Quicksand Fans

I finally did it! I guess throughout the years I’ve always been quite unlucky in finding good mud to sink in, once I had been able to sink chest deep but it was a real struggle getting that deep; the upside was that getting out was really easy since it was hard enough to push down on with my arms and hands.

Anyhow, I finally did it, I found the PERFECT spot a few weeks ago and got to test it out yesterday. It’s a quarry settling pond, but it’s very far from the rest of the quarry, out in the country, no light sources at night, perfect light brown clay. It’s about the size of a football field, yesterday I only took 3 steps and I was up to my thighs and sinking further without even struggling, any movement would make me sink more. I didn’t go deeper for the simple fact that I prefer sinking in the nude and, even though the night temperature was low 70s as soon as I stepped in I was cold, so I didn’t want to risk taking too long for the escape.

Only downside is cleanup, absolutely no water nearby; I had brought with me a squeegee (like for cleaning windows) and a spray bottle with water in it but this stuff was so thick and fine that neither of those helped much, hence my question:

TO ANYONE WHO SINKS IN FINE CLAY OR QUARRY MUD, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO AIRDRY?

Keep in mind that when it did dry out on the ride back (I was on my motorcycle) it was very easy to get off, this stuff basically turns into powder when it dries, so I think my best bet is to wait for it to dry out and then I can just brush it off.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give some context and I am also just so very happy about this discovery, every place I had scouted so far either had security cameras, area was too visible/too risky… just one fail after another, this find was a long time coming. This summer is going to be awesome!!

Temperature, wind velocity and (most importantly perhaps) humidity are all going to factor into it - as well as the thickness of whatever residue there is you're trying to dry.

I suggest searching this forum for clean-up tips. There have been some very clever suggestions, especially regarding the carrying and pumping of water.

Depending on the material you're sinking in, it might be advisable to let it dry. One fellow I know (knew, I suppose, he not with us anymore) had a good time playing in some alkali stuff at a concrete plant. The cleanup was much farther away than he anticipated. The stuff on his nutsack dried up, with really sharp edges. Let's say that the 'chafing' he experienced scarred him for life.

Yeah I had read about that Luckily no alkali where I’m at, I also read quite a few cleanup tips, being that I get to the spot riding a motorcycle I can only bring as much water as I can carry in a backpack, and I noticed yesterday that unless you add A LOT of water this stuff just gets more slimy and it just spreads out, it’s pretty much clay powder. I had a towel which combined with the squeegee got a lot of it off, then I just threw clothes on over it and rode home like that until I was able to shower. The upside is that this stuff is so powdery that I’m not worried about clogging the drain when I shower it off, but I figured maybe letting it dry would help a bit, also considering that yesterday I only had to get it off from the thighs down and half of my arms( I had to lean forward and then crawl out). I feel it’s going to be a different story when I’m going to be fully covered in it…

Je tu prosím někdo z české republiky napište mi děkuji

What are you riding? I'm on a KLR 650. Duel sport makes a GREAT excuse for coming home muddy.

I've found just using my hands works better than any tool, they conform better to your body and get more off of you. Like Dave said, time will vary depending on a lot of things but on a hot sunny day, say 80 degrees or so, I'll get to a "damp" stage in about 20-30 mins and then I just throw my clothes on over whats left and ride home. Just wear clothes you don't mind abusing.

Nightshadow wrote:I finally did it! I guess throughout the years I’ve always been quite unlucky in finding good mud to sink in, once I had been able to sink chest deep but it was a real struggle getting that deep; the upside was that getting out was really easy since it was hard enough to push down on with my arms and hands.

Anyhow, I finally did it, I found the PERFECT spot a few weeks ago and got to test it out yesterday. It’s a quarry settling pond, but it’s very far from the rest of the quarry, out in the country, no light sources at night, perfect light brown clay. It’s about the size of a football field, yesterday I only took 3 steps and I was up to my thighs and sinking further without even struggling, any movement would make me sink more. I didn’t go deeper for the simple fact that I prefer sinking in the nude and, even though the night temperature was low 70s as soon as I stepped in I was cold, so I didn’t want to risk taking too long for the escape.

Only downside is cleanup, absolutely no water nearby; I had brought with me a squeegee (like for cleaning windows) and a spray bottle with water in it but this stuff was so thick and fine that neither of those helped much, hence my question:

TO ANYONE WHO SINKS IN FINE CLAY OR QUARRY MUD, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO AIRDRY?

Keep in mind that when it did dry out on the ride back (I was on my motorcycle) it was very easy to get off, this stuff basically turns into powder when it dries, so I think my best bet is to wait for it to dry out and then I can just brush it off.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give some context and I am also just so very happy about this discovery, every place I had scouted so far either had security cameras, area was too visible/too risky… just one fail after another, this find was a long time coming. This summer is going to be awesome!!

There was no way to sink in the clay . Well how? I managed to get stuck in it up to my ankles a couple of times. I wouldn't risk drowning in it, it's too thick and clingy. He was drowning in coal ash and silt. In both cases, there was water nearby-a river with the same name as the city, and a lake. Although as for the ash, it dries easily and removes almost no traces. But only from the skin. There's a problem with hair, especially dark and dense ones like mine. This Truth is clearly visible, the place where I was drowning, in the ashes, deserted, almost. But the river is relatively busy. But then again, I could always get home relatively unnoticed. Plus, I've seen from personal experience that two liters of water is enough to keep your face, hands, and most importantly your feet clean. Feet, so as not to rub your feet, arms and face, so as not to attract attention. Plus clothes with long sleeves and pant legs.

Mynock wrote:What are you riding? I'm on a KLR 650. Duel sport makes a GREAT excuse for coming home muddy.

I've found just using my hands works better than any tool, they conform better to your body and get more off of you. Like Dave said, time will vary depending on a lot of things but on a hot sunny day, say 80 degrees or so, I'll get to a "damp" stage in about 20-30 mins and then I just throw my clothes on over whats left and ride home. Just wear clothes you don't mind abusing.

Nice! I have a z650, I’m short so I can’t ride any bike, I need them to be short also. Yeah in the end I figured as long as my hands and my face are clean it doesn’t matter if I can’t clean up completely, even with hot weather I ride to the spot with long pants/long sleeve shirt (dark grey or black, and at night) and I just throw them on over after I’m done and just clean up at home. Not super fun having it dry on me on the ride back (the spot is about 45 min from where I live) but it’s doable and worth it! I went to the spot a second time, got down to about stomac deep without feeling a bottom. Super happy about this find, I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible, but I don’t want to overdo it because even though there is no private property sign, just a sign that says enter at your own risk, I don’t want them to notice evidence in the mud that someone was there… I wonder how long the “tracks” stay in the mud before it settles again?

Nightshadow wrote:I don’t want them to notice evidence in the mud that someone was there… I wonder how long the “tracks” stay in the mud before it settles again?

That.......is a really good question. Seriously I never thought about that. I would guess within a few hours they would fill with water and become indistinguishing as footprints. It's not abnormal at my spot to find footprints of ducks, small birds, Racoons, etc because the water in the pit is a relatively clean drinking source.