Quicksand Fans

BM Adventure #2: Sinking Into Silty Quicksand On Camera!

Once again, feel free to use the pictures for backgrounds!

After my last bikeride, I was ready to go again a little over a week later. But, when the warmer air moved in, so did clouds from thunderstorms that developed in northern California and Oregon, although they did weaken by the time they reached us, giving us mainly cloud. Each time I woke up in the morning, it would be cloudy and look like rain, forcing me to delay it for another day, only to find the sun coming out in the afternoon! Then, after a few days, it did rain, but only in the mornings. So, I had to wait until the following week to take advantage of warm sunnier drier weather. The forecast for Friday, May 20'th, was for sunshine, becoming a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon, with a high of 24˚C, or 75˚F. This time, since I had my makeshift backpack all made up on location, and was bringing along a second 4 litre plastic milk jug to double my water transfer to my cleanup basin, I would be able to get prepared more quickly to make my first sinking video(s) of the year!

My dad dropped me off at 9:38 am, with us seeing a number of mule deer along the way. I reached the area above the cliffs some time between 10 am and 11 am. I first headed over to the part of the cliff that had easy access from the road, where people would occasionally come to the edge to have a look over the small valley. I looked to see what parts of my area was visible to the west, and what wasn't. I was happy to see that most stuff was hidden, except for the flat area around my old cleanup basin, the one which was covered in a pile of sandy silt. I walked my bike into the bushes to the west to my usual spot I always dropped my bike off, close to my sinking spots in the debris field below, but above the cliffs. I got out my things, and headed downhill to the debris field.

The first thing I did was get out my makeshift backpack I had hid under bark slabs under a small tree, and put it into the sun, where it could dry out. Then, I grabbed my 2 milk containers and headed down to the valley bottom to retrieve water from the sidestream, this time twice as fast as last time, walking between the skunk cabbages with their green flower spikes, each surrounded by a yellow spathe like a yellow hood, that were coming up all over. I had to rinse out the new container, because it had a trace of sour milk left in it. After a few trips, I found I had trouble crossing one wet area (shoes sometimes squished down into the water), so I put slabs of bark on top to help. As the water rose in the cleanup basin, I was disappointed to see that the sun was starting to go behind clouds, which impaired the warming of the water in the cleanup basin. I hoped that still some warming would still happen, and hopefully the sun would come back out.

As the water in the cleanup basin got a few inches from the top, it suddenly began to drain away! I discovered a mole tunnel dug into the side, which I then frantically stuffed with chunks of silt until it stopped draining, noticing water coming out of the ground just downhill. But, I think I may have lost around half a trip's worth of water. I continued to fill the cleanup basin until the water rose to the top edge when I displaced the water with the two milk jugs. Then, I made one last trip to bring back water that stayed in the milk jugs until I needed it, so I would have cleaner water on hand as well for final rinsing. After 2 hours of going up and down the hill bringing up water, I was finished just after 1 pm, feeling a bit worn out, especially my legs (was worried about over-stressing my knees), arms and shoulders.

After having lunch, I started to get things set up nicely, deciding to take most of my stuff to an area closer to my sinking areas, where it would be more hidden from that part of the clifftop to the east that people turn up looking out from. This would be my new, more hidden, staging area.

I had my backpack set in a high silty spot above the sinking area, and changed from my clothes into my junk shorts above the sinking area as well, near some trees. I had a margarine container with water sitting near my sinking area so I could clean my hands after my sink so they won't be dirty when I handled the camera to stop the recording. I set up the camera on its gorillapod, with the tentacles wrapped around the stick that was still where I had stuck it into a crack in the ground last time.

Since I had already taken a picture on my last trip of the spot that I had planned on sinking into since last time, I didn't need to take any new pictures of that spot, but here is it from the last time, when things were wetter:



I knew it would be thicker now, since the spot I had sunk into last time just to the west nearby was now solid. I was concerned about the moisture from the snowmelt draining away over the past couple of weeks, but hoped that all the rains we had would keep things from drying out, but there was obviously some drying. I removed a large rusty brown rock to make more room further back, since I figured that I would have to sink further back, where it would be relatively softer. With the camera all set up and everything in place, I was ready for my shooting, starting with my quicksand activation dance!

I clicked the record button, and proceeded to do my quicksand activation dance over the area. But, I found that it was more work than I had anticipated, and found myself quickly tiring out, while the ground was still solid. It looked like my fears were being realized, with things definitely drying out! I stopped the recording, but continued to do my quicksand dance to see if I could still soften it. After a while, the ground did begin to shift, first a little, and then more, increasing in area as I continued to hammer the ground with my feet! Once I had the rubbery ground pulsating and quaking, I put on my backpack, pressed the record button at 2:18 pm, and was ready to go!

I stepped onto the rubbery ground facing west, with it sagging beneath my feet, and began to "play" around with it, until the thick rubbery mire finally wrapped itself around my feet, at which point I was "stuck"! I slowly struggled, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the thick ooze, finding that my right foot was in even thicker stuff than my left leg, causing my left leg to get sucked down faster than my right. I also found there was some debris embedded in the thick stuff, such as sticks and stones, which my feet had to brush past. I had to try pointing my right foot downward to get it past a stick, putting me at risk of getting calf cramps.

It still felt quite wonderful, with the thick, undulating, rubbery ground holding me fast, but still slowly sucking me down deeper! It was softer silt deeper down, with less debris. But, I found the pressure around my calves from the stiff upper layer was such that calf cramps were an imminent risk (too bad I had to overstress my leg muscles making so many trips down and up the hill for water)! I didn't want to take any chances with getting wracked with pain, with a lengthy extraction time, which would also ruin the video. I was also uncertain whether the buried debris would interfere with sinking beyond my crotch, and I felt the sink was going to take much longer than I wanted for the video.

So, with the rubbery ooze sucking at my lower thighs, I decided to bring this sink to an end, starting off with me taking off my makeshift weighted backpack and setting it aside. I slowly worked my legs up, one at a time, lifting one leg until the mire seized up, then lowering it until the mire loosened, and then lifting it back up until the mire seized up again, with that leg rising higher and higher each time. I would then switch to the other leg for another series of tugs and relaxations. I did feel cramps coming on, but at least it was short lived due to my extraction, with the mud making interesting sucking sounds as I made my escape. It was a shame that I was so susceptible to cramps, since that stuff had such wonderful grip, and would have been really fun to struggle deeper into!

Once I was free of the quagmire's muscular grip, I then pounded the ground where I had just sunk until I created a nice depression to be used for background pictures. I stopped the recording, removed the camera from the stick, and took some photos of the thick quagmire with the large impression.




I tried to eliminate the impression by pounding the ground with my feet, but things were so thick that I was only able to reduce the depth of the impression slightly.

Because of things drying out since last time, I decided to go for the adjacent softer spot just to the south of the spot I had just sunk, because it looked like something that would offer a more dramatic sink! It was located on the north side of an e-w fallen tree, with another similar promising spot on the opposite side as well. My legs were still a little bit muddy from my first sink, but fortunately they weren't too wet due to the thickness of the muck I had just sunk in, and dried quickly enough for me to just brush it off for my next video. I stuck the stick in the ground near the fallen tree, and remounted the camera on it with the Gorillapod, framing the area of interest. I took a photo of it at 2:35 pm, and then reframed the area better for the video.


Then, at 2:36 pm, I clicked on the record button, and proceeded to do my quicksand activation dance, picking up the odd rock, successfully turning the partially weedy area into a quaking patch of sucking silt! I rinsed off my hands, turned off the recording, put on my backpack, clicked the record button on my camera at 2:42 pm, and was ready to begin a nice, dramatic sink!

I went to the area above the embankment bordering the uphill (east) side of the activated patch of mire, and walked off the embankment, landing on the patch of weeds there, my feet immediately sinking into the mushy ground! I then began to struggle and pump my legs, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the liquifying silt. I was happy to feel the silt liquify beneath my feet, meaning that I had definitely chosen a great spot for this video! I continued to sink and struggle in the gripping silt, but as it rose up my chest, I began to run into buoyancy issues, even with the weighted backpack. So, I had to begin working myself into a sitting position to pull my upper body down to my armpits. After struggling almost to my shoulders, I then finally bent myself forward and worked myself further forward, my back rising to the surface, to break my backpack free of the quicksilt's grip. I straightened up, standing higher up in the quagmire, knowing that if I moved, it would suck me back down. I removed the backpack from my shoulders, pulled it free of the mud, and moved it away from the liquified ground.

Now that I was lighter, I was suspended in the sucking mire a little higher, "struggling vigorously" to escape completely! When I noticed the interesting sounds the slurping silt made when I was struggling intensely waist deep, I then repeated that several times while trying to escape, sinking back down, and then working myself up higher again, periodically having to pull up my junk shorts, which were being weighted down by the liquid silt. It was a lot of fun struggling, but I finally decided to call it quits. I worked myself up higher, sitting back and working my legs up in the silt before standing up, around knee height (any shifting of my weight would have resulted in me sinking back down again), and then working my legs and feet out of the sticky ooze. Once out, I cleaned my fingers, and stopped the recording. My dramatic sinking video was done!

Now, it was time for me to enjoy some off-camera sinking. Feeling a little chilled from being muddy almost up to my shoulders along with the sun occasionally going behind he clouds, I dropped my silt-soaked sagging shorts, and then returned to the patch of liquid silt. I stepped back into the same spot I was in earlier, immediately sinking partways up my legs before I had to move to keep sinking, feeling the silt beneath my feet give way like a rubber membrane. I sunk to around my stomach, struggling and mushing up the mire into a creamy goo. I struggled and struggled, enjoying every minute of it, before working myself out, finding myself getting a bit more chilled, since the sun had still been going behind annoying clouds much of the afternoon.

I then wanted to do some horizontal struggling, but getting on my hands and knees was painful, because of the leg cramps which kept on returning. I got on my hands and knees in my activated patch of mire, facing roughly west, towards the front (downhill) side of the mire, and with my knees bent, sunk them down into the rubbery, silty, sucking morass, the heaving surface swallowing my legs. My hands got swallowed in front of me as well, with the gulping mire cradling my crotch and my lower stomach as I was laying forward. Imagining that I was stuck and about to be sucked down to my death, I struggled vigorously until things exploded!

I then worked myself up out of the mire, still feeling a bit chilled because of my wet, muddy skin and the annoying clouds keeping the warm sun from shining. I cleaned my hands and snapped a photo of the patch of quagmire that had been sucking me in.

I then returned to the cleanup basin to get cleaned up, but did it in parts (stomach first, back second, etc.) because I was feeling so chilled from the lack of sunshine. I then cleaned my junk shorts, followed by the makeshift backpack, using the water from the two jugs to finish the job, putting them in places where they could dry out a bit. I took more pictures of the patches of quagmire I had sunk in from different angles:





Just when it looked like I was about to call it a day, the clouds suddenly backed away from the sun, and I was once again bathed in warm sunshine! My chills disappeared immediately, and I felt ready to do some more sinking!

I returned to my sinking spot, and after deciding whether to try sinking in the first area, the leg cramps that periodically popped up made me decide to sink back into the softer spot again.

So, I stepped back in, facing west, feeling rubbery silt layers underneath mushy silt on top give way, sucking me back down. I had positioned my feet close together, and the descent into the hungry quagmire felt really great! Because I had sunk into that exact spot twice before, it was getting quite loose, almost like corn starch!

Once it climbed up to my lower stomach, I reached my buoyancy point, at which I began to struggle and enjoy the feel of the muck, feeling much more comfortable this time, due to the presence of the warm sunshine! I stirred the mire in front of me a bit, and just savoured the feel of being suspended, weightless, in the liquid silt, not feeling any bottom, my feet no longer together but apart. I struggled for a while, and just enjoyed the experience. Then, I worked myself back out of the sucking ooze.

I thought about having a horizontal struggle in the thicker stuff, but it just didn't work out. So, after experimenting with different positions for another horizontal sink in the soft spot, and continuing to face painful leg cramps from bending my knees, I finally settled on facing eastward, towards the back (uphill) side of the patch of sucking ooze. I sunk my bent legs, knee first, past my crotch, and leaned forward and sunk my hands into the less stirred muck towards the back, mixing in some chunks of silt that fell from the small embankment in front of me, my hands and arms sinking down to a stiff layer that gave way more slowly as I struggled. Once again, imagining that I was going to be gulped down to my death into the quaking mass of quagmire, I struggled vigorously, until my stimulation once again reached the bursting point!

Getting back up from the bent leg position was a little bit more awkward, because of a combination of leg cramps, and the thicker stuff that had formed a silty seal across the back of my downward pointing knees. But, I broke the suction and extracted myself from the gripping mire, agitating the surface to eliminate the impressions.

I cleaned my hands and arms, and immediately returned to take a final series of pictures of the soft spot from different angles again, this time before the oozing water collected on top too much.

I cleaned myself off, air dried, got dressed, and put my things away, this time hiding my makeshift backpack under slabs of bark under a small tree closer to the sinking area, out of sight of the part of the cliffs where people have occasionally turned up. I also took the two milk jugs down to the valley bottom, closer to the water source, sticking them under some fallen trees near the sidestream. I grabbed everything, and left the sinking area around 5:30 pm, taking some pictures of a fairly slipper orchid (Calypso bulbosa). But, with the low battery level, I had trouble with focusing, but still got one good shot.


I returned to my bike, put my stuff away, and was on my way home, the sky overcast from clouds that had thickened, and showered on me afterwards in the Coldstream valley, on the way home.

As I got closer to Vernon, just shortly after 8 pm, something in the ditch beside the road caught my eye! It looked like a badger! I then started wondering if it was perhaps a raccoon, so I decided to back up to take a better look, to see what it actually was. I was right the first time, and it was indeed a badger, which kept on disappearing into the culvert each time I moved. When I kept still, it would emerge after a few seconds, stare at me, or the traffic on the highway, and then if I moved again, it would disappear into the culvert again, before quickly re-emerging. I took a bunch of photos of it, but because of the lower light, my camera had to use a flash.


I got home after 9 pm, before it got dark, finding that there had been some really gusty winds there while I was gone.

That day, Vernon got up to around 25˚C, or 77˚F, give or take a degree or so, and so did Lumby, the town closest to Harris Creek. I was disappointed that it wasn't as sunny as the previous day, but still was not too bad. It was cooler in the slide area than in the main valleys, but the sunshine pushed things into the comfortable range. But, when the clouds covered the sun, I found myself a bit more uncomfortable. But, at least it was a better day than my previous outing, and I came away with some videos! Once again, I did find that skin got scraped off one of the knuckles of one of my toes, but fortunately, it was on a large toe (left foot if I remember correctly) where there was a callous, so the skin that got scraped off only exposed more outer skin that was still intact.

I was disappointed that the slide area had been losing some of its water content, making that first spot too hard to sink into. If only I had sunk the last time I was there, I could have taken advantage of that spot, which would have looked more interesting, due to it containing more clay on top. But, at least I still had other soft spots available, and took advantage of one of them. I also wished that I had shot another video of me sinking back into that soft patch.

While being dropped off by my dad in the mountains saved me a lot of time and effort, and strain on my legs, it was the numerous trips back and forth carrying cleanup water uphill to the cleanup basin that really wore my legs out, which then brought out those leg cramps. I plan on smuggling another milk jug into the mountains next time, so I would have 3 jugs to put water in, making me fill my cleanup basin faster yet.

6 days later, we had a ton of rain (actually an inch or 2.5 cm at our house) in the valley, and the higher elevations, where in past years I would have begun loosening the mud at the Edwin Lakes area pond by now (and this time wanting to do the Crescent Road pond area instead), had just received a fresh dump of snow! Silver Star Mountain, our local ski resort, got 20 cm (8 inches) of fresh snow! In the valley, we were only around 8˚C, or 46˚F, substantially colder than our normal of 21˚C, or 70˚F (I hate it when we get systems hitting us from the east)! Usually by now, we would have had some days with temperatures above 30˚C, or 86˚F, but this year and last year, thanks to La Niña, those types of temperatures have been non-existent at this time of year!

Since then, the weather has gotten back to near normal, with temperatures getting up into the low 20's˚C (high 60's to low 70's˚F) more frequently, with some exceptions, but with showers and thundershowers almost every day. We have just briefly dropped into the mid to high teens˚C (high 50's to mid 60's˚F) again, but I see a break in the weather at the end of the week, with temperatures looking like they are going to rise into the mid to high 20's˚C (high 70's to low 80's˚F) on the weekend! I am leery about going during a weekend, but it currently looks like it just may be warm beyond that, unless the forecast changes again. My first bikeride for the month of June will allow me to return and see if the heavy rainfall enhanced the mudslide area. I just hope that if there are any shifts in the ground, that it doesn't threaten my weighted backpack, which I moved in closer proximity to the more unstable (looser, sinkable) areas (have you tried pricing those heavy lead sink balls used in fishing lately? ). I will have to wait and see how things go.

The videos are linked to in my dramatic sink videos thread.

You have the sexiest looking spots, I swear!