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BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON -- Campers in Northern Utah hunkered down for a cold night heading into Labor Day.
Though it's the last big weekend of summer, it's going to feel more like winter. Temperatures are expected to reach record lows for this time of year.
The Olsen and Maughan families are hunkering down for a chilly night up at the Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
"We've got a lot of sleeping bags and a whole bunch of extra blankets and pillows," says camper Bekah Olsen.
Rylee Maughan says they're even getting creative.
We planned it last March, hoping it would be warmer weather than it is now. But it's good. It's fun.
–Kelli Olsen
"We zipped them all together so it's like one huge sleeping bag, so we get like more body heat and stuff," she says.
Temperatures up in the mountains are expected to drop as low as the 30s. The families could wake up into an even colder morning -- with the cold reaching into the 20s. That's a record low for this time of year.
"We planned it last March, hoping it would be warmer weather than it is now," says Kelli Olsen. "But it's good. It's fun."
The cooler-than-normal weather had the campers roasting marshmallows. The warm, gooey treat sounded better than what they had originally planned for dessert.
"We made brownies and were going to have ice cream, brownies a la mode tonight," Kelli says. "But it's colder than we'd desired so we switched to s'mores."
The camp hosts say most people came prepared with sleeping bags and blankets. Those who needed a little extra warmth have been keeping their campfires roaring.
"Everybody's preparing for it because we're selling a lot of firewood, as you can see," says camp host Wayne Nerren.
Despite the chill, campers seem to be in it for the long haul. Camp hosts say the Spruces is full through Labor Day.
E-mail: aforester@ksl.com
