handling privacy when bog exploring

[lonesinker]

I hike at this interesting marsh in a conservation area and was always concerned with anyone showing up when I was out there, I always go alone. The area I go to has many trail areas that people use and a few awesome mud spots are close to the trail and some are a little off the trail but visible if someone really pays attention. I saw an interesting spot and jumped in,it was off the trail but camouflaged with tall weeds,this mud spot was another gluey one and about 4-5 deep. I got out as quick as I could and panicked a little and was quite smeared and hoping no one would have walked by, I really wasn't ready for that. This was also late morning when mountain bikers or hikers could have been out and about.
I decided to avoid anyone I would go out here very early,it was around 4 30 am still a little dark,that was the only problem, I got to the spot and wallowed around for a good 30 min or so un interrupted,it was a nice experience being in mud that deep,so I would say in high traffic areas you may want to go early mornings. I brought myself a little kit with paper towels and a few large bottles of water to quickly clean up afterwards.
I went in shoeless and also had to bring a small flash light,it was a little dark at first. Obviously being in the marsh their are a few other unknowns ,visibility is lessened ,wandering fox, even bears and moskitoes but It all worked out,there is a lake about 15 min walk to wash off.

Lots of logistics to consider, just thought id share this,anyone else have mud spots where privacy is limited? how did you handle it?

I love bog exploring but really dont want to get caught,that would ruin it.

[bogbud]

I don't go in the dawn but in the dusk. The major advantage is the setting darkness but also the late time. This means there is a smaller risk of being seen by neighbours who could be around in the morning but not in the (very) late evening.

[joedeep130535]

Why are we so desperate to stay hidden? I do understand that one may not want to be seen by friends/neighbours or even in one's local area. I travel a good distance (90 miles) to my favourite mud & frankly I am not bothered if I am seen. I go to the less frequented parts of my estuary but if I am seen -well too bad What I/we are doing is legal . I do not infringe the laws of indecent exposure so if anyone does see me the simple statement of "having a mudbath" has to suffice I have never had anyone offer to join me (live in hopes) but neither have I had any abuse ,only a certain amount of interest & a few stares Maybe we should come out of our closets & accept that being seen,by strangers, is not a disaster but a minor irrtation

[mud_dreamer]

If you are concerned about what impression being seen covered in mud might cause, maybe bring a "Prop".
I have carried a fishing rod with me on occasions. You need to have a fishing license just in case a Game Warden stops you.

Butterfly net
Frog gigger and mesh bag (need license)?
Old plastic 5 gallon pale (you are cleaning up the environment... you are a hero). Use bucket for cleanup later. Have a backpack... all good environmentalist have backpacks with lots of survival tools.

Sooner or later someone is going to see you and if you don't engage or just stay calm, IMO it won't go anywhere. You could be silent and they will think that you are homeless and they will leave you alone. Saying too much may arouse their curiosity to try to figure out what you are doing.

[Sinkman61]

Personally, I think that with well over a thousand videos on YouTube of people sinking down deep into the mud, that we ought to come out of our closets and enjoy our mud in full view of others. After all, I’m certainly not aware of any laws making it illegal to go and allow yourself to sink down in deep mud. Furthermore, the majority of respondents on those videos say stuff like “I wish I was there right next to you”, or stuff like “that mud looks so inviting!!!” Occasionally I see post that question what we’re doing, but they’re very rare. And even then they’re not be critical...they’re just curious as to why we’re going into deep mud. Frankly, I’d be willing to bet that out of every 10 people you could talk into joining you, 9 would definitely go and do it again...and again, again, and again. Well, you get the picture. I think most people don’t do it simply because they’re scared. They’re scared that they might get stuck, or worried about what others will be thinking about them. Personally I’m much too old to be worried about what others think about me. We’re certainly not damaging anything. We’re not breaking any laws (well, for some, they’re trespassing). The places I go get covered over with the tides at least twice a day. That erases any evidence that I was ever even there. My footprints and all simply vanish with the tide. I’m going this afternoon. I may do some of my exploring in full view of others. Besides, I’m curious if I can get others to join me and try it for themselves. Let’s face it. Being neck deep or more in soft, silky mud that’s squeezing your entire body throughout is an absolutely AMAZING EXPERIENCE. There’s not much out there in the world that feels anything remotely like it or is nearly as intense. It’s a amazing experience that far too many people never get to experience for themselves. Frankly, they’re missing something that should be experienced in life. The only disadvantage I see is having others constantly using my favorite spots. I’ve always said, DON’T KNOCK SOMETHING DOWN UNTIL YOU’VE TRIED IT FOR YOURSELF. You don’t know what you could be missing. I’d hate having to go through life missing this fantastic experience.

[CreamyClayK]

It really depends on the specific situation. If you're open to explaining the fetish then go ahead and do so, no problem. If you want to keep your fetish in the closet then bring props. I know someone else said that but I have some ideas you don't need a fishing license for. if the mud is by a river or creek, bring a canoe or kayak. if you get caught in the mud just say "Chose a bad place to stop and rest!" and laugh it off. If there's no water nearby, bring a bike and leave it tipped over on the side of the pit. Say that you were new to off road biking and lost balance/control. i'm sure there's plenty of excuses and cover ups you could use. Another thing, scout the place out. not just the mud, but the nearby trails. Wait around for a while and see how many people pass by and how visible the mud is from all angles

[mud_dreamer]

One other time, I am sure that I created some suspicion. I had kayaked in on a local stream that has decent mud. I was sinking pretty far from any homes etc.

I wanted to see how close I was to a bike trail that I knew was close. So I started hiking toward it. I was ready to step onto the trail when a guy rode by on his bike. He stopped pedaling and looked right at me. I just said, "Hi". I was wet but not muddy. He must have wondered how the heck I got there and why was I wet.

About a week later I approached that spot on bicycle. Sure enough that same guy was on the trail. We passed each other a couple times. I have abandoned that spot because I found several better spots that are much easier to access. The privacy there was good, but a few too many submerged branches and stagnant water.

Hmm, with all the high water we have been having, maybe that spot would be worth a visit. It's probably not blown out and the vegetation may not have taken over. I can do that one during the daylight and not worry about being seen. I just have to get on/off the bike trail when I know there is no one coming in either direction.

[Sinkman61]

This is a follow up for my previous post, I did go to my favorite area that afternoon. The area lies on the barrier island between Saint Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. The tidal mud banks are to the west by the Eastern shore of the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s about a mile and a half walk (o bike ride) along a trail that runs between the Eastern shore of the Intracoastal Waterway and a parking lot. Because it was Father’s Day, there were about 5 - 6 boats pulled up just to the north where the trail ends at the Intracoastal Waterway. Unfortunately, they were in the direction I would normally transit after getting to the waterway, making it nearly impossible to get to my favorite area (and stash my bike in a concealed hiding spot). So on this day I simply wasn’t going to be getting to my favorite mud banks, as they’re too are to the north. I still could’ve gotten to them, but it would’ve required me to backtrack and cut through the woods on the north side of the trail. Cutting through the woods requires one to be especially vigilant, as this area is well known for being a habitat for the Pigmy Rattlesnake as well as the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. I wasn’t feeling particularly vigilant that day, so I decided to look somewhere else. Thus, when I got to the Eastern shore of the Intracoastal Waterway, I decided to head south along the beach instead. This part of the beach is known for having a large amount of annoying mud making it not so good a place to lay out sunbathing or having one’s kids play. Thus, it’s usually free of boaters and others looking for a spot to sunbathe. But it’s a fantastic place for someone on the hunt for quicksand. And I most certainly was, because there wasn’t going to be any sinking in my usual spots. I certainly found plenty of quicksand. I tried out a few areas and found that they were only thigh deep, so, I headed a bit further to the south where I found quicksand gold. However, all of this area was completely exposed to boaters and numerous jet skies that were going up and down the waterway. Regardless, I decided to try the quicksand regardless. I proceeded to start sinking in the quicksand while standing in full view of any boats that would pass by. And many did as I sank down deeper and deeper. Despite sinking down to the nipples on my chest, NOT ONE SINGLE BOAT OR JET SKI ever bothered to stop and investigate. Nobody ever asked if I needed any help whatsoever. And yet, there I was, in plain view, apparently stuck deep down in quicksand right smack in the middle of the beach. After a short and enjoyable stay in the quicksand, I decided to explore an area of mud that was just inland from the beach. This spot was well hidden from any boaters, as there was a high bank of old oyster shells between it and the beach, blocking the any view from boaters. I walked down the bank and took a large step out into the mud where I quickly sank down to my belly button. I could feel hard ground at that depth beneath my feet. But the mud was absolutely amazing. It was silky smooth, like the texture of partially melted peanut butter. It was around 3-4 feet deep. This area certainly wasn’t going to be setting any record for it’s depth, but the consistency of the mud was pure bliss...it was A DREAM COME TRUE. I decided that instead of doing my normal full vertical submergence sink, I would sink down horizontally, allowing my body to take a fantastic mud bath. So while most of my body had already sank about 2 feet down, I started stripping off my mud filled cloths and tossed them over to the bank. Here I was, about 50 feet away from the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway, taking myself a mud bath in some of the most glorious, silky smooth mud I’ve ever seen. I laid out as deep as I could with just the tip of my nose exposed so I could still breath. I remained there practically motionless for about an hour. When it became time to get myself cleaned up, I walked up over the shell bank and down into the Intracoastal’s water. It turned out to be a great day for sinking after all. I’m looking forward to going back, only this time with a breathing hose and swim goggles.

[enerj29]

For me, I’m always concerned with privacy, especially since I like to sink naked. Even if clothed and muddy, I’d personally prefer not to encounter anyone. But, as we all know, that’s often not something entirely under our control. The place I most often go to is a small park about 45 minutes outside the city I live in. There’s a nice little pond that has great mud when the water is low. However it’s about a five minute walk away from the stream that I clean off in. I generally just risk it, and walk over to the stream muddy but with shorts on. One nice thing, is that I can get a view of the parking lot first. And get a sense of how many people, if any are around.

I wish we could come out and make mud play a thing, but I feel that’s an uphill battle since this is still pretty much a niche interest. However, last year I visited a mud beach in Croatia. The mud was only a few inches deep, but it was viewed as ‘healing mud’ for your skin. And you know what? You had all kinds of people, old and young, smearing this dark black mud all over their bodies. I gotta tell you, being able to walk around covered in mud out in the open, with other mud people around was amazing. I was with a few families I know and we all got covered up and rolled around in the mud. It felt kinda weird to be getting muddy with other people, but something I will never forget.

[Sinkman61]

The niche thing seems to only be here in good ‘ol stuck up America. From watching lots of YouTube videos, and they’re literally in the thousands, getting muddy is the norm in many other countries around the world. Just here in America, where your cloths have to be perfectly white, and your teeth need to glow in the dark, does getting muddy seem to be an issue. The mud here is nearly all black too and is absolutely loaded with minerals that healthy skin needs. But here Americans would rather give their skin those minerals by smearing all different kinds of lotions containing all sorts of chemicals all over themselves rather than use what nature already provides. I’ll stick to nature. And as I no longer care if I get caught (except when I’m naked...and like you, yes, I prefer to sink in my birthday suit, as I love the way the mud feels on my skin), should I get caught, I’m just going to give them the health benefits of it and HOPEFULLY entice them to join me. With the exception of just one spot here, I don’t protect any areas from others who would like to join in on the sinking. That one spot, however, is VERY private and is the perfect place for butt naked sinking. Sunday, however, I sank naked regardless, even with a fishing boat nearby. They were just way too engaged in their fishing to pay attention to anything I was doing. It’s ju a really good thing that I can get out even faster than I can sink in, because the guys fishing NEVER NOTICED some guy who had sunk down to his neck in seriously deep mud along the side of the same tidal creek they were fishing in.

Unfortunately, I sense the end to the first half of the 2019 mudding season. The mud isn’t as cool as it was just a few weeks ago. It’s starting to warm up really fast. That’s a real bummer because up until now, sinking down spread out about 2 feet beneath the surface was a terrific place to hang out for a hour or so while your skin rejuvenated itself by soaking up all those minerals and becoming really soft was a perfect way to spend a hot afternoon without anyone ever bothering you (or even knowing you were there for that matter). But by the end of August the mud becomes so hot it’s rea uncomfortable and you don’t want to go near it. The second half of the season starts around the beginning of October. The air’s cooling off enough that the now very warm mud actually feels good for the next couple of months. Unfortunately, the water cools down much faster, so by the beginning of November you’re going to want to start sinking with at least a thin wetsuit, and by mid December nothing less than a thick wetsuit will do. But if you’re immune to cold water, you can probably get by with little to nothing because the mud stays warm right until the end of December. Obviously the water issue comes into play during the cleanup afterwards.