HNNG, so excited! I might finally sink! Help me plan...

[Nessie]

I'm a bit late to this but I wish you luck...and hope you won't mind telling us how it went if you get there.

Warning: If you succeed, you may find that this becomes addicting. But don't worry! It'll keep you in great shape!

Nessie

[Northerner]

This is too risky and weird to become a habit of mine. I'm just doing this for research, so I can draw better quicksand art.

Hopefully I don't stay out too late, and can give a quick report back late tonight. I imagine the full write up will not come until tomorrow though. I thought about drawing some females at this location.. well, I'll just say, finding this exposed lake bed has been very inspirational to me.

[mud_boi]

Can't wait to hear about it!

[TAP_bagan]

When I lived in grand prairie I had a nice place in the forest across the street. After I was done I just hosed myself off stripped then left my clothes behind the storage building and change into a spare set. Then let the muddy clothes dry in sun. Then come back later clean them off.

Good Luck.

[Northerner]

Well this was quite an adventurous night.

I have been breathless all week about this opportunity, so when the time came to actually do the deed -- well frankly I had a hard time calming down!

I ended up wearing two pairs of socks surrounded by one pair of tights. (The socks were supposed to keep mud out of my toenails, I had read some discussion about it being hard to clean mud out of fingernails and toenails). Overall the tights did a good job of keeping mud from sticking to my skin, clean up was pretty simple, just slipped off my muddy clothes into a waiting trash bag. But there was STILL mud under my toenails... luckily it was not hard to clean out in the shower though... paranoia much?

I eagerly stepped out onto the lakebed, imagining if I stood still, I would keep sinking, descending into a world of silken clay.

In reality, most of the lake bed was not anything like perfect clay, nor was it so deep. It was fun to walk around the ankle-deep flats, but it was not a liquid-clay playground as I had hoped.

My own nerves kind of spoiled my mood. Also, the mud itself did not turn out to be as nice as I had romanticized it to be.

I did find a few deeper parts (I almost worked down to my crotch), but the texture wasn't doing it for me. Plus, wimpy wimpy scared!! I kept imagining what would happen if somebody happened upon me, or what would happen if I had problems cleaning up.

Right now I am just glad to be back home and clean. But, I consider my sink to be generally successful! I am feeling pretty good that I actually went through with it! Had I been in a better state of mind, I could have found it a little more enjoyable.. but hey.. you could say I am no longer a mud "virgin" -- haha, as long as you understand I'm using the word virgin in the non-sexual sense!

[Northerner]

nothing says you cant do it again...congrats on losing your virginity! Now...do i WANT to try to picture you in tights?

Haha, I always thought the guys sinking in tights / pantyhose on YouTube were a little unusual. And then I go and become one of them!

I am a reasonably fit guy, but in my opinion, I probably looked pretty weird in them, 'cuz that's certainly how I FELT!! I'm not sure it was a necessary precaution, this mud was not too clingy or clay-like after all.

It sounds like you have had some fruitful sinks, so if you ever feel like regaling us with a tale, please do so! For a while, I will be preoccupied with thinking about how "mediocre" my own sink was.

[PM2K]

Congrats on getting your feet wet, so to speak! This is just the beginning, so try not to let early frustrations discourage you. That's all part of this...

It took me years to find and develop a good spot for sinking, and even then, it still has its frustrations. This year was a complete disaster for me sinking-wise, as my spot was compromised twice by people parking in my spot along the highway, which weirded me out seriously as there is nothing to access from there except the wetland where my mudpit is. Still don't know what that was about...

I made it there two other times, only to find it first, dried out due to the endlessly dry weather, then a month later drowned in a foot of water after the rains came. And that's that.

I'm done for 2012, but hope to return 2013...

But that is also part of it. Because your lake bed didn't work out for now, doesn't mean it won't in different conditions. You can also keep looking for a new spot as well. For me, marshes are great because you already have cover from prying eyes in the form of reeds and grasses and such. And be willing to engineer it a bit to your liking.... getting rid of debris, wallowing in it to loosen and dig deeper to a depth you like. May take a few trips, but the end result will be worth it.

[Nessie]

But there was STILL mud under my toenails... luckily it was not hard to clean out in the shower though... paranoia much?

I dunno...I don't even try to get my toenails, or fingernails, clean. All summer long they're just chronically grubby and nobody seems to question this.

In reality, most of the lake bed was not anything like perfect clay, nor was it so deep. It was fun to walk around the ankle-deep flats, but it was not a liquid-clay playground as I had hoped.

Unfortunately reality rarely measures up to the fantasy. Over time I learnt to work with what really is as opposed to yearn for what isn't. If it's cold, get a wetsuit or waders or whatever you need...if it's got sticks, wear something on your legs...keep changing footwear 'til you figure out what works for you...

My own nerves kind of spoiled my mood.

I'd class that as another thing that gets better over time.

The first few times I sank alone, I kept thinking that THE ENTIRE WORLD could somehow see me. After awhile I came to realize that really, there was not going to be a crowd lurking in the cattails with binoculars pointed at me. But I really do believe that one has to get a few successes under one's belt before the confidence builds. You're there for what really is an oddball, personal, probably fetish reason and you DON'T want people to see you do and it takes time to begin to believe that really and truly, people are not only not there but they're not likely to be interested in being there.

It sounds like you handled everything well. Actually, just getting in and out is a big achievement for awhile.

Congratulations. You are "No Longer A Mud Virgin"!

Nessie

[Northerner]

This year was a complete disaster for me sinking-wise, as my spot was compromised twice by people parking in my spot along the highway, which weirded me out seriously as there is nothing to access from there except the wetland where my mudpit is. Still don't know what that was about..

Maybe they were there to sink? This lakebed had quite a few other people's footprints on it. A lot of people seem to enjoy playing in the mud.

I would be reluctant to leave my car in an unusual place, in plain sight. Last night I had to hike an extra 15 minutes each way because I parked my vehicle in an inconspicuous place. And I was STILL worried about being discovered somehow!!

Sorry to hear you had a bad year...

The first few times I sank alone, I kept thinking that THE ENTIRE WORLD could somehow see me. After awhile I came to realize that really, there was not going to be a crowd lurking in the cattails with binoculars pointed at me. But I really do believe that one has to get a few successes under one's belt before the confidence builds. You're there for what really is an oddball, personal, probably fetish reason and you DON'T want people to see you do and it takes time to begin to believe that really and truly, people are not only not there but they're not likely to be interested in being there.
Nessie

You are totally right, of course... Today I am kicking myself, thinking "What was I worried about!?" I kinda feel like the first time I had sex... too anxious to really enjoy it.

I would like to give it another try, but, perhaps not any time soon. If the summer warmth sticks around a few more weeks I might get another chance. There is another spot, about 5 minutes from my home, but no inconspicuous parking nearby.. so back to PM2K's discussion... is it OK to just leave your car on a road? Yikes, that's pushing it for me, I have to be totally ninja.

[Boggy Man]

There is another spot, about 5 minutes from my home, but no inconspicuous parking nearby.. so back to PM2K's discussion... is it OK to just leave your car on a road? Yikes, that's pushing it for me, I have to be totally ninja.

If it is only 5 minutes away by car, then perhaps you can go for a long walk to and from there, and avoid the parking problem altogether.