Perseverance pays off with two great finds!

[catfish]

Explored a new area today that I had scouted via Google Satellite that was near an other area that has proven productive in the past. Hit the jackpot! Found a very secluded creek that was initially disappointing until I actually stumbled into a seemingly bottomless area. Immediately sank to my stomach and after a minute of struggling, was up to my neck (for the first time ever). Was very cool but slightly terrifying as well - was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get out. Obviously got out but it was a prolonged struggle for nearly an hour. Am not too proud to admit that I was panicking for a bit there...

Also found a peat bog (I think it was peat). Seemed like a somewhat scenic vegetated area until I walked on it and it was shaking like I was walking on a huge bowl of Jello. As I neared the middle (and the edges), it became difficult to not break through the surface. Much more so than the surrounding swamp mud, this stuff was very difficult to get out of at even thigh depth. I didn't think peat would be so sticky.

[bart1997]

...

[catfish]

This may sound odd but falling into a body of water underneath the surface gives me the heebie-jeebies. I mean when sinking into mud/QS/etc.., it's a pretty safe bet that there's nothing alive under the surface. But with water down there, I'd be afraid of snakes, alligators, etc..

Jersey boy born and raised but muskeg does look interesting (if not a bit cold). Would love to hear more about it though.

[Mynock]

I'm with you on that. With mud you know there's nothing down there waiting to take a bite out of you if you disturb it lol. Congrats on the find.

[Raptor90]

I've never been in anything that gave me a hard time getting out. More so a hard time getting in

[Boggy Man]

Sounds like two great finds!

About the second one: Welcome to the classic floating matress of vegetation and moss that has grown above a former body of water. They are typical for peat bogs.
They also come in very different sizes and looks. I have been on (in ) some that did look like a fairly sized swimming pool full of moss right to the bottom and some that were about the size of a tennis court with a deceptive layer of grass above more or less pure water. My number one area is a large former lake that has become overgrown with something that looks like a forest with young trees, unless you step into one of the thinner areas of that crust and start to sink into a mess of bottomless, thick and sticky peat that has turned into pure mud.

Do you live in Canada or Scandinavia? As i have learned from other members of this forum, there are also some special areas there, called muskegs. Maybe one of these guys or Nessie will tell you about these, too.

Muskeg is another name for peat bog. You can find a good description here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskeg

And try a Google images search for muskeg!

[catfish]

I'm with you on that. With mud you know there's nothing down there waiting to take a bite out of you if you disturb it lol. Congrats on the find.

I must admit that I'm still occasionally freaked out when I come in contact with something that I can't immediately identify under there. My rational mind KNOWS that snapping turtles don't live under feet of mud, but when what feels like the edge of a shell rubs up against my leg, my irrational mind takes over.

I've never been in anything that gave me a hard time getting out. More so a hard time getting in

I wear jeans and sneakers when exploring. Makes for much better protection from submerged hazards but also makes getting out more difficult (usually a bonus). I'd love to wear hiking boots sometime, but that seems like a sure-fire way to really get perma-stuck. If there was only some way to fashion a quick/emergency boot release... Hmmm

Muskeg is another name for peat bog. You can find a good description here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskeg
And try a Google images search for muskeg!

Thanks for the link. Okay, makes me a bit less jealous of our frozen friends up North.
Did the image search and found mainly farm implements partially submerged. Then found this promising pic.

[bart1997]

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[Boggy Man]

So Muskeg seems to be a more or less thick layer of molten earth/peat above still frozen ground.

Or above impermeable clay or bedrock.

I'm still interested in that floating mattress you did describe earlier, looks that area more like this one?:


That's one of the bogs i used to explore very often. That green grass is stable and quite dry, but these circular light green/yellow patches are really dangerous for an unsuspecting hiker and also difficult to escape from. These are deep former ponds that have become overgrown with moss. Sometimes there's muddy peat under the surface, sometimes it's just peaty water.

Those patches are just the type of thing I love to check out!

I posted a video of a local quaking bog here:

http://www.quicksandfans.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2588&start=106

And later on in the season, most of the water was gone from the shallow pond there, and I crossed that soft boggy area:

http://www.quicksandfans.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2588&start=134

And here is a video I found of men and women running across a bog, having a fun time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUN8srcfD7Y

[beachbum]

Catfish,

Was this mud in Jersey or somewhere else? I'm in NJ and yet to find mud like that. Be careful. Good to go with a buddy or nice lady to help you out.