Escaping From Waist Deep and Deeper

[maria]

Like Bogbud said, a rope is okay, but it takes a lot of strength to pull yourself out … kind of adds to the distressed situation though. And remember, when the rope gets covered in mud, it'll get slippery. All adds to danger element again

[mud_dreamer]

One thing that I have yet to try is to see if adding water will help loosen the grip of really sticky mud. It should reduce the viscosity of the mud and let it slide more freely next to your body.

I plan to try this soon. The mud I sink in is so sticky that I can barely raise one foot without reaching down with both arms and lifting. It is only a little more than waste deep so reaching down with my arms allows my head to stay above the mud.

I have sunk in the same mud but with a few inches of water over the mud and it is a piece of cake to get out of. No clinging sensation at all. The water acts as a friction modifier to the mud particles. Water should act like a lubricant in the mud.

It may be that having an emergency container(s) of water within reach is the added insurance that some may be looking for when sinking in really sticky stuff. I will report back soon.

[bogbud]

It's true that lots of water will make the escape more easy.
Sometimes, after really wet weather, my favourite bog gets flooded and turns into a watery swamp. The challenge then is to safely navigate through it without "falling" in the soft spots. The consistency of them is then like the watery bogs the producers have at their studios. (easy to plop in but also easy to get out).

But how is your plan going to work? You want to carry multiple buckets of water with you?

[mud_dreamer]

It's true that lots of water will make the escape more easy.
Sometimes, after really wet weather, my favourite bog gets flooded and turns into a watery swamp. The challenge then is to safely navigate through it without "falling" in the soft spots. The consistency of them is then like the watery bogs the producers have at their studios. (easy to plop in but also easy to get out).

But how is your plan going to work? You want to carry multiple buckets of water with you?

I have one small ice cream bucket hidden there already that I use for cleanup. There is standing water a few feet away for refilling.

Thanks for making me think through this experiment a little more carefully. I now realize that spilling water on top of the mud next to me and then mixing it into the mud may not help much to get me unstuck.

I will need to introduce the water down closer to my feet. I will MacGyver this using cheap things that I already have in my garage.

I have an old transfer pump that doesn't work for gasoline anymore. Maybe it will work with muddy water.

[lonesinker]

I explored a little further past the marsh I have been exploring, the heat has been so intense and that is why I have been going out at dawn, its a lot cooler too. I finally found a more private mud spot surrounded by tall grasses actually into the bog. As your walking in the bog you are stepping on this floating grass,it can be precarious at some point Im sure. This spot looks a lot like Nessie,s mud pit. There is absolutely no water,as soon as you walk in you sink past your thighs and slowly past your waste with a lot of squelching noises. I finally found ways of getting out thanks to boggy man and others here..thanks for the tips everyone.
The only part I don't like is the cleanup, I bring a small quick cleanup kit,but have to hike 15 min or so to a nearby lake and dive in, you are literally covered in thick black mud that looks like oil and sticks quite well. The only real safety concern I have so far is one pit had a few large branches or maybe dead trees on the bottom,at least that is what it feels like, a person can scratch themselves if not wearing shoes or worse how about if someone actually wedged themselves in a bunch of inter twined tree branches at bottom of the pit..anyone ever have that happened?

[mud_dreamer]

One thing that I have yet to try is to see if adding water will help loosen the grip of really sticky mud. It should reduce the viscosity of the mud and let it slide more freely next to your body.

I plan to try this soon. The mud I sink in is so sticky that I can barely raise one foot without reaching down with both arms and lifting. It is only a little more than waste deep so reaching down with my arms allows my head to stay above the mud.

I have sunk in the same mud but with a few inches of water over the mud and it is a piece of cake to get out of. No clinging sensation at all. The water acts as a friction modifier to the mud particles. Water should act like a lubricant in the mud.

It may be that having an emergency container(s) of water within reach is the added insurance that some may be looking for when sinking in really sticky stuff. I will report back soon.

Ok so I am quoting myself here. I did the water experiment. I purchased a "Stream Machine" water toy which you load with water by sticking the end of it in water and then pulling on the handle to suck the water into it. You can then push on the handle to make the water spray out the end. Very simple.

Well, I got myself good and stuck in crotch deep stuff that typically takes me 20 minutes to get out off. I loaded the toy with water, stuck it into the mud and pushed the end of it down near my ankles. I then pushed the handle to make the water stream out. I then lifted my one leg completely out with one or two relatively easy lifts. I did the same thing with the other leg. Piece of cake. I was very pleased with the results. It was exactly what I was hoping to find.

I think that this will be useful for any situation where you want/need to get out quick. Not hard to think of situations like that. Right?

It also makes a nice "prop". If you are seen and confronted (with or without mud on you), you can say that you are with some friends playing water tag and you got separated. So what if you are covered from head to toe in mud ... you are a serious warrior ... people will probably think that you are just having goofy fun with your friends. You can say, "It's too hot for paintball so we just play this. The mud makes great camouflage. Hopefully I didn't scare you". They will probably go away none the wiser.