How deep can i go? (in nothing but mud)

[jagfiles]

Good point Nessie. Everyone does have good points though

[Nessie]

Good point Nessie. Everyone does have good points though

And on that note...if there is anyone present who knows anything at all, please contact the Richmond, Virginia police department.

This information was already posted online at Deep Sinking by his girl friend and I have already posted it here...it's not like it's a secret or anything by now.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/9136340/sear ... ected=true

And he's got a very lonely, sad girl friend who, as of last September, was still grieving.

http://sailgersor.livejournal.com/1039.html

Nessie

[Jon Smith]

I find that mire that is liquified by water is more difficult to sink in.
When I fell in a peat bog, it didn't require any effort to sink. In fact, I went under. I was wearing my usual outfit (rainsuit and lifejacket), I stepped in the bog and sank deep, since I continued to sink, I held still and soon I went under, lifejacket and all. I was able to climb out easily too. I didn't even get soaked.
Most other bogs require time and effort to sink to or past the desired level: armpit deep. Buoyancy is apparent when there is enough water, making it difficult to sink. I was sucked to my armpits a few times in this kind of mud, but this is rare. With a lifejacket, I can't usually go any deeper than chest deep, unless I struggle.
This is when I can go elsewhere than my main spot. I can't because I am always busy with life, and my car hogs gas (15 miles per gallon) as well as it can't go off road at all, so I can't really get around to good mud spots that I can sink deep in.

[Boggy Man]

I find that mire that is liquified by water is more difficult to sink in.
When I fell in a peat bog, it didn't require any effort to sink. In fact, I went under. I was wearing my usual outfit (rainsuit and lifejacket), I stepped in the bog and sank deep, since I continued to sink, I held still and soon I went under, lifejacket and all. I was able to climb out easily too. I didn't even get soaked.
Most other bogs require time and effort to sink to or past the desired level: armpit deep. Buoyancy is apparent when there is enough water, making it difficult to sink. I was sucked to my armpits a few times in this kind of mud, but this is rare. With a lifejacket, I can't usually go any deeper than chest deep, unless I struggle.

How easy or deep you can sink depends on a combination of water content and type of mud.

Organic mud, such as peat, is of a low density, allowing you to easily sink deep, or even under. I find that once I reach my buoyancy point, which is usually around armpit deep, when I go in deeper, I remain at equilibrium with the mud, where I can struggle and stay at that level without rising back up. I could pull myself under, and struggle, and stay under until I physically climb or work myself back up to the surface. The more water content, the easier it is to sink down in it. If it is the consistency of milkshake, then you can jump in, and land ear deep, and can easily pull yourself under quickly, and climb back up to the surface. The thicker the mud gets, the longer it takes to sink down or climb back up. If the organic mire is so thick that it is fairly stiff, then it could take a lot of work to sink deep, and there is a point where it is so thick that you can't sink in it at all.

Mineral-based mud, such as sand, silt and clay, are much heavier, and therefore of a higher density. So, you can have more difficulty sinking deep in it. The more water it contains, the deeper you sink before reaching your buoyancy point, but it won't be as deep as in organic mud of the same water content. When it is loose enough to readily flow, even without movement, you could keep popping back up to your buoyancy point like a cork after working yourself deeper, or even if you try going under. Get a little thicker, where there is increased resistance, you might be able to force yourself deeper than your buoyancy point to some extent, and stay there if you stand still, but when you move, you will rise back up again. Of the mineral-based muds, clay is the easiest to sink deeper in, because of the way it swells when water is added to it, which can help lower its high density (bentonite is a good example). So, you can have an easier time forcing yourself under in clay than in silt or sand, as long as it is thick enough to provide enough resistance to hold you down when you are still. But, move a bit, and you will rise back up. But, if the clay is extremely thick and resistant to flow, you could be able to work yourself down deep, and it could hold you in place even if you struggle, making it more work to get back up (in some cases could be dangerous if you can't push your head back up through the thick clay to the surface, or dig it away from your face before suffocating).

But, things can get complicated if the mud has different layers of varying water content. Thinner mud could be covered with a layer of thicker mud, which could make it easier to go down deeper, since you can use the resistance of the thicker layer to force yourself down deeper into the looser stuff below. Or, there could be thicker mud under thinner mud, causing you to quickly sink a certain amount before slowing down as you hit the thicker stuff below. Hidden pockets of water under thick mud can make you sink deeper than you would if it was just thick mud, and can be a bit dangerous at times. Years ago, while hiking through a meadow south of Kamloops, I encountered lots of bones scattered amongst the grass in an area. Then, in front of some large willows, I came across a patch of bare peaty mud that looked like all the grass was worn away. It looked intriguing, a bit puffed up, like brown rising dough. I stuck a stick in it, and couldn't find a bottom, with the thick peaty mud farting or hissing swamp gas where I poked the stick. I just couldn't resist getting undressed, and stepping into the middle of this patch of mud! I sunk up my legs slowly, the thick peat feeling quite nice. But, when I got to around crotch deep, the mud beneath my feet suddenly dropped away, and my feet were dangling in water, which then started to bubble to the surface around me! I started sinking faster, and struggled, bending my body to cradle the layer of thick mud to slow my descent, having a stimulating moment shoulder deep before finally crawling over the thicker mud to solid ground, leaving a watery peaty hole in the center of the patch of thick mud. I guess that spot was why there were animal bones scattered around the meadow.

One situation that has intrigued me would be if really sticky clay was laid on top of soft organic peaty mud. Once you penetrate the heavier clay, you then have softer lower density peaty mud supporting you down below, allowing you to sink deeper, but at the same time, the sticky clay on top would hold you in place, and struggling could make you sink deeper into the organic mud below, but with the clay on top making it difficult to work yourself back up. A possible scenario for this could be where a clay hillside gets saturated with water and results in a mudslide of clay, which then buries a nice, sinkable peat bog that was in its path.

This is when I can go elsewhere than my main spot. I can't because I am always busy with life, and my car hogs gas (15 miles per gallon) as well as it can't go off road at all, so I can't really get around to good mud spots that I can sink deep in.

Have you thought about taking a bicycle with you? You could drive as far as you can, park your car, get out your bike, and cycle down the backroads to the areas of interest.

[Jon Smith]

I find that mire that is liquified by water is more difficult to sink in.
When I fell in a peat bog, it didn't require any effort to sink. In fact, I went under. I was wearing my usual outfit (rainsuit and lifejacket), I stepped in the bog and sank deep, since I continued to sink, I held still and soon I went under, lifejacket and all. I was able to climb out easily too. I didn't even get soaked.
Most other bogs require time and effort to sink to or past the desired level: armpit deep. Buoyancy is apparent when there is enough water, making it difficult to sink. I was sucked to my armpits a few times in this kind of mud, but this is rare. With a lifejacket, I can't usually go any deeper than chest deep, unless I struggle.

How easy or deep you can sink depends on a combination of water content and type of mud.

Organic mud, such as peat, is of a low density, allowing you to easily sink deep, or even under. I find that once I reach my buoyancy point, which is usually around armpit deep, when I go in deeper, I remain at equilibrium with the mud, where I can struggle and stay at that level without rising back up. I could pull myself under, and struggle, and stay under until I physically climb or work myself back up to the surface. The more water content, the easier it is to sink down in it. If it is the consistency of milkshake, then you can jump in, and land ear deep, and can easily pull yourself under quickly, and climb back up to the surface. The thicker the mud gets, the longer it takes to sink down or climb back up. If the organic mire is so thick that it is fairly stiff, then it could take a lot of work to sink deep, and there is a point where it is so thick that you can't sink in it at all.

Mineral-based mud, such as sand, silt and clay, are much heavier, and therefore of a higher density. So, you can have more difficulty sinking deep in it. The more water it contains, the deeper you sink before reaching your buoyancy point, but it won't be as deep as in organic mud of the same water content. When it is loose enough to readily flow, even without movement, you could keep popping back up to your buoyancy point like a cork after working yourself deeper, or even if you try going under. Get a little thicker, where there is increased resistance, you might be able to force yourself deeper than your buoyancy point to some extent, and stay there if you stand still, but when you move, you will rise back up again. Of the mineral-based muds, clay is the easiest to sink deeper in, because of the way it swells when water is added to it, which can help lower its high density (bentonite is a good example). So, you can have an easier time forcing yourself under in clay than in silt or sand, as long as it is thick enough to provide enough resistance to hold you down when you are still. But, move a bit, and you will rise back up. But, if the clay is extremely thick and resistant to flow, you could be able to work yourself down deep, and it could hold you in place even if you struggle, making it more work to get back up (in some cases could be dangerous if you can't push your head back up through the thick clay to the surface, or dig it away from your face before suffocating).

But, things can get complicated if the mud has different layers of varying water content. Thinner mud could be covered with a layer of thicker mud, which could make it easier to go down deeper, since you can use the resistance of the thicker layer to force yourself down deeper into the looser stuff below. Or, there could be thicker mud under thinner mud, causing you to quickly sink a certain amount before slowing down as you hit the thicker stuff below. Hidden pockets of water under thick mud can make you sink deeper than you would if it was just thick mud, and can be a bit dangerous at times. Years ago, while hiking through a meadow south of Kamloops, I encountered lots of bones scattered amongst the grass in an area. Then, in front of some large willows, I came across a patch of bare peaty mud that looked like all the grass was worn away. It looked intriguing, a bit puffed up, like brown rising dough. I stuck a stick in it, and couldn't find a bottom, with the thick peaty mud farting or hissing swamp gas where I poked the stick. I just couldn't resist getting undressed, and stepping into the middle of this patch of mud! I sunk up my legs slowly, the thick peat feeling quite nice. But, when I got to around crotch deep, the mud beneath my feet suddenly dropped away, and my feet were dangling in water, which then started to bubble to the surface around me! I started sinking faster, and struggled, bending my body to cradle the layer of thick mud to slow my descent, having a stimulating moment shoulder deep before finally crawling over the thicker mud to solid ground, leaving a watery peaty hole in the center of the patch of thick mud. I guess that spot was why there were animal bones scattered around the meadow.

One situation that has intrigued me would be if really sticky clay was laid on top of soft organic peaty mud. Once you penetrate the heavier clay, you then have softer lower density peaty mud supporting you down below, allowing you to sink deeper, but at the same time, the sticky clay on top would hold you in place, and struggling could make you sink deeper into the organic mud below, but with the clay on top making it difficult to work yourself back up. A possible scenario for this could be where a clay hillside gets saturated with water and results in a mudslide of clay, which then buries a nice, sinkable peat bog that was in its path.

This is when I can go elsewhere than my main spot. I can't because I am always busy with life, and my car hogs gas (15 miles per gallon) as well as it can't go off road at all, so I can't really get around to good mud spots that I can sink deep in.

Have you thought about taking a bicycle with you? You could drive as far as you can, park your car, get out your bike, and cycle down the backroads to the areas of interest.

From experience, the information you explained, can confirm. Also, thanks for sharing your experience I love hearing about those.
I have never been able to go under in clay, but I worked myself deep in clay before. For example, one time I got in clay, I got in and sank, (wearing my usual sinking outfit) I forced myself down, but I couldn't get any deeper than chest deep. I was held softly, but firmly. It was very difficult to get out of, and it was very messy compared to other spots. It made for a very sensational experience, with its thickness, depth, and suction. Washing my rainsuit and lifejacket afterwards was a pain, but it was well worth it.
Clay ontop of peat? Now that sounds like heaven, maybe one day one of us will find a spot like that. (Where I live in Oregon is rich with clay, but can't find clay that is deep enough to sink in, but sure is deep enough to get stuck in. I have not seen much peat in Oregon, but it does exsist.) Let's hope that

I have tried to put a bike in my car, not gonna happen. The car is a 2-door with limited trunk storage, and I don't have anything to attach my bike to the car. Even if I took it apart, the wielded frame would still be too big. Not to mention that it also carries luggage and a spare tire in the trunk. I can't just park it anywhere because it draws too much attention, one time someone broke the window when I was gone. Although I do love riding my bike, but usually I just walk from my car to the mud spot. I can't go too far in places I am unfamiliar with, so a bike isn't usually necessary, and usually the terrain isn't very bike-friendly.