Close Calls?

[Mynock]

I have a ready made excuse set up so maybe that's why I'm not quite as worried about it. The quarry I do my sinking in doubles as the local off road park after buisness hours, the owner has made it clear he doesn't mind us using it as such and only puts "No Trespassing" signs up for liability reasons. I always bring my partner in crime along (good friend who also likes 4x4 and sort of/kind of shares the interest) so if I'm ever actually caught I plan to just start laughing like a loon and say she dared me to jump in.

[bart1997]

...

[dk_angel7]

Expect more security at the quarry.

It will either be extra coverage by law enforcement or private security.

Both will be looking for one thing, trespassers. They will not care what the reason is for the trespass.

People who will take NO time to understand what we do (why we do it) AND thrill at totally degrading others caught in whatever act we do will would have a field day.

People talk and media broadcasts. So if caught, pray it is not a slow news day.

Some of these sicko's will add to your hell by calling a reporter saying "so-in-so was caught doing this today"! Too many people like to hear about "kinky" stuff other people do.

If you doubt me just look at the trash they sell at the checkout stands at the grocery store.

The greatest threat to us and our activities is HUMAN.
Second is the wild life.
Third is terrain, climate, and weather.
The quicksand we find is the last.

[Lonewolf222]

The greatest threat to us and our activities is HUMAN.
Second is the wild life.
Third is terrain, climate, and weather.
The quicksand we find is the last.

Said in an "almost" artistic way. I can appreciate if someone were to remember this comment to a T for later usage. This could be a near poetic warning to future visitors here. Were a small time group you know on this forum.

I'm sure most are aware that were one of the smaller "interest" groups out there. Best we keep a good reputation on it as we nearly always have. Being friendly is one part of this battle, the others discretion.

[Nessie]

The greatest threat to us and our activities is HUMAN.
Second is the wild life.
Third is terrain, climate, and weather.
The quicksand we find is the last.

I agree. And that's poetry.

I have significantly reduced the human threat by using only public lands. I don't think it's a coincidence that the original post here describes a problem from a human.

The only actual problem I ever had was with a human too, and I wasn't in the mudpit at all. It was that idiot with the pickup truck who decided that girls that he meets on trails near creeks are potential dates. He wasn't actually violent, but I have been careful with that location since.

I see a lot of people on trails. I no longer even blink. The farther out one goes, generally, when you do see a human, they'll be of better quality overall. Most of the bad humans hang out on the bad streets in the big bad city. Bad humans don't hike wildlife areas mostly...they prefer drugs, thuggery and robbing convenience stores.

Other than that -- nada, zilcho, zero, zip and none. Never been stuck, never even had a problem exiting a pit. Wildlife: I've had to chase frogs out before I sink a couple times, and once I refused to sink in a mudpit that had live snails on top (it's their home...I just couldn't). Once crayfish moved into my mudpit after I got out. They liked the little layer of water I left and suddenly there were three in there. I got a picture of one up close. I've seen carp puzzled when they can't swim through peat. Biggest animal seen so far: Deer. Poison snakes are rare here.

Weather: Probably more of a concern here than animals because I don't stop 'til it literally freezes and there's snow. Just, the camera has been put away for the year now. I am not documenting cold-weather sinks any more. They all look the same.

Cold mud, I got to be careful about, but no problem really. In my early years I did make one boo-boo where I was cattail-crawling in hip waders and accidentally flooded them, dousing my butt and pant legs with cold water in the spring. Brrrrr, I'd ridden my bike and put the boots in the basket, cold ride home.

I have long ago lost count of how many times I've been to deep mudpits.

Nessie

[cududes]

I've had a few over the years. Almost got caught by an ultralight airplane.

The best was when my girlfriend and I just finished doing the old nasty in a puddle of mud. I laid back in the river neck deep letting the water flow over me. My girlfriend was busy scubbing away and she had just put her top back on and was in waist deep water. About then a couple of guys said "HI". Scared the crap out of me. They were floating by in a canoe. We visited a bit and they just kept floating. Had they been five minutes sooner they would have got a nice showing.

[reisen55]

I was leaving my sinking spot a few years ago, I leave the plastic bag with the dirty stuff in it at a gate and walk down to my car, parked on the road. As I was walking down, a pick up truck pulled INTO the driveway that led up to the gate. They saw me and my condition was FAR from clean, so I decided to wave, double quick time down to the car and get the hell out of there. I last saw them pawing their way around the bag and sped off, taking several off road turns and exploring back country and have NEVER gone back there again.

[Salem]

my one and only spot (as of now) is actually a little risky in a way. it's a swampy pit i found one day just by great luck. i'd a nice mixture of thick dark mud and creamy clay, mostly mud though, like 80%. i devoted a lot of work to making this pit a good size of 3'x7' and around 4' deep. it's usable but not the best due to the amount of sticks it has in it and the location ( both bearable, but annoying). it's in the middle of a swampy low laying area in NJ with a small slow river running through it. good. but the bad is..... it's right next to a big apartment complex and shopping center AND has a neatly paved, somewhat popular jogging / biking trail. the actual pit is around 300' away from the trail and thankfully out of sight, but not out of sound >.> literally every time someone passes by i can hear them talking or laughing or whatever. i know they cant see me and the access to the pit looks absolutely undetectable. like no one's gonna pass by and think "hey that looks like a path in the woods, let's see where it goes". im usually not worried at all, but there's have been a few times where my heart was racing pretty good. it's always due to the voices of people that walk on the trail but seem to stop and stay within earshot for a good minute. it's far enough that i cant make out what they're saying but close enough to know they're there. they eventually move along but damn people, it's a walking trail, not a standing, hanging around trail. haha. and to be honest it makes it a little more exciting in a way. to know you're doing something naughty and secretive, and so close to getting caught but still having the reassurance that there's such and incredibly slim chance of actually getting caught. still, i really should find a better spot, i need deeper, cleaner mud.

[beachbum]

Where is NJ is this? I'm a NJ guy also.

[Salem]

Plainsboro Township, Central NJ