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Winter/cold weather sinking?
Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:55 pm
by CreamyClayK
It's just my luck that winter is at the doorstep right as I was first getting a feel for sinking. Now, because I'm fully addicted, I'm wondering how winter sinks go if they're even possible at all. Right now my biggest concerns are:
hypothermia and other low temperature things
frozen mud that you can't sink in
cleanup
Let me know if you've been sinking in the cold/winter and have any suggestions, or if there's important things i'm forgetting about.
Re: Winter/cold weather sinking?
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:12 pm
by bogbud
Most of the folks here do sink with as few clothes as possible.
There are only a few here who go into the bogs and mires with appropiate gear for cool+wet conditions. As my current pic hints i'm one of these.
There is no problem at all when you wear waterproof gear like tall waders, raingear, long gloves and the like. As long as it's not totally frozen you can go and will be fine. You just have to be really careful to stay dry always and not to get too stuck (you WILL get stuck!)
Re: Winter/cold weather sinking?
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 4:43 pm
by dora
location is a important factor.if you live in a area like florda where its warm almost all year around you really wont need to worry about getting cold
if you live in a area like new york the temperature can change rapidly so unless you live close to the equator or if you have warm suitable clothes or if your able to build your own qs pit with heating and if you can afford to make an indoor qs pit i wouldnt probably sink in freezing weather
Re: Winter/cold weather sinking?
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:27 pm
by fp450+7
Just remember that there's a lot of fun to be had with snow too (though it's more dangerous due to the added risk of hypothermeia).
Re: Winter/cold weather sinking?
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 7:34 am
by Mr Mudster
Each person has a different tolerance level for cold. When I lived in Colorado a number of years ago, I had went out as late as early November when the temperature was around 40F (5C) and the mud had a very thin layer of ice! Never sank farther than mid-thigh in that, as at that temperature it would be nearly impossible to get back out due to hypothermia causing muscles to weaken. But I also used to swim in Colorado lakes and creeks, where in the summer the water temperature rarely gets above 55F (13C).
Hypothermia is a major concern. If you sink waist deep in mud, you will need to expend a lot of energy getting out. Hypothermia saps your energy very quickly, as the brain starts telling the body to "preserve the core", so blood slows down to the extremities. That means less strength and much less control! It's an exhilarating experience when swimming across a lake, where you can gently float when the muscles slow down. But you'll never be able to extract yourself from the mud without assistance!