
