BM's Boggy Adventure & BG Pix! Updated 11/5/'25!

[Boggy Man]

For a change, I decided to augment this adventure report with Google Maps pin links to give readers a clear overhead view of the exact locations where I went. Enjoy!


My August 26’th, 2025 Adventure, Part 1!

After waiting slightly over a couple of weeks, I was ready to go for my second adventure of the season! On Tuesday, August 26'th, The weather was supposed to be sunny with temperatures in the mid 30's˚C (mid 90's˚F) in the valley, which meant it would be nice and warm in the higher elevations. I hoped that the water levels would have dropped since then, exposing the mud that got flooded over with water from my last adventure , but the week after my last adventure, we had a day or so of rain that may have set things back. So, I just kept my fingers crossed in hopes of finding lower water levels and my bog re-exposed, since I was soooo eager to get sucked into "bottomless" quagmire again!

My brother picked me up before 8 am, and dropped me off at 9 am ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/2UPHa6J7b3xLUZfz5 ). Because it was so early, it was feeling a bit on the cool side, with me having to put on my hoodie jacket. So, while waiting for things to warm up, I decided to do a follow-up bikeride to that trail further up Crescent Road and to the south that I went on last time, knowing that it continued across the creekbed. I turned onto that sideroad ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/kjuYiiC4VJ359oJx5 ), and followed it all the way to the rocky creekbed which was damp, but no water flowing, because it was seasonal ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/8kvWT4sUyVXLZ2ddA ), noticing how the grassy road narrowed down to a single animal path with willows on either side. I walked my bike across the rocky creekbed, and the sideroad widened again on the other side, allowing me to continue. I then stopped to check out a grassy meadow around the seasonal creak to the west, even through I had been there last time ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/NMoty6gJE9Cr2xuD6 ). There was no mud there, and across the stream bed, there was what appeared to be a small pond bed, which was all dried up. I walked back, and in the forest on the east of the seasonal stream/willows/meadow, I noticed wild blueberries growing. I picked some, and they tasted good, with some tartness. I took a photo of a tiny blueberry bush with berries, surrounded by wild strawberry plants (strawberries were finished ages ago) and other plants:

2025 08 26 2A Wild Blueberries.jpg

I returned to my bike, and headed further up the road, dropping my bike off where the road was in a more open area, mostly to the east ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/7vaZtaCnVvDHFNvSA ). I then headed slightly down to the willows again, before heading back, looking at the willow-filled clearing just northeast of the main meadow. I then headed further up the road and stopped when the large clearing with the main meadow that was surrounded thickly by willows came into view to the west ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/87VyAk4cFKnLMskL8 ). I briefly walked down to the edge of the willows again, before returning to the road. I didn't need to go through a bunch of willows to get to the same meadow I was at last time, since it would have been a waste of time, since there was no water and the mud was solid. I then headed a little bit further up the road (can't remember if I walked or took my bike at this time), and checked out a tiny clearing to the west, with nothing of interest, just grass and other vegetation ( can't remember if it was here https://maps.app.goo.gl/Pcs9GpJTwQUDCKTr8 or the next, smaller clearing to the south). I then walked further up the road for a little bit until I saw a log across the road before heading back. I was hearing sounds of something big moving through the forest to the west, which made me wonder if it was a cow, or a bear? When heading up, I clapped my hands to alert whatever it was of my presence. Heading back, I returned to my bike, and then briefly checked out the area with the clearing east of the road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/emP4nmnZ4ewiMTUA6 ), briefly walking through the clearing, which was higher ground. Nothing of interest. I got back on my bike and headed back to Crescent Road, the cool air pockets vanishing, replaced by increasing heat.

I passed my turnoff, because I wanted to check out a sideroad to the east, to make certain no trucks were parked there ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/GrxjcgYA1eaa4QT99 ). I had a close call a couple years ago when there was a truck parked there. Fortunately, it was vacant, and so I headed to my sideroad ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/w3n6M5Hz3W1bUH5P7 ), and then down the side trail that led to the small clearing north of my pond, having to slide my bike sideways under a fallen tree and crawl under it, just a short distance from the entrance. I dropped my bike off on the north side of some large conifers to the west of the clearing ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/npY6mm8wBW4pQ7dm6 ), as usual, got my things out, and headed through the alders to the pond to the south.

I noticed something different this year. Usually at this time, the general area would be full of cattle, which ranchers bring up to free-range, which allows them to get exercise, and gorge on vegetation, putting on weight and muscle mass before being rounded up. But, there was only a few trails through the grass by cattle, and the clearing, which was usually completely mown down at this time of year, was still mostly lush. It seemed as if the large numbers of cattle were unusually absent at this time, unless they were yet to be released. But, I was happy to see little cattle activity, since they were a pain at times in the past.

When I reached the pond, I noticed that the water level had dropped, but only slightly. I reached my area, where I set my things down in the alders ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/r19vkCwN2yyWxQVa7 ). Looking at my bog ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/vx7b8hFAwwj3S9CV9 ), it looked just as flooded as it was when I left it last time! It even appeared to be slightly more flooded than last time , perhaps from the mud settling. I had switched memory cards in my camera, removed my shoes and walked around, noticing a trail through the grass leading southward away from the west side of my bog, and a second trail, leading eastward from my bog, perhaps made by a beaver or a muskrat. It looked like that day or so of rain really took its toll on the bog's conditions! So, the bog was in no condition for any videos this time. I took some photos:

2025 08 26 2B Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2C Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2D Crescent.jpg

I went for a walk down the west side southward, to check out the shallow clay area on the northwest side of the tiny pond north of a beaver dam, but it was still underwater, and also full of fallen dead alder bushes ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/4CbiP1m8RMJHXeHD7 ) . During my walk, I did notice that there was a patch of mud floating around the south end of the main pond ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/JazB6AyGD91a7i1D8 ) , and I had to carefully make my way over the waterbed-like vegetation to get a slightly closer view of it, having to carefully step on places where the grass was thicker, and avoid the rushes with their delicate thin root mat. I then had to zoom in a lot to capture a photo of the patch of floating mud, as well as a mucky area of floating vegetation in front of it, all the result of an animal slogging through the area:

2025 08 26 2E Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2F Crescent.jpg

I headed to the north side, noticing that everything there was still flooded, and couldn't locate a hole I had made a few years ago to sink into when the main bog was flooded (approximate location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/v6EaCTVCggQQGiBX8 ). I took some photos of mucky sections between the grass on the west side of the pond:

2025 08 26 2G Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2H Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2I Crescent.jpg

To Be Concluded…

[Boggy Man]

My August 26’th, 2025 Adventure, Part 2, The Conclusion (Click Here For The Beginning With More Pix)!

With my bog flooded, I had to decide what to do. This time, I had only one container of Kool-Aid, which I was partially through, and would quickly run out if I was to just spend the day hiking around other places in this heat. The last of the Gatorade was finished previously, and I forgot to remind my mom to pick up Gatorade or Powerade when she went shopping. Basically, I tend to use the least of my liquids when I stick close to the bog and enjoy sinks through the day, so I thought one container would be enough, but didn't account for this situation! But, there was one other thing that I had been thinking about on and off over the past while. It has been years since I had loosened the mud to a depth of around 5 feet, something I would do when the bog was flooded, but that was usually earlier in the season, when the mud would be chillier. But, since it was late in the season, things would be not so cold, which could make this task not so uncomfortable! Perhaps I could even re-expose the mud, or at least, reduce the surface water enough for it to be exposed for my next adventure!

So, I got undressed but kept my sunglasses on, since I knew that the sun reflecting off the water would be a problem, although I would try and avoid looking in certain directions. I also put on insect repellent, smearing it in my hair, around parts of my face, neck and shoulders, all parts that would be above the mud, since I didn't want to be swatting anything biting my head and shoulders with muddy hands (good to be prepared). I then headed to the west side of the bog, through the "cage", and then slowly lowered myself down into the submerged bog, so as not to splash any muddy water on me. At first, it felt a bit cool, but I started to get used to it. I proceeded to pull up globs of thicker stuff from deeper down up to the surface, mushed it up into the surface water, with swamp gas bubbling up around me from the disturbance. When I couldn't reach deeper without immersing my shoulders, I then used my legs and feet to bring it up closer to the surface, where I could reach it with my hands. I discovered that the bits that were originally exposed on the surface turned out to be just pieces of rotting sod, which I pushed under and mushed up. Once I had enough of it mixed deeply enough where I stood, I moved on to an adjacent spot, working my way counterclockwise, across the south side to the east side. I kept close to the edge, so I could lift myself up as well, so I wouldn't go too deep and chill myself, since I wanted to keep myself dry and warm from my shoulders up.

I found that as I got to the eastern portion, I was loosening the mud much more than in the western portion, feeling my feet moving more freely on top of the thicker "soft bottom" as I had it worked down to around close to 5 feet. I periodically pulled out small pieces of sticks, and the odd pine cone. I would swish surface water under the mud, which loosened the loose mud even further. I was worried that the using of my feet to bring up globs of thicker stuff to within reach would give me knee or hip pain, but it wasn't too bad, although I did find that I favoured one leg over another (can't remember if it was my left leg). I was happy that the air was nice and warm, which helped offset the coolness of the bog, a coolness that was nicely reduced by a summer of heating.

Once I was much of the way through the east side, I found that my bladder was starting to get full. So, I exited on the northeast side, pushing mud off my body, especially my feet, back into the bog. I headed through the grassy meadow to some alders, and relieved myself. After that, I felt it was about time to take a break, warm up, have lunch and finish the job later on.

But first, I just couldn't resist trying out the patch of mucky fragile ground on the north side of my bog, to see if I could sink there. So, just to the north of my bog, I stepped, facing northward, into the middle of the mucky patch, one leg and then the other breaking through the slimy layer of rotted vegetation/roots, and into the mud underneath, which wasn't watery, but nice and thick! I struggled, the mud beneath my feet giving way, sucking me down just past my waist, and with some more struggling with the ground quaking around me, my stimulation reached the exploding point!

After that, I worked myself out of the muddy hole, pushing mud back in to fill it, and headed to the pond to clean off, using yellow waterlily rhizomes for a place to sit or kneel on. I can't remember if it was this first cleanup or the second where I relocated the submerged log, which gave me more solid footing. I was happy to see that while water deeper down was cooler, it was warmer near the surface. I cleaned off everything I could reach in my upper body, but had to lay on my back on the floating vegetation (Nature's scrub-brush) and rub my back before returning to the water to splash water over my shoulders and down my back to rinse it off. I moved to a spot where I was higher to clean myself lower down, and in the grass to finish the cleanup. I then air-dried, but had to pick the odd leech off my skin. But, at one point, I was heading back to more solid ground, when one leg went through the floating mat, getting my leg muddy again, forcing me to have to clean up again.

I took a photo of the bog after my first session of mud loosening, as well as the new sinking hole outside of the bog where I had a stimulating sink, and an adjacent boggy spot that may be just as hazardous :

2025 08 26 2J Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2K Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2L Crescent.jpg

2025 08 26 2M Crescent.jpg

I got dressed, and headed back to the clearing north of the pond, and had my lunch - a couple Pizza Pops and a Sweet & Salty almond bar, along with my Kool-Aid. Then, to get myself warmed back up enough for my second session, I went for a walk up the sideroad, hoping this time there would be no bear. I noticed that the stream channel leaving the pond with the ring bog was a little lower( https://maps.app.goo.gl/STzu5mD1BthRp7TV9 ) . I never bothered to have a closer look at the pond ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/6DWG2BAvbqB7XmBs6 ), instead wanting to just hike to the clearcut a ways down the road. In the clearcut, after I picked up a peeler someone had lost (the metal part on the kitchen tool was a little bent and felt loose), I took a look at a low spot east of the road that often had some water in it with a muddy bottom, but was buried in logs and sticks ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/f664eWxzDvBMdb5y5 ). I walked over to the south side, and took a photo of an exposed patch of black mud there:

2025 08 26 2N Crescent Clearcut Log Mudhole.jpg

I took a stick and probed the mud, finding that it was around half a foot deep, give or take a couple of inches. It was also full of swamp gas from the decaying wood buried in it, causing it to make all sorts of sucking and slurping noises when disturbed with the stick! I wished I had a bottomless pit of stuff that was that gassy, but perhaps thicker, and free of logs/sticks! I headed over to the east to check out a bush with orange berries to see if it was a mountain ash, and it was. I then returned back the way I came, back to my pond.

Now, I felt warm enough to finish my "site preparation" bog loosening job! I got undressed, and kept my sunglasses on once again to protect my eyes, since there was a lot of water to reflect sun into my eyes (years ago, I was working on my garden pond with the sun reflecting off it into my eyes without any sunglasses, and wound up getting a large permanent blind spot in my left eye, the exact shape of my bifocal ). Once again, I slipped myself into the west side, and first did a bit more loosening on that side, because when I started in the morning, I didn't do as great a job initially. For some reason, at times, I seem to start a job being less thorough, but become progressively more thorough as I go. Then, I worked my way eastward, across the north side, mixing water in with the mud, bringing more mud up to the surface, using my foot/leg to bring it up close enough to reach with my hand, and mixing it with the water. Just like before, I also swished the surface water downward through the mud to liquify the loose mud further. Once I made it to the east side where I left off, I went back and started to try mixing parts I missed getting deep enough down.

When my bladder filled up again, I had to briefly exit the bog on the north side to take a leak near the alders, before getting back in, accidentally splattering my glasses with a mud-soaked piece of grass when I was exiting the bog , which I would have to clean later. After all the disturbance, the swamp gas bubbling had slowed down substantially throughout my work. I noticed that the mud in the eastern part had become quite loose, but with a distinctive "bottom" which was soft, gooey and bottomless! But, the west side was overall thicker on top, with no discernible thickness boundary. It just seemed to get slightly thicker with depth. To even things out, I had to move from the west side to the east side, dragging the thicker mud with my body into the looser stuff.

Just like in the first session, I kept on holding onto the side often to keep myself at around armpit depth, because I didn't want to get chilled. But, finally, I was moving through the middle as well, with nothing to hold on to, but still able to keep from immersing my shoulders in the surface water. I also tried to pull the watery mud off the grass on the north side where I had exited earlier, but the grass wouldn't rise up, so there was still mud on top. I knew it was starting to get late when shadows began to encroach on the west side of the bog, eliminating the warm sun there. I kept on working things as the shadows spread, but finally, after using my body to mix mud from the west side over to the east side, I finally decided to call it quits.

I exited the bog on the northeast side, pushing the mud off my body and the thicker stuff off my feet, and pushing it out into the bog. As I moved back, I tried to push the watery mud off the grass on the northeast side, but just like on the north side, the grass was slow to rise, so I couldn't get it all.

With the job done, I first wanted to try to have a second stimulating sink in that hole just north of the bog again. So, facing north, I stepped back into it, sinking up past my waist, as the mud beneath my feet gave way. I struggled and struggled, and leaned over and struggled some more, turned myself around to face south, struggled some more, before turning back to face north again. After a bit of struggling, I decided that I was either too chilled, or was becoming desensitized from being in the mud for so long. So, I pulled myself out of the hole, and pushed the mud back in. Then, once again, I tried pushing mud on my two exit points from the main bog back into it, but still couldn't do it completely.

I headed back into the water to clean up, cleaning my glasses off and setting them on top of a yellow waterlily leaf nearby (there was also a second splattering afterward in that loosening session). I also immersed my head in the water to do a complete cleaning because of the splattering, happy that the water was not chilly thanks to the sun and heat. I cleaned myself down lower, and also rubbed my back on the floating weeds (Nature's scrub brush), and then got back into the pond to splash water over my shoulders to wash it away.

But, when I had myself cleaned down to my waist, I found my right armpit was bleeding! I immediately realized that I must have been bitten by a leech! I splashed more water on my armpit, and pulled at my hairs, in case it was still there, not certain whether I had pulled it off or it was already gone! But, splashing water on my armpit wouldn't get rid of the red streak of blood going down, because it would instantly reappear the moment I had washed it away! I couldn't get out of the pond, air-dry and get dressed as long as I was still bleeding profusely, because I didn't want to get any blood on my t-shirt, which would look suspicious! So, I spent a long time splashing water on my underarm again and again, with it seeming to take an eternity to slow down! But, finally I started to wonder if by keeping it wet, I was prolonging the bleeding. So, I got out of the water, returned to my things, got out some tissue, and kept on dabbing it over and over again, finding that the bleeding was indeed starting to slow down! It took a while, but it seemed to start to dry out a bit.

I finally got dressed, but left my T-shirt off, remaining bare-back. I took a final photo of my bog, with all the mud loosened to around 4 1/2 feet, still all covered with water:

2025 08 26 2O Crescent.jpg

I swapped memory cards, got my things together, and headed back to my bike, carrying my t-shirt instead of wearing it. I put my things back in my saddlebags, including my t-shirt, and walked my bike back to the sideroad, once again having to go under the fallen tree. Heading down the sideroad, towards Crescent Road, I stopped when I saw a rabbit on the trail (it was around 6:18 pm), and took a couple of pictures, the second of which I had obviously moved the camera when clicking the button, since it was vertically smeared (lower evening light levels resulted in longer exposure time, increasing the risk of movement blur), and won't bother showing:

2025 08 26 2P Crescent Rabbit.jpg

The rabbit took off when I got closer, so then I continued on to Crescent Road, and then the main gravel road, not bothering to put my t-shirt back on until around 7 pm, when I was certain my bite was totally dry. I made it into the valley bottom before my brother finally picked me up and drove me back home. At home, when I looked in the bathroom mirror, I noticed that there was still some splattered mud dried on my face, meaning I didn’t clean it away well enough, but at least I caught it in time before anyone noticed, although I could have easily passed it off as a splatter of mud from biking through a puddle on the road. I showed my mom that kitchen peeler I found, and she determined that it was in too bad shape to be of any use, so I threw it in the garbage.

Overall, it was a bit of a disappointing day, since I soooo badly wanted my bog to be exposed! That one or two days of rain we had must have really set things back for the water over top of the mud to have changed so little, after 15 days! I just hoped that the loosening of the mud would have mixed enough of the surface water into the mud to have it become exposed for the next time I would return. But, I still did enjoy heading further up that other sideroad to the part that I had missed last time, and then it was nice to spend several hours in the mud, even though there was a layer of water on top. And, at least the mud still surrounded me a little at the surface while I was in it and churning it. During the day, in addition to having a taste of wild blueberries, I also tasted some wild raspberries, thimble berries, as well as a wild black current.

I was surprised about how much that leech bite was bleeding! It must have been latched onto me for a very long time, constantly adding anticoagulants into the wound! I noticed that where it was bleeding in my right armpit, there were actually two bites close together, and a third bite slightly further away. Then, I noticed that there were three more bites down my right side, and two more around my right nipple, for a total of 8 bites! Due to the number of bites and the persistence of the bleeding, I came to the conclusion that the leech must have been in the water over top of my bog, and latched onto me there, gorging itself on my blood for a very long time during my second mud loosening session, and easily went unnoticed!

So, hopefully, for my next adventure, enough time would pass for the water levels to drop, finally exposing the mud and offering a much better sinking experience!

[Boggy Man]

My September 6’th, 2025 Adventure!

After my last adventure, I waited over a week in hopes that the water levels would drop enough to expose the mud, which I had brought closer to the surface from my previous outing's mud mixing. I was happy to see that we had no rain, and wound up with a warm air mass that brought record heat to BC! On September 2'nd, Lytton, BC tied Canada's all time September temperature record of 40˚C (104˚F) with Morden, Manitoba (1906) and Lost River, Saskatchewan (1940)! But then, on September 3'rd, Ashcroft, BC broke that record with a high of 40.8˚C (105.4˚F)! Surely, with all that hot, dry weather, the water levels should be dropping like crazy! So, I was anxious to get back up there, and chose Thursday, September 4'th, forecast locally to be sunny with temperatures around the low to mid 30's˚C (high 80's to mid 90's˚F), to be the day, where it would be comfortable sinking all day long in the higher elevations, where things tend to be cooler (in this case less hot) than in the valley! Also, since this was going to be my final outing of the year, I was looking forward to bringing back home shaggy mane mushrooms, which always start coming up in September, a final bikeride tradition!

As we got closer to the date, things looked all set to be perfect, until smoky haze started to move in Wednesday, the day before my outing, filtering out the sun, cutting down its strength! We had gone all summer without any wildfire smoke, and now, suddenly it showed up for the first time this year! I just hoped that Thursday would be better.

I got up at 5 am Thursday, noticing how it was still dark outside from the days shortening faster and faster at this time of year. I went through my morning routine and got prepared, but when daylight finally illuminated things, I didn't see any sun shining in the valley! It was still behind the mountains at home when my brother picked me up at 7:30 am, but when we headed out and I could finally see the sun, I was disappointed to see that it was just a hazy yellow smudge in the sky, and sometimes just a red disk! There was no blue sky, only brownish white hazy overcast, with the sun creating no shadows at all! There was no way things were going to heat up the way it did the past several days with so much smoke at higher altitudes blocking so much sunshine! I hadn't seen it this bad in years! So, a ways down the highway, after a bit of "hemming and hawing", I finally decided to postpone the bikeride before we went too far (he didn't want me to change my mind when we were up in the mountains). Instead, since he needed to do produce delivery Friday, the next available day would be Saturday, September 6'th, the last dry, sunny day before clouds moved in with risk of thunderstorms. I don't usually go on weekends, since I had a bad experience (close call) going on a weekend a couple years ago! But, I had to take a chance, since this was my last opportunity for the season, and a couple of extra days of drying and dropping water levels should guarantee my bog to finally be exposed!

So, he drove me back home, with both him (later on in the day) and his wife (on the way home) agreeing via text that it was best for me to go another day. I went back to bed and slept until around 12:30 pm. The temperature hovered around 20˚C (68˚F) for much of the afternoon until the smoke thinned out enough to produce shadows, causing the temperature to climb several degrees higher. Looking at the satellite photo, we were under a band of smoke, from wildfires in the far north, that stretched NNW to SSE, with places on either side of the band still getting up into the mid-30's˚C (mid 90's˚F), meaning we were cheated out of perfect summer sinking weather in our locale, while other adjacent places baked in the coveted heat! The ridge of high pressure pushed up far enough north to tap into the smoke that had avoided our area all summer long, pulling it down into southern BC!

Friday was better, with just thick haze, with the sun steadily casting shadows and heating things up nicely. But, another thing that got me worried was that across the valley from where we make our climb, a brand new wildfire erupted, and I hoped that it wouldn't affect access to that part of the valley! It was on the north side of the valley (Noble Canyon https://maps.app.goo.gl/tMH6tN37MxJ6zvsK6 ), while we were going up the south side of the valley (Bluenose Mountain Road https://maps.app.goo.gl/rnVhq2nDYciagiS88 ).

Finally, on Saturday, September 6'th, he picked me up at around 7:45 am, and this time, the smoke was thin enough for me to see some thin altocumulus clouds! So, things were looking up! But I was a little concerned about the presence of those altocumulus clouds that the sun was going behind, and hoped they would move away. Just to be on the safe side, I had decided to take an N95 mask with me just in case smoke was a problem, but wasn't certain if I would need it. When we headed down the valley, I couldn't see any visible flames from the Noble Canyon fire, but saw some layers of smoke hanging on the mountainside on the south side of the valley, like patches of low cloud. He took me up into the mountains to the south, and dropped me off at the usual spot ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/BsbmUmYRBhcQgq3R7 ) some time around 9:15 am. This time, the temperature was only around 13˚C, or 55˚F according to the truck, which was a bit on the chilly side, which reminded me of early morning when we went on family camping trips years ago. Luckily, I took along a wind breaker with my hoodie, and had both on, knowing that it would warm up nicely soon enough. We noticed that there was an increase in cattle activity this time, with cowpies all over the place! After my brother left, I was on my way!

The first thing I wanted to do was check out my bog, even though it was too chilly to do anything yet. Even though I was going to return to that other road to the southwest again ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/s7kiQD2edgxzSFoJ6 ) and check it out further to pass the time until it warmed up, I didn't want to wait any longer to see my patch of treacherous quagmire, which after mixing surface water down into it last time and then waiting 11 days, should be guaranteed to be free of water! So, I headed up the sideroad ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/FFDRHgwAgdFuSRbx8 ), noticing how it looked like it was flattened by tires from a vehicle (cattle truck perhaps? ), and there were more cowpies there as well. A little further up, I came across around a dozen cattle on the road, which moved away, and gradually scattered to the sides as I passed by. Because I was only going to make a quick check of the bog, I never bothered taking my bike past the fallen tree ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/cXPnCPWEPU7iUn6o6 ) at the entrance of the side trail, instead leaning it up against one of the fallen tree's limbs before crawling under it and heading down to the clearing. I noticed that the cattle activity there still wasn't pronounced, with a lot of vegetation there still intact. I headed to the pond, seeing only a few trails through the grass. I headed straight to the area of my bog, eager to see how much it was exposed!

When the cage of sticks came into view and I got closer, I was hit with a very disappointing sight! The ground on the west side of the bog was still soggy, and my ENTIRE bog was STILL COMPLETELY SUBMERGED!!! 11 days of drying, including some with a record-setting warm airmass, and it looked the same as it was when I left it last time! I took a photo of the bog, as well as the new sinking hole I created just north of it:

2025 09 06 3A Crescent.jpg

2025 09 06 3B Crescent.jpg

So, with all of my extensive sinking and videoing plans dashed , the only thing to do was to go on a number of hikes again, including places I hadn't been to in years. But, at least I knew that I could come back to have a stimulating sink in that hole at the end of the day.

So, I returned to my bike, and headed, for the third time this season, to the sideroad further to the west, south of Crescent Road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/7yEx9tUEbtQMpTqJ7 ). I had trouble remembering if I had actually gone as far as I had thought last time, and wanted to verify it, as well as checking the rest of the road as well. Taking the west fork ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/XbgyJSAW6bUZhAYz5 ) again, and heading up that road, I did verify that I was indeed in the places I thought I was last time. Along the way, I spotted some shaggy mane mushrooms that looked like they might be good, but it was too early in the day, and they would either be black, or mush, or both by the time the day was over. I also stopped when a flock of Spruce Grouse around the road dispersed, with one flying into a small pine tree on the east side of the dirt/grassy road, which I watched as it sat and even nibbled on some needles. I managed to slowly get close enough to take a decent photo of it, using maximum zoom:

2025 09 06 3C Female Spruce Grouse.jpg

It was starting to warm up a bit, forcing me to remove the windbreaker on that road, because I was starting to overheat, a positive sign. I biked past the east side of the large meadow surrounded by willows ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/XEtJaV6TZxrm3zAg7 ) that I had explored on my first adventure of the season, and dropped my bike off around the endpoint of my last excursion up that road, around where a fallen tree blocked the road (somewhere in this vicinity: https://maps.app.goo.gl/unEoSHbf8kmzWKRR8 ). I grabbed a Powerade (my mom got three for me, and with my Kool-Aid, I wasn't in danger of running out of liquids this time), and was off, up the road by foot to see what I could find!

It was kind of interesting, since I didn't know what there was going to be around the road, or where it might lead me (I wished I had consulted Google Earth before going). I hoped it would take me south to some lakes that were in the area, or perhaps some meadows/bogs I didn't know about. I reached the end of the road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/HR1wYhLjGA1neeXu5 ), and hiked slightly further through a tiny clearing to the northeast, finding another road there, which I thought was the south fork past the entrance of this road. I then returned to the road/trail I was on, and started heading back, finding it had a branch to the left, which I then turned onto ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/M4xMq5cRuKpQtWUKA ). Further down that road, I discovered it WAS the road I had seen earlier! It turned east, and when it turned north, I decided not to go further up it, instead checking out a clearing with willows and a streambed to the southeast, hoping it would lead to something interesting ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/7UHxwEnHApZc6xPy6 ). I did see a discarded tire and cowpies, but other than that, nothing of interest, and didn't want to go any further. So, I returned to the road, and headed back to my bike. Where the road passed through a clearing northeast of the open meadow surrounded by willows, it had another south branch to the left ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/rbxVEcvytJLKNN8EA ). I might have checked it out as well, but didn't find anything of interest. I went to so many trails, things have become a blur. I finally headed back to Crescent road, ready for my next target, a long meadow with ponds on either end, the south one of which had some decent mud years ago which I had probed but never sank in. It was past a sideroad (trail) that was immediately across Crescent road from the road I was on ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/xoUztxq8S6pP8AsA8 ), looking as if it was all the same road, that was cut in two by Crescent Road. I had removed my hoodie, because I had been sweating, which was great to feel!

I crossed Crescent Road, and walked my bike northward up the road/trail because it was a rather steep climb. Once I was well out of sight of the road, I set my bike down, and got out my lunch and drinks, and continued up the road on foot, carrying the lunch and drink in a shopping bag, snacking on a Pizza Pop. When I reached the end of the road, I crossed the small clearing to the northwest side, where I saw the seasonal stream oriented northward ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/NKj9QadqsD44a1pe6 ). I followed the stream, which was just wet ground, until I could see a clearing, the meadow ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/n9CAQo8oVgrsPQr17 )!

I entered the southwest corner of the meadow, and saw that the south pond was empty, with no bare mud anywhere. It all overgrown with grass, with the oval shaped leaves of floating pondweed laying flat on the ground in between, a sign that there was water there earlier in the season. Years ago, there was an area of mud there that might have been a foot or more deep, when I probed it back then. Now, it was solid, but damp ground. I headed northward, along the west side of the meadow, where there were low spots where water used to be, until I reached the north side, where there was once again an empty pond bed, all grown over with grass. Nothing of interest. I crossed over to the east side, and walked up the hillside to a clearing along a ridge overlooking the stream from that side ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/1PcqdgFSyJ3xmhWKA ). I walked a little ways northward over the bare rock clearing, before turning around and heading back to the meadow. I then headed back southward, zig-zagging between the middle and the east side of the meadow, where it was also a low spot where water used to be as well. In general, early in the season, the meadow would have a pond at the north and south ends, and strips of water along the east and west sides. But now, it was all empty. When I reached the south side of the meadow again, I walked around to the spot I seemed to picture as having the mud that I had probed years ago, now just solid damp ground with grass and floating pondweeds in between ( Somewhere around here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/s4k8YPEHgjbfH32y5 ).

I left the meadow, and headed back along the seasonal stream, stopping to collect some brown seed pods from a white bog orchid, wrapping them up in the plastic wrap from my Pizza Pop. I planned on spreading the seed around some of my planters in my garden pond, including my "floating island carnivorous plants bog garden", to see if anything germinates. The last time I did this years ago, one Lady's Tresses orchid did germinate from seed, and has been coming up and blooming ever since. I snacked on another Pizza Pop along the road, finishing it just before I reached my bike, using that plastic wrap to further wrap the seed pods better to make certain everything was sealed. I headed down the road, back to Crescent Road, and was ready to head to my next destination!

There were two places I decided on checking out for the first time in years. One was a lake that was quite isolated from roads. Years ago, I was able to access it from a road from the north that went through a clearcut west of the lake. But, since then, the clearcut is now all regrown forest, and the road is likely grown over as well. Across a grassy meadow on the northeast side of that lake, was a small pond that contained the same type of mud that the Crescent Road pond contained, but was only a few feet deep, if I remembered correctly. The water in that lake and pond was high years ago, but who knows what it would be like now?

The other place was an E-W sideroad that passed by the north side of a pond or lake that was on the north side of a meadow, with other meadows in the surrounding areas. The water was high with nothing exposed years ago, but, once again, who knows what it would be like now? If I remembered correctly, both were to the west, between two E-W roads where Crescent Road turned north (actually, the southernmost E-W road was likely a continuation of Crescent Road, with the N-S road being Brewer Creek Road, according to Google Earth).

So, now I was ready to check out those two places, both of which were close by! My first target was the pond or lake with the side road on its north side, which I figured would be easy to reach, since that other lake might have to be accessed by another N-S sideroad from the E-W road to the north, if it still existed, since it was open back when there was a clearcut, but now it is all forest.

So, I followed Crescent Road until it turned north, and then headed northward, past the first W turnoff ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/GemWcerce1KNxNom7 ), into a region I hadn't been to in years! But, a little ways up the road, I came across something that made my heart drop! On the east side of the road, was a Danger active mining/No Trespassing type of sign, stating that there was a mining operation going on ahead! I couldn't believe it!!!!! I was minutes away from my first destination, and the section of the road was off limits!!!! I stood there, looking at the machinery on the side of the road, noticing that there wasn't anything going on. Since it was Saturday, that meant that the workers were off, and so the operation was shut down for the weekend! I didn't want to have to spend an hour or more to take a bunch of other roads to get around the operation to get to a place I could access in minutes from where I was! So, after several minutes of thinking I decided to take a chance, since it looked deserted for the weekend. I was just simply passing through ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/buQ7BBU6xbD87th58 ).

I headed up the road, stopping briefly to pick up some keys on the road and set them on top of a small rock on the side of the road where they could be seen. Continuing northward, I then passed by to the west of the machinery and continued further, spotting yet another sign to the east, this one saying that the area was monitored by trail cams! That had me a bit more nervous, since I was worried there might be a snapshot of me passing through, and I had to come back the same way! It seemed they were digging out a rock outcropping on the east side of the road, and it has been dug rather far back, compared to years ago, when it was closer to the roadside. It was a small dry operation, with no settling ponds. Finally, I felt relief when I passed another No Trespassing/danger active mining sign on the east side of the road, facing the OPPOSITE direction, meaning I was out of the restricted area. I continued on my way.

Further down the road, I saw a noticeable sideroad heading west, and wondered if that could be the one I was looking for. To be certain, I passed by it, heading northward until I reached the other E-W road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/7aiaCmdDCcR7PYW9A ), which was on the north side of a low, wet, willowy area ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/n3NeFU6NsT7xuQHP9 ), which represented my northern boundary. I noticed that the ridge to the south, overlooking that willowy area, was all clearcut ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/h5Yb9VbH6PWMngHR6 ), which was not there the last time I was in that area. After I reached the north E-W road, I turned around and headed back to that noticeable sideroad, hoping it would lead me to my first destination!

I turned west onto the sideroad and followed it, with it ending in a small clearing, where it branched into two trails, one to the forward left and one to the forward right. I dropped my bike off, and headed down the right branch, only to find it was all choked with fallen trees! I would climb over one clump of fallen trees, only to climb over another clump of fallen trees, only to have to climb over another clump of fallen trees, with no end in sight to the fallen trees blocking the trail! After a while, I gave up, and returned to the clearing, where I then took the other branch. But, once again, a little ways down, there were fallen trees followed by more fallen trees, followed by more fallen trees! That trail was also impassible, forcing me to return to my bike, where I returned to the road.

I then decided to go back to the northern E-W road at the bottom of the hill, to see if there were any sideroads leading away from it, that might lead me to the area. I turned up each sideroad I could find, only to find a dead end, although one led past a meadow to its east ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/37Zz2vnyfh8V6ggP8 ), which I checked out. The meadow was empty of water, although it was evident that it had low spots that used to hold water. Nothing of interest at all, being full of vegetation. I headed back to the road and continued westward further, checking other sideroads, without any luck. I was also looking for any signs/remnants of the old sideroad that would have taken me west of the large lake as well (I remembered it passing to the west of a meadow that had some nice mud to play in on its south end near a beaver dike), just in case it never got grown over. But, no luck, unless one of the sideroads I did check out was the beginning of it, but the rest of it was all grown over. I finally decided to turn around and head back the way I came, spotting the same meadow from this road that I saw earlier from a sideroad, but this time from the other (east) side ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/TzmVnB4XtLyV5iPx6 ), and took a closer look to verify it was the same one. I continued on to the N-S road, but first decided to pass it and went up one other sideroad, that seemed to meet another road. I then backtracked, and when I turned up the main road, it turned out to be the same road (can't find that sideroad on Google Maps/Earth, unless I got its location mixed up and it was the loop road west of the meadow I checked out earlier from both sides ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ah9Gsj4zDgB68W5e8 ). Or, perhaps it was a new road created since the imagery was taken (thought it was here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nh5rV9gir9QDEfTdA ) ). I generally found things a bit confusing.

Now, it was time for me to check out every single trail leading westward from that N-S road, so I passed the clearcut on the ridge just south of the E-W road I was previously on, since it didn't look interesting and just overlooked the willowy low spot that I had been through years ago. Scrutinizing the forest to the west of the road as I went, I then identified and turned down each trail I spotted leading west into the forest, usually with it petering out, often to an animal trail leading through the woods. I also revisited the trail that had the fallen trees as well. I found one trail that was obvious when heading south, but was easily missed heading north, because it was at an angle, heading southwestward ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/PX8iyUt5ACqnfXwP8 ). It also led to a dead end.

One trail I went on seemed a bit interesting, where after dropping my bike off on the trail and walking the rest of the way, it led westward to a N-S ridge trail, where I followed it northward, narrowing into an animal trail heading down westward to a very muddy and wet creekbed, with sitting water and deep water-filled cattle prints in the mud, which looked promising. I carefully stepped across it so as not to get my shoes wet, and headed up the hill on the west side. I tried to get a better view by heading up higher, and looked southward, but couldn't see anything through the trees. I then returned to the stream bed and followed it briefly southward for a bit. But, I didn't want to stray too far away from the trail in case I lost my direction, so I decided to turn back the way I came, finding the crossing and heading back to the trail again. I walked southward, briefly past the trail coming in from the east, to have a look at things, but all I saw were willows, before quickly returning to the original trail and heading back to my bike. Most of the trails I went on were north of that mining operation, with me feeling relief once I passed that restricted area one final time. There was one in a clearing south of the mining operation ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/pYaWV376Ay28WBwMA ) that turned north a fair ways, but once again, didn't lead anywhere interesting. I looked around the clearing for another trail, and tried to see if there was anything else of interest, but there was none.

I was disappointed that I couldn't find either of the two destinations I had targeted. I wondered if the trails have really been grown over or deactivated since the last time I was there. It looked like a Google Maps/Earth search would be in order once I got home, to try and see if any of the trails I was on was the right one. The results of that Google Maps/Earth search are reported on, with numerous map links, later on in this report. But anyways, onward with my adventure!

The sun all day had been a bit filtered by the smoke, but still shone strongly enough to make things feel nice and warm. But, after exploring all those trails, it was starting to get late, with the sun getting dimmer from getting lower in the sky with all the smoke. I needed to get back to my pond so I could have my final sink of the year before things cooled off too much!

So, I headed back to the familiar part of Crescent Road, and then the sideroad ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/1dBGPnB5j91yBJbv8 ), and then the sidetrail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/rkYW7hnXNdiBSE4f7 ) where I went under the fallen tree, sliding my bike under it as well, and then dropping my bike off at the usual place under some trees just west of a grassy clearing ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/xhatjefpd9WCA5hd7 ). I then headed to the bog ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ct5Arry5paBD5vDPA ), and set my things down in the usual spot in the alders. I got undressed, except for my sunglasses, and was ready for my final sink of the season!

The area was already shaded from the trees to the west, making it feel slightly cooler. But, at least I could enjoy a limited, waist-deep sink. I approached the patch of mucky ground just several feet north of my caged-in water-covered bog, and facing north, I stepped in, sinking to my waist in the sucking ground, feeling the thick mud underneath giving way! I struggled, and slowly sunk slightly deeper, the mud feeling nice and thick around my legs, with my middle parts hugged by the stiffer layer of rotten vegetation on top! I struggled, pushing my arms through the mat in front of me but to the sides, imagining that there was no escape from the deadly swamp, that soon I would be swallowed whole, with no sign of me left! Then, I lifted my hands out of the holes in front, and pushed them into two other previously made holes to my sides, where I could feel nothing but gooey, slimy muck, with nothing solid to push down on! Imagining there was no escape, I struggled, until my stimulation reached the exploding point!

Now, I was finished for the day! I worked myself up out of the hole, and pushed the surrounding displaced mud into the hole to fill it back up. I then turned to my main bog and pushed the mud that was on the grass from my previous exits there into the bog, finding that the mud pushed in rose above the water, prompting me to toss and push it further in to make it more even. Last time, the grass was too squished down to the water/mud level to move the mud off, and the mud was too watery, and flowed back in. But now, the grass had risen higher, making the mud on top of the grass thicker, making it easier to push the mud off better. I finished the north side, and then did the north part of the east side as well, and may have also tried a little on the west side.

With that done, I headed to the water, where I didn't have to get my upper body wet, and I never had to use "Nature's scrub brush" to loosen mud on my back, because all the mud was lower down and easily accessible by my hands. I was happy to see that even with the filtered sun during the day, the water was only cool, but not chilly. The air was also reasonably warm, with me not feeling chilled at all. I got out and air-dried, but even when I found a spot outside the tree shadows, the low angle of the sun caused the smoke to weaken it to the point that I couldn't really feel its heat, and there was no wind. So, it took forever for me to dry off. But, finally, I did get mostly dry. I found a leech on one of my feet (I didn't think it had fed yet), and I picked it up and tried tossing it into the water in the bog, but it was too sticky, even on the sides. So, I wiped it off on the edge of the bog, getting my hands muddy, forcing me to go to the pond to clean my hands again. Then, I had to wait for my hands to dry off before I could handle my camera. When my hands were finally dry enough, I sat down with my things, and swapped memory cards in my camera. I then headed over to my hidden sink hole just north of my bog, and took a photo of it:

2025 09 06 3D Crescent.jpg

Then, I turned around to head back to my things, but I took a wrong step, and one of my legs went through the mat of rotten grass, causing me to almost lose my balance, getting my leg all muddy! The same thing happened to my other leg, so I had both legs muddy, and in need of cleaning again! So, after setting my camera with my things, it was back to the edge of the pond, where I stood on the floating mat of grass, which sagged under the water from my weight, and I cleaned my legs off one final time, before heading carefully back to higher ground, taking care to step on solid grass tufts and not the rotten fragile stuff in between. After a bit more drying off, I finally got dressed and swapped memory cards in my camera again. I gathered my things, and after one final look at my flooded bog, not to be seen again until next year, I returned to my bike, put my things away, and returned to the sideroad, going under the fallen tree again at the entrance of the side trail. Then, as I passed by the second pond around 6 pm ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/J96JYLzAgkeC1XKW8 ), east of my main pond, I stopped to take a photo of the sun low in the smoky sky, having to adjust the position of the view repeatedly until a vertical stripe artifact vanished from the screen:

2025 09 06 3E Crescent Smoky Sun.jpg

Then, I headed back to Crescent Road, and then the main road, going slowly to watch for Shaggy Mane mushrooms that usually sprung up on the sides at this time of year. But, unfortunately, I came across only 3 clumps, with the first two clumps black inside (beside the first clump I saw the ground cracking, but the developing mushrooms underneath were too tiny), and the third single one barely having half an inch of white in its cap. So, this was the first time in years that I would end the season without any Shaggy Manes. The record heat must have delayed their appearance. My brother picked me up a little ways from the valley bottom, where the gravel ended and the pavement began ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/GL2iGBycfFGde1SJ9 ), and it was getting dark by the time he got me home.

After I got back home, I looked at Google Maps on the iphone, and later on, Google Earth on my iMac. As it turned out, the pond/meadow that a sideroad passed by the north side of, was to the NORTH of the northern E-W road, NOT to the south ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/TTAWk8LaKmtdZT259 )! If I had headed past the entrance to that E-W road, and continued northeastward, I would have found the sideroad I was looking for ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/f7hWLjduqPXSSiD68 )! I was soooo close! It was no wonder I couldn't find that area, because I remembered things all wrong! Instead, I went on a wild goose chase exploring every trail I could find on the west side of the N-S (Brewer Creek) road!

Looking at those trails on the west side of the N-S (Brewer Creek) road on Google Maps/Earth, I had trouble matching some of them with what I remembered on the ground. For example, this sideroad with the clearing ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/ufmZiTR2CDCWz6ku5 ) seemed to match the one with the two branches that were choked with fallen trees, because on the map it looks like the turnoff really stands out, the main reason I first targeted the sideroad that wound up leading to the small clearing with branched roads that were choked with fallen trees. But, on the map, it also clearly leads to a N-S ridge trail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/juUGEqCsxRyAQNdeA ) just like the one I followed that ended on the north at an animal trail that led through a muddy stream ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/nvLxf3Fwfz2hqxDP8 ) ! If this was the one with the ridge I went up, then if I had followed that stream further southward, I would have come across a meadow ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/aBh32Ge5cHtg37QV8 ) ! And, to the east of that ridge trail, if it was indeed the same one I went up, was another meadow ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/B81UTF5T3sDtKDTq6 )! I have been studying the map, and wracking my brain trying to figure out if any other trails might have been one or the other. Unless, this one: https://maps.app.goo.gl/NNCG5dzRE7cLDQg26 was the road that led to the forked road that was blocked by fallen trees ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/WYT5j2CESba35zZc9 ), but it shows a second turnoff which I didn't notice ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/M6Ppyp2kSbXKcH4h9 ), which could also be the one I went up that led to a small open area that branched into two trails with the fallen trees. I seemed to remember there being more shrubs around that area blocked with fallen trees, and this road that branched early into two seems to fit the bill. If only I was able to remember how far I had to go to get to the clearings with forks for each spot (shorter distance vs longer distance), then I would be able to verify which trails were which. Then, there is this sideroad with a shrubby entrance: https://maps.app.goo.gl/R8GBoZKjM7ASNnXH8 which appears to head towards a meadow, but stops on a ridge ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/JkF12PaQq8wiRtqG9 ), but the ridge doesn't look like it has a defined N-S trail, and the trees looked thin enough for me to see the meadow, which I didn't see. But, thinking about it, I seemed to remember that that sideroad with a shrubby entrance petered out into a smaller animal trail. My head has been going around in circles studying the map, trying to sort things out. The only way to clarify things would be to have a follow-up outing, but that would have to wait until next year, when I could verify my suspicions about the longer trail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/NNCG5dzRE7cLDQg26 ) leading to the fork with the fallen trees, and the shorter trail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/ufmZiTR2CDCWz6ku5 ) leading to the fork with one leading to the N-S ridge trail. Until then, I will have to keep on analyzing the map, and my jumbled, foggy recollections from that day.

As for that lake ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/tF1BNdsu74PusLMj7 ) that was previously accessed years ago by a clearcut to the west which is now regrown forest, NOW could be accessed by a clearcut to the EAST - the same clearcut overlooking the low willowy area to its north that I kept passing by on the road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/e5sgdQTkbHit2r256 )! If I followed it to the western tip, I would have just had to go south-southwestward through a tiny bit of bush and would come out at the small pond on the northeast side of the meadow that the lake was on the southwest side of ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZxJKenWAcbabJAJ49 )! Again, I was soooo close, and looking at Google Maps/Earth beforehand would have saved me all the trouble with checking every single trail I could find!

I knew where the long meadow north of Crescent Road was, and had no trouble finding it ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/WNzZF1ioFHnMWxQu9 ). But, looking at Google Earth, I now realize that there was a meadow or pond just to the east that I didn't know about ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/88H6MuotvCpj7XBQ8 )!

I also noticed that the southernmost point of the trails I hiked down in the morning south of Crescent Road fell closer than I thought between two lakes that I knew of, but wasn't certain of their exact location relative to where I was at the time! It turned out that I was just to the east of the northern tip of Doreen Lake (closest point to Doreen Lake: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7wgHPT2YQSpgCX1p6 ), which has a recreation site on the south end, and then I was a ways to the NNW of Roly Lake (hiking off the trail a little bit: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AMea1WJDoRTcLy3i8 )! If I had followed the willows southeast of that trail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/KfvyrzZL5AtpSAZD9 ), they would have led me to the lake ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/u8sQ7oQNmhMUe6eU8 )! Or, if I had hiked straight south from the southernmost part of the trail ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/iJmTMh1BCAK25MBa7 ), I would have reached a new clearcut located just west of the lake! It was an isolated lake I visited years ago from the south side, but it didn't have anything interesting back then, and what I recalled to be a meadow on the east side, now looked like part of the lake in the latest photo ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/YbDPeYwgsDLKRuMQA )! I didn't realize how close I was to those two lakes!

If I had planned for the possibility of my sinking spot still being flooded, I would have consulted Google Maps/Earth, and perhaps printed out photos of the area for reference in the back country, allowing me to home in on those locations! But, I did enjoy the exploration though, since I didn't know what I would find, loved a mystery, and for all I knew, I could have accidentally stumbled across a new sinking spot! But, it was a shame that it was my final adventure of the season, because I would have loved to have had a follow-up adventure to visit the places, now that I knew where they are, and even if the mining operation was active, I knew of a N-S sideroad further to the west ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/mjD8qN3BeYDbUSmv8 ) that would take me to the northern E-W road ( either https://maps.app.goo.gl/RKkLDQZX3iepEAV78 if the two sideroads do connect, or more likely here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oJQRJDqXF2TnBJjt5 ) , with me passing by some bogs and meadows along the way that are worthy of (re)exploration (this meadow https://maps.app.goo.gl/wTLA792EKmyciv3C8 and a cluster of other ones to the north and northeast of it)! One of them was a peat bog (can't remember which one) where I did punch a hole through years (decades?) ago, into bottomless coarse peat, with a tiny cleanup pool in the woods to the south. Don't know what it would be like now.

Looking at the map further, I noticed a marshy area just east of the north side of Wilma Lake ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yi5LiXJtRDm2Nfuk7 ). I remember years (decades?) ago, a marshy region east of the north side of a fishing lake that contained a spot with deep mud, and this appears to match up! I should perhaps check it out as well, since it is not too far away from my frequented area of Crescent Road. I just take this turnoff ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/nauhAJ5xvEMYKqgH6 ), and follow it all the way down to this clearcut ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/R3jwKC1PE1mK6de6A ) which is near that area and also Wilma Lake! I could also take a look at the lake, where I used to sink on the north side ages ago ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/9GH2SEXKsYkqHKrG9 ), but it is generally a bit too risky, because of more people fishing in that lake (I abandoned the lake ages ago when a tent was set up on an island https://maps.app.goo.gl/B2ezBfchfUkNv95q7 in that lake all season long). I have also been meaning to re-explore the stream with beaver ponds ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/2nj3emby6ZAWGmjB6 ) to see if anything gets exposed as well.

After doing all that exploring, perhaps I should consider revisiting other spots more, to see if anything new (or old) (re)opened up, in terms of sinking possibilities. I used to make use of a muddy area where a tiny seasonal stream flowed into the east side of what I called the "Edwin Lakes area pond", which is actually called "Sinclair Lake" ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmiMXb4twM1fuFa38 ). It served as my primary sinking spot early to mid season until the mud got too stiff, before switching over to my Crescent Road pond. But the sinking spot there is now likely solid and grown over with grass, although there could be adjacent areas that could be of use, or perhaps fresh sediment from the stream has been deposited further into the lake, extending the delta with new open patches of mud. A stream leaving Sinclair Lake flowing west, goes through a pond full of yellow waterlilies and black muck that has some depth to it, but you have to squeeze in between the waterlily rhizomes ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/YdoGNpusqbEZRQR6A ). On the Aberdeen Lake plateau to the east, some of the lakes there now look much lower on Google Earth/Maps than they were when I was last there years ago, with interesting looking areas exposed (just south of Aberdeen Lake: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5Z8y2JnNoKaYsLG26 https://maps.app.goo.gl/qqx7UW1WqBDUwqx27 , just southeast of Nicklen Lake: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6GxWJQN291GJ572t9 ) , but then, things could have changed since the photos were taken. Then there are the Jerry Lakes, some of which get low later in the season: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3xEkbLQbTBthoVn19 . That one pinned, when it gets low, has some nice claylike mud on the south side, which is around up to 3 to 4 feet deep in one spot. Also in a beaver trench to the east of the pond, is a spot where I poked a hole through the peat into softer mud below that was around shoulder deep, if I remember correctly.

Then there is this large meadow (I used to call it "Large Meadow West of Grizzly Hill" - https://maps.app.goo.gl/edSDJxwgXvnZ7CFbA ), which I used to frequent years ago, which at times had shallow to deep peaty mud exposed, and one pond (or actually lake) had dropped low for a while, resulting in a sea of deep mud (called it "Mud Lake Pond"), but beaver activity flooded everything ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/m5Yw5yEPhxgvH6Se7 ) to the point that even the surrounding meadow around the lake became submerged! This pond ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/iHo2pitdDSfzThkx5 ) used to have deep black mud exposed ages ago, like in 1998, which was up to around 8 feet in one spot! But it has been flooded by beaver activity. This pond ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/KcMP3Qi6XPemE2dd7 ) had a large peaty mudflat exposed on its south side, with stiffer peat below that would melt away to a bottomless depth when agitated when I first explored that area. But, it has since been flooded as well. And, to the east, is Grizzly Lake, with interesting looking areas ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/zasF25wwD3HJhb5b8 ) which appear to be much lower than years ago when I last went there (recreation areas are on the north end), just like the Aberdeen and Nicklen Lakes area I previously mentioned.

Then there is this lake: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1GCCE66bXnVL7BMfA which I haven't been to in ages, which when water levels are low, has some bottomless mud available between the grass/weeds on the east side, but you might have to poke a hole through it to get to it. In the bushes to the south, is a shallow pool of water that is spring-fed, with a silty bottom bubbling like crazy from the upwelling water, but it is choked with submerged tree branches/limbs. The forest to the east and northeast of it was boggy, and I found really deep mud localized, possibly where a tree fell over, no longer covered by its roots, if I remembered correctly.

The High Lake area with a second lake to the west of it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ffXcX9CmwLFHs6yM7 has some nice bottomless claylike mud that I used to be able to work myself into years ago, but it became too risky, with me having a close call there, forcing me to abandon the area. Back then, someone on an atv had just left the area, so with all quiet, I stripped and put junk shorts on just in case anyone came back, had a nice sink among the grass to the north of the connecting stream between the two lakes, near the east shoreline of the smaller lake, and got cleaned up in the northwest corner of High Lake. Just as I was getting dressed in the bushes by where I had just cleaned up, the atv returned, this time with trucks (I think it may have been two)! I had to sneak away to some lakes to the north to hike around (north and south of this pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bdjZVQ3k6Xn3eSVU8 ) while waiting for them to leave, only to later return and see them out in a boat fishing, forcing me to walk westward down a road on the north side of the lake past the other lake ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/fSjzWu7aZbg1TqiQ6 ) and quite a ways further west to the main forest service road ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/G1CANg6PdjuVLBFy6 ) which led back eastward to the trail that had my bike (somewhere in this area, which is now grown over: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FMBHKbMgZ7ncVCJC9 ), a lengthy walk. I didn't want to cross the meadow between the lakes to get to the trail through the woods that led to my bike to the south and have them see me, since I had left disturbed mud evidence in the area. I believe I also left behind my junk shorts, which I had to retrieve at a later date.

My old Harris Creek quicksilt slide area ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/VzcijfbEFBmFZ5oC9 ), when I last checked, was now regrown forest and solid , although I didn't have time to check it out thoroughly. What I referred to as "Moose Lake" would get some deep mud exposed on the northwest side ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/KrwTeKH2CxLZi4Pg7 ) if the water levels dropped enough. Also, somewhere in this general area ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/NmwzdzSvSRY7TZ5M6 ) there is an ice cold spring coming up in the trail, full of clay and rocks, which may be bottomless mud, but the rocks grinding on your legs tend to be painful.

All of the reviewing of many of my older sinking spots have me feeling a bit nostalgic. But alas, I am getting older, and many (but not all) of these places require a lot more biking up and down hills, which might be harder on me than it used to be, making me uncertain whether to stray too far from my current Crescent Road area, which is on a nice plateau. But then, some areas I could get my brother to drop me off at, and they are on another plateau, and the way back would be not so hard (mostly downhill), although because it is so much further out, I would have to call it a day and start back an hour earlier than I would on Crescent Road!

Of course, any places I would want to investigate would have to be late in the season, when water levels are low and if my bog is still submerged, or if it is exposed, then early in the day if I have to wait for things to warm up (but I would have to limit it to closer places so I can get back to my bog faster when things warm up).

It wasn't the final adventure of the year I had been hoping for. I thought that with all the dry weather, my bog becoming exposed would be a sure thing! But, it seemed that the water levels were slow to drop, even with all the hot dry weather (our region at the time was in a drought level 3 on a scale of 0 to 5). The previous year, I only went on 2 adventures, with the first one having exposed mud that sunk under water when disturbed, just like this year, but the second adventure last year at least had the mud almost fully exposed, with really enjoyable sinks that day, even though there was a little bit of water pooling on top. This year, no exposed mud at all on my second and third adventures, which was disappointing. And the surrounding grass, even on the west side of the bog, on the side facing away from the pond and towards the forest, which was usually quite solid, had pooling water or was soggy all season long, and getting soft! It seemed as though the water level in the pond was slowly creeping up higher and higher each year, trying to reclaim more and more of the surrounding meadow, which was increasingly dying and decaying, and taking my bog along with it! I am guessing that perhaps beaver activity is raising the dam on the south end, which means things could get even worse in the future. But, at least I was able to have a stimulating sink in the muddy hole just to the north of my bog.

Because the bog was still submerged, it forced me to change my plans for the day, forcing me to re-explore places I hadn't been to in years, which, as I already went into detail about, I wasn't totally prepared for, although the thought did cross my mind regarding studying the area with Google Maps/Earth before going, but it then slipped my mind.

I was happy that the sun was stronger than it was when I tried to go a couple days earlier, so things were warmer, but the extra two days weren't enough to drop water levels. I noticed that there were more cattle in the area than last time, but still not as much activity as in previous years. Through the day, I also came across more Spruce Grouse at least a couple of times. The orchid seeds from the pods I collected were spread around all my marginal planters and my carnivorous plants floating island in my pond, and I will have to see if anything sprouts next year. It will probably take a few years for any plants that do germinate to reach maturity and bloom with their cinnamon-scented white flower spikes.

But, next year, there are things that I can consider doing at my Crescent Road pond. I could scoop up mud from the pond bottom (or from parts of the meadow where the vegetation has rotted, giving easy access to the mud below) with a bucket and deposit it in my bog. It wouldn't take much to bring it up to the surface. Perhaps I should have done that last time instead of loosening it. Another option would be to open up a new bog in a new location by that pond, where it would be exposed earlier, and perhaps even in a spot further away from the trees, so that it doesn't get shaded in the late afternoon late in the season. Part of the meadow further to the north would be a good candidate, but might be more visible from the road. But then, it would be a lot of work using a keyhole saw to cut out another hole. But, on the other hand, the decaying meadow might now be easy to punch through without any tools. But, anyone else who happens to be familiar with the area (perhaps ranchers checking on their free range cattle on this multi-use recreation/hunting/fishing/forestry/mining/cattle grazing land) would become suspicious if another hole opened up, with a new stick cage, a sign that it was purposely opened up by someone, perhaps prompting them to install trail cams to catch the activity! Where I sunk several feet away from the north side of my bog, the mud seemed quite thick just under the carpet of rotten grass, but with the grass removed, it would be a few inches lower, and covered in water again, if I tried opening that area up, although mud could be added to top it up there as well.

So, with potential revisiting of older places and any work to improve my sinking at my Crescent Road pond, I have lots to think about for next season!

[Mynock]

Wow what an adventure!

Just a suggestion: If all that riding is becoming a little too much, look at a cheap E-Bike. I've rented a few for day trips this summer and they really help if you live in hilly areas and you're not Lance Armstrong.

[Boggy Man]

Wow what an adventure!

Just a suggestion: If all that riding is becoming a little too much, look at a cheap E-Bike. I've rented a few for day trips this summer and they really help if you live in hilly areas and you're not Lance Armstrong.

It was quite an interesting day for sure! I will be certain to be more prepared in the future with maps! With all the extra exploring, I felt that including pinned Google Maps links would make it a bit easier for readers to get a better picture of exactly where I went, and this time I also linked to places from my past adventures (stretching back into the 1990's), a number of which are worth revisiting in the future.

So far, my riding these past years hasn't been too much, because I never really needed to go further than my Crescent Road pond, with my favourite bog, when it is exposed. When the mud is soooo enjoyable, no need to look anywhere else and miss out on sinking time there! But, when I do extend my range of biking on an adventure, I do get concerned about when too much is too much, because I could go from being okay with extending my activity a fair bit, to suddenly getting hit with stubbornly persistent pain if I cross some unknown invisible threshold (may be delayed until much later, long after the threshold is reached by hours or a day/night), which I have been overly cautious not to get anywhere near! But, I may be limiting myself because I may still be able to handle more than I realize, and could extend my range after all. I have sometimes thought about E-bikes, but they would be heavier than normal bikes, and when I park my bike in the wilderness, I have to lift it up over logs and stuff to hide it. I find my back gets sore enough with lifting my current bike over things as it is. I also worry about how much climbing a charge will last through. But, with my brother giving me a lift into the mountains, getting me past all the climbs and into the plateau, and perhaps other plateaus in the future, I should be able to handle things okay.

[cbqdbq]

What does your brother think you go out there to do? I think you've said your parents don't know what you do (but from what others have said on this site over the years, they may know and just hope you always come back safely!).

[Boggy Man]

What does your brother think you go out there to do? I think you've said your parents don't know what you do (but from what others have said on this site over the years, they may know and just hope you always come back safely!).

My family knows how much I really enjoy cycling and hiking through the backcountry, and I sometimes show them the odd photo I had taken of a flower, a rabbit, a grouse, etc. I have been hiking through the backcountry since I was a little kid back in the 70's, and want to keep up my activities for as long as my body lets me!