Quicksand Fans

I know some of you might be thinking it's too cold, but I'm actually finding it quite nice and kind of want to try sinking this weekend
I live in Calgary, and I was wondering if anybody knew of any good spots that aren't more than a 4-5 hour drive away so that I could make a day trip out of it. I was looking on the sinking location google maps thing online, and found 2 possible areas to check out (one just west of Edmonton and a few in the Cranbrook area of BC), but it's been kind of cold in Edmonton so I don't think that would work out too well.

I think what I really wanted to ask is has anybody actually gone sinking at this time of the year before? Does it usually work out for you? I mean, yah the air temp is great but I'm kind of worried that the mud/clay temp will be quite a bit lower, and that when I go to wash off in a nearby lake I'll catch my death
Also, any other suggestions on spots nearby that might work out this time of year?

Whoahhhhh!

I can't help you with locations. But I am very curious. II looked up Calgary on Google Maps...egad, what is your definition of "nice"? I live in an American state that borders Canada and I am completely frozen out of all my bogs. I mean, those mudpits are rock-solid. They're all ice. Not only that but they're under two feet of snow.

It is impossible for me to sink at all right now at all.

I do know something about cold weather sinking, though. I go to mud until the bogs literally freeze and I'll start up with the spring thaw. My last sinking of the year generally has some frost around the edges and I get out to the bogs in spring while there's still ice on the bottom.

Hey, if it isn't a fetish-feeder, it's still good for exercise and a Nature fix.

I wear waterproof neoprene stockingfoot waders with aquasocks laced onto the feet extra-tight because anything heavier on feet gets stuck. I add warm layers beneath, usually sweats, as needed.

I suggest, though, that you proceed with a great deal of caution. Hypothermia could set in fast if you get in too deep and get wet. If you wear chest-waders, you can't go deeper than they cover you. I've been doing this for a long time now and I don't worry about it, but generally I've already spent the summer getting to know whatever mudpit I decide to use in the cooler weather. You DO need to be able to touch bottom this time of year. I suggest finding out how deep it is first and then, when you know exactly at what depth you will, for 100% certainty, stop with your feet on solid ground, THEN go off the side, slip in and feel yourself sink to that depth.

Here are a couple links to clips showing me in my waders.

http://www.youtube.com/user/harnpitakya ... pqPSaAb63o

http://www.youtube.com/user/harnpitakya ... 39jbVnTHl4

The poison sumac clip also shows wetsuit sinking but no, don't even think of a wetsuit this time of year. You definitely need something waterproof. The waders do show up in this video about halfway through.

Good luck, be careful, and if you decide to go, I do hope you tell us how it went...I want to know you're safe!

Nessie

Is it that cold there? All the snow has melted from here over the past week, I got the idea because when I was walking to my car from work my feet were sinking into the soil a tad. I figure now might be a good time to see some of the spots I've never been to (all my old spots were paved over by highway ) since all the melting snow has to go somewhere.
How much would good, decent waders set me back? I haven't actually gone and bought any yet, I knew I would have to though.

I bought mine used! I got a few thrift stores that I drop in on regularly to see if anybody has tossed out any good stuff I can wear to mud! You can't go in on any given day and know they'll have it, though, so I just keep visiting.

I also scored two new pairs for around $15 each at Mills Fleet Farm but they are just the thin ones. I never actually wanted thick ones since I like to add the layers underneath.

Any place that caters to hunters/fishermen usually has something. Mills Fleet Farm, Cabela's, and Gander Mountain all have online catalogs so you can try surfing at any of them just to get an idea...also, sometimes eBay's got 'em!

One thing about gear like that is, it usually doesn't take folks long to decide that they didn't want it after all. I bought three pairs of waders and a shortie wetsuit at the same thrift store and every time, the item felt new to the touch.

Nessie

Well it looks like I'll be making stops at the thrift store after work on some days then That's a good idea I wish I had thought of it myself!
Instead of spending $150+ on new waders to go on the trip this weekend I think I'll be waiting until I can find some used ones then, or until it gets warmer.

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You definitely have to protect yourself from the cold temperatures of the mud, and especially water! In terms of the cleanup water and watery mud, here is an example of what to expect. In mid October I prepare a number of plants in my garden pond for the winter, and sometimes I have to stand in it to get at some things (also in March/April when I am setting things up for the new season). I put on layers of jackets to try and compensate for what my legs/feet are going to experience. When my legs hit the water (18 inches deep), I feel intense pain, and feel light-headed and dizzy, almost like I am going to pass out! I feel like I just want to squirm out of my skin! After a while, my legs eventually lose their feeling, and I can finish the in-pond work (I go in barefoot because I need to be certain I am not stepping on some sharp debris that could puncture the liner). After I get out and warm up, the circulation starts up in my legs again, and rest of my body is suddenly infused with ice-cold blood, making me even more chilled! A good hot shower helps! And all that is from exposing only my lower calves to 18 inches of water, while the rest of my body is heavily clothed and dry! Hope that convinces you to protect yourself from the cold water/mud!

Thick mud may get a layer of warmer mud where it contacts your skin from absorbing your body heat and not dissipating it away as quickly as water, but at this time of year that warmup (relatively speaking) would be insufficient, and you would still get dangerously chilled! If you get stuck in quicksand that packed around you, or the suction of thick mud gets your footwear stuck, then things can turn downright dangerous, or deadly!

I know that this mild El Nino winter makes it feel like spring, but don't kid yourself! Until the sun gets a bit higher and the daylength a bit longer, it is still winter! When you mentioned that your feet were sinking into the soil a tad, that meant that the surface of the ground is thawing, but it is likely frozen deeper down. We had a frigid December with little snow, causing the ground to freeze to a much greater depth! In fact, a week ago, our vegetable garden was a quagmire, where I would sink down a few inches with each step! But the extra muddiness was because it was still frozen a few inches down, and the water in the soil couldn't drain away until the frozen layer deeper down thawed. So, for a while, the garden was like a 3-inch layer of softened chocolate! So, chances are that much mud would be very shallow, with it frozen just below the surface.

But, exceptions are springs, where groundwater can keep things thawed, or perhaps along river banks, where flowing water has kept things from freezing, or reduced the amount of freezing (springs can be there as well).

Just a shot in the dark, perhaps a thin layer of saturated soil overtop frozen ground could slip down a steep enough slope, and accumulate into a deeper mass. The Alberta Badlands therefore could be such a place where theoretically that situation might present itself, but I am just making an educated guess, never having been there.

For rivers, you could try checking out this one that goes through the center of the screen:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&i ... 87111&z=12

Zoom in, scroll around, find roads to access parts of it, and remember, play safe! Hypothermia is your enemy!

Hope this helps!

Wow Boggy Man thanks, that was extremely informative. I'll probably be postponing any sinking now until around Easter (weather permitting) as I want to get a good deal on good waders and who knows how long I'll have to look for that. I was planning on going to an underground spring I had discovered last year but never got the chance to try, and I figure that since the water is always circulating it shouldn't be frozen. Thing is I don't know how deep it is so that would be a dangerous situation in winter (like you and Nessie have said) so I'd rather wait.
Quicksand might be a wonderful thing but it's not really worth losing toes over

And thanks bart, I'll be looking for your winter experiences on the forums as soon as I'm done writing this.

lafin wrote:I was planning on going to an underground spring I had discovered last year but never got the chance to try

underground spring you say? hehe care to share where this is to a fellow abertan

Most of the spots I know about are actually in BC, I haven't really found a single one in Southern Alberta (except one but it's in plain view of the TransCanada so it's a no go ) I know of a few in Northern Alberta, around the Valleyview/Donnelly area but I haven't been to any of them for a couple years. I had a run in with a bear and have been a tad bit weary of going into the bush around there since