Quicksand Fans

I really never been disappointed before. There was a mud pit that looked like on the maps that it looked like it has gravel, clay and sand. I got there and it just had solid ground with moss and water. I wasted probably 3 hours and anticipation to walk there.

You have to remember that 99% of the maps you'll find online are not up to date, most are from two-three years ago.

Sometimes the best places are the ones that are found by accident or unexpected. The best spot I found was totally by mistake and I wasn't expecting the mud to be any deeper than half way up my Hunter wellies. But when I stepped in I went down quickly to the rims and as I tried to take one step back I sank straight to my crotch then my waist. I was genuinely scared to put it mildly. The adrenaline of sinking by accident helped me get out quite quickly. I've since been back many times and the place dries out and I ended up getting trapped several times.

Worst thing was I had to walk home that first time through the village absolutely covered in mud from the waist down as I had nowhere to clean up Even though it was a genuine accident, I was really embarrassed!

maria wrote:Sometimes the best places are the ones that are found by accident or unexpected. The best spot I found was totally by mistake and I wasn't expecting the mud to be any deeper than half way up my Hunter wellies. But when I stepped in I went down quickly to the rims and as I tried to take one step back I sank straight to my crotch then my waist. I was genuinely scared to put it mildly. The adrenaline of sinking by accident helped me get out quite quickly. I've since been back many times and the place dries out and I ended up getting trapped several times.

Worst thing was I had to walk home that first time through the village absolutely covered in mud from the waist down as I had nowhere to clean up Even though it was a genuine accident, I was really embarrassed!

Oh yes!! Where was this it sounds awesome!

I agree with Maria, the nicest spots are the ones you find unaware sometimes. There was an interesting bog I would go to often the last 4-5 years but each year the bog became covered over with foliage and tall grasses until the mud was longer noticeable,it does happen a lot as temperatures change from year to year,certain spots here have dried over with draught like temperatures.
The best locations always seem to be around swamps and marshes where there is a lot of humidity and one area I was surprised was near this marshy meadow that was moss covered and hiding a good 3-4 feet of black mud,sometimes the surface seems solid and really isn't, the squelching noises were interesting,very difficult to extricate yourself.
The one thing people should think when they are wearing wellies or waders is buy the cheapest ones that you wont mind losing or find an older pair at a thrift store if you can I have lost a few boots and sometimes when they are glued in they are not easy to dig out.

JohntaviousWilliams wrote:I really never been disappointed before. There was a mud pit that looked like on the maps that it looked like it has gravel, clay and sand. I got there and it just had solid ground with moss and water. I wasted probably 3 hours and anticipation to walk there.

Typical story that happens oh so often!

I Google-Earthed fantastic looking peat-bogs and abandoned peat-extraction-sites that did have it all: secluded, vast open areas of pure dark peat and cleanup-water nearby. In the end it was all hard ground with patches of ankle-deep mud. Yeah, great...

On the other hand: I once did hike along an area with a couple of fishing-ponds (no intention of sinking and i did not search for it). I was pleasantly surprised that they had been almost completely dried out. I came back in the evening and squelched through thick, but only calf-deep mud. Only when i was on my way back to the path already, i came across the water-exit and wanted to clean my Hunters. It became deeper and stickier and after a couple steps i sunk way past my knees and thrashing around did send me hip-deep in (hit solid ground then). Extraction was quite an adventure and in the end my Hunters, rainpants and -jacket were totally indistinguishable from another

The key I find is to look for an area where water levels change. Mud tends to form under the water, so as the water levels go down, more mud is exposed. If the water levels stay low, then the mud just dries into dirt and the plans grow.