First outing 2016
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 12:42 am
Got outside for a while last night to work on my pits, in preparation for the upcoming video shoot. Went out Sunday with just my tall "barn boots" on, but the water and mud were WAY too deep for those. 
So I broke out the chest waders. I always forget just how good it feels to sink thigh-deep in sticky underwater mud, the way the waders squeeze around your legs, and the way you float a bit, but when you struggle the heavy boots pull you in deeper. 
I've had loggers working, and there is a bit of damage to the hundred year old drainage system where the skid roads cross the old ditches. Not a problem- easy to fix, and one of the skid roads is now ruts full of thigh-deep mud.
Nice and soft and sticky, but only as wide as the skidder tire most places. So I've got solid ground on both sides of me. Yeah, I did sort of let my knees bend, and sort of accidentally on purpose sank myself as deep as I could. And yeah, it felt really awesome. (( purrs contenteldy ))
Also, because of the diversion of water, the South Pond (normally flooded this time of year) is at a late-spring/early summer level. Perfect for the addition of some peat and the removal of some inconvenient plant roots, etc. that might prevent my model from sinking all the way to the bottom.
Found a spot in there where the bottom seems to be sand/gravel and not shale- will be digging on that spot, as it might also be a spring. Gee, what do you call a mud pit with a flowing spring at the bottom?
The North Pond is perfect- again, going to add some peat to bridge the water gap between the muck and the duckweed, which will add some depth. The deep spot has been cleared of obstructions and some mud, and is now much more sinkable; the rest of the pond is still lovely boot-stealing, model-trapping muck just under the water.
The Rock-bordered pit (featured here)is awaiting more cleaning and quite a bit of peat; still wondering if I should remove the leaning tree or not. From the other side, it makes it look more jungle-y and spooky, but it takes up some of the pit. It's too spiky to use as a footlog, etc., plus that pit doesn't lend itself to sudden entries.
So I broke out the chest waders. I always forget just how good it feels to sink thigh-deep in sticky underwater mud, the way the waders squeeze around your legs, and the way you float a bit, but when you struggle the heavy boots pull you in deeper. I've had loggers working, and there is a bit of damage to the hundred year old drainage system where the skid roads cross the old ditches. Not a problem- easy to fix, and one of the skid roads is now ruts full of thigh-deep mud.
Nice and soft and sticky, but only as wide as the skidder tire most places. So I've got solid ground on both sides of me. Yeah, I did sort of let my knees bend, and sort of accidentally on purpose sank myself as deep as I could. And yeah, it felt really awesome. (( purrs contenteldy ))Also, because of the diversion of water, the South Pond (normally flooded this time of year) is at a late-spring/early summer level. Perfect for the addition of some peat and the removal of some inconvenient plant roots, etc. that might prevent my model from sinking all the way to the bottom.
Found a spot in there where the bottom seems to be sand/gravel and not shale- will be digging on that spot, as it might also be a spring. Gee, what do you call a mud pit with a flowing spring at the bottom? The North Pond is perfect- again, going to add some peat to bridge the water gap between the muck and the duckweed, which will add some depth. The deep spot has been cleared of obstructions and some mud, and is now much more sinkable; the rest of the pond is still lovely boot-stealing, model-trapping muck just under the water.
The Rock-bordered pit (featured here)is awaiting more cleaning and quite a bit of peat; still wondering if I should remove the leaning tree or not. From the other side, it makes it look more jungle-y and spooky, but it takes up some of the pit. It's too spiky to use as a footlog, etc., plus that pit doesn't lend itself to sudden entries.
Mercifully, it is still alive, and even bloomed this year. 
That bog is going to look SO good on camera.