Who here is afraid of mud?

[sapblatt]

I'm with Roxi on this one and I won't apologize to anyone for doing whatever necessary(short of staying home) to avoid the mud. Ktilton's girlfriend is welcome to join me anytime.

No one hates mud more than I, no one!

I have only hiked with cantdog twice and I can totally vouch for her thoughts on mud - she really does not like it!!!

 

[Maddy]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Jun 6, 2006 (AP)— A man stuck up to his waist in a muddy riverbank for more than a day was rescued Monday after he was spotted by a passing fisherman.

Rescuers said Anthony Hawkes, 50, was hunting squirrels along the banks of Loosahatchie River north of Memphis on Sunday when he got stuck.

"He said he was praying throughout the night and waving at helicopters and airplanes hoping someone would spot him," Brent Perkins, spokesman for the Shelby County Fire Department, told The Commercial Appeal. "We're glad the gentleman survived the night and that no heavy rains came Sunday."

Hawkes was spotted Monday by fisherman Sowann Chea, who tried to pull the hunter from the mud. Chea called for help and off-duty Shelby County firefighter Jeremy Havlik was among the first to respond.

"In my 28 years with the department I've only seen an incident like this three times," said Shelby County Battalion Chief Robert Smith.

Smith said it took 11 firefighters about 30 minutes just to reach Hawkes, who was 2,000 feet off the road in a densely wooded area.

Video shot from a helicopter by WMC-TV showed rescuers supported by tree limbs and ladders digging and pulling for several minutes to free Hawkes' lower body from the riverbank.

Hawkes was treated at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis but did not have any serious injuries and has since been released.

"He's just worn out," Havlik told WMC. "He hasn't eaten; he's been down there fighting that mud for 24 hours. He was physically exhausted."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

I copied this because I was afraid no one would believe me.
Years back I had stopped off the roadside in VT. There was a large embankment that led down into a large swamp. It looked really pretty from the road. I had two dogs with me. I started wandering about in the mud and suddenly I realized that I couldn't lift my feet out. They were STUCK! The more I tried to wiggle out the deeper I went. It was like "mud quicksand!" I got really scarred and I can't recall exactly what I did to get out of there. I didn't get in as deep as this guy got . I want to say that I got my feet out of my boots and did some crawling/slithering out of there but I honestly don't remember the grizzly details. I do remember having to get on the ground to get out. I could not walk. I can understand how he was in up to his waist. It just literally swallows you up.
Mud on trails is OK but I haven't been anywhere that looks like this since. A while later I read that this had happened to someone else so I guess it's not only jeeps that get "stuck in the mud".

 

[Tuco]

I neither like or dislike mud, but would prefer not to be standing in it if I had the choice.

 

[giggy]

I neither like or dislike mud, but would prefer not to be standing in it if I had the choice.

wasn't sure how to answer this - tuco did it for me.

being wet sucks in the hills - so I try and stay dry. Why get dirty if ya don't have to?

I avoid it when I can, but won't do a 2 mile bushwack to avoid it either

 

[crazymama]

I usually groan when I have to cross that threshold from clean to muddy. But once I have crossed the line, I don't worry about it. I wear the mud proudly like a badge of courage.

(But I don't think teejay wore his mud proudly on our Seymour hike this summer. )

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Cyclocross season (Oct-Dec) in New England might be the definition of mud. (Speaking of crossing the threshold to muddy, and proudly wearing it...)




(Photo courtesy www.jsmcelvery.com, from 15-Oct-2005: Verge #1: New Gloucester, ME)

Tim

 

[KayakDan]

Can't be afraid of mud and hike in New England! There was a bumper crop of mud on the Great Gulf trail Sat. and Sunday. I stepped on one of those"looks pretty firm" spots and went in halfway to the knee!
Coast of Maine..now there's some scary mud. Spent 15 minutes trying to extricate my Baffin boots from a "honey pot" I walked into.

 

[adkleaddog]

That's why the trail Gods invented gaiters!!

 

[Raymond]

I thought the idea was to stay off the trails during the mud seasons, one of which is under way at the present time.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I thought the idea was to stay off the trails during the mud seasons, one of which is under way at the present time.

On mountain bike trails, yes that is generally true. In this case, it was a internationally-sanctioned cyclocross (not mountain bike) race, held on private property, organized during the official cyclocross season, and permitted probably in the previous February (I organized a race for this series 4 years in a row...) Organizers typically come back in the spring for turf repair, or contribute some money towards property maintenance. This is an established race; they know what's coming and they still have us back every year.

This question made me wonder why your question does not seem to apply to hiking? I.e., I've not really heard anyone say "Oh, you shouldn't be hiking, the trails are too muddy." I have heard people say the same for MTBing, although it's not something that can be enforced.

Hope this addresses your concern.
Tim

 

[sapblatt]

I am quite sure that in VT you are not supposed to hike on the Long Trail during the mud season...
I do not see a huge issue with hiking in mud season if you hike on the trail - the main problem IMHO is when dozens of hikers avoid the muddy area and then widen the trail or create a new trail - I try my best not to do this, particularly on heavily used trails.

 

[lumberzac]

About 95% of my hiking is done in the Adirondacks. If I didn’t hike when things were muddy, I’d never hike at all.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I fear this deteriorating into a cycling vs. hiking debate I am quite sure that walking or cycling down the middle of the trail, through the puddles and mud is far more destructive then staying home. (Check your boots or tires -- if you brought home any mud at all, well then you've eroded the trail, right?) It may be less destructive then negotiating the edges of a trail, or making one's own path.

Just for the record, there is no doubt in my mind that MTBing is more destructive then hiking. I know that promoters in New England do maintenance work every spring on their respective venues so they leave minimal traces of the previous year's event.

For me personally, as a cyclist and hiker, I endeavor to be kind to the trail as much as possible, while still enjoying them.

Tim

 

[griffin]

I fear this deteriorating into a cycling vs. hiking debate

Why? So far I think you're the only person who's referred to biking. I'm pretty sure Raymond was talking about people being advised not to HIKE in mud season, sapblatt most certainly was.

I did once hike with a woman who was truly afraid of walking through mud. She had problems verging on phobias of losing her footing, so not being sure how far her foot would sink, or what it would find on the way down, terrified her.

We were going up Kinsman pond in early spring - needless to say it was a long day.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Why? So far I think you're the only person who's referred to biking. I'm pretty sure Raymond was talking about people being advised not to HIKE in mud season, sapblatt most certainly was.

Well I took Raymond's post to refer to bicycles on the trails -- I have never heard anyone say "Don't hike this trail, it's too muddy", but I've had many planned MTB rides canceled because of rain/mud/soft trails. As for the debate part, well, before I crossed over to the hiking side, I heard a lot of negative comments about MTBers from hikers. Now I can see both sides

So, is there any "official" policy, or guideline, about hiking when muddy? I believe that I have seen the AMC suggest that hiking season begins AFTER mud season, around Memorial Day, but it sounds to me like it's nothing more then a suggestion.


And for the record, I am 95% a roadie...I might ride a dozen MTB rides per year. Cyclocross is a road discipline, oddly enough.

Tim

p.s. Raymond -- which was it?

 

[Raymond]

Griffin had it right.

Vermont closes some trails during spring mud season. The Adirondacks usually recommend people stay off the high-elevation trails at that time of year also. I don't know if there are any official pronouncements for New Hampshire or Maine.

I read not too long ago, I have no idea where it was, that there is another mud season in the fall, when the ground freezes overnight and thaws during the day. That is supposed to be particularly tough on the soil, so hiking stresses it even more and should be avoided until the ground freezes and stays frozen.

Too many here seemed to be glorying stomping through the mud as much as possible, so I thought I should throw in my two cents.

 

[jbrown]

Mud is my friend. I am not afeard of the mud...

I had a great time slogging through the mud this past summer while testing a pair of boots for Backpacker magazine. I avoid it sometimes when it's a really bad hole, but this summer I plowed through everything I could find. (The boots were REI Spirit III's that were very comfortable and kept my feet very dry.)

One of those survival dudes on the Discovery Channel had a short segment about escaping quicksand this past week. He did a sort of roll on his side to leverage his legs out and proceeded to swim/crawl across the top of the mud until he reached solid ground. Not pretty, but it works.

 

[Woody]

I will try to stay on the trail even if it is muddy. I try to find rocks to step on if possible. If the trail looks very wet I will probe the mud with my trekking pole to try to find the rocks or a submerged branch to walk on. The only time I will go around the mud/puddle is if it is very deep and very large. I don't like to go around but if the mud/water is deeper than the tops of my boots it may force me to find a way around.

Mud season in the spring is a good time for me to stay off the trails and do some yard work. It all works out.

 

[forestgnome]

I go right through the mud. I wear boots and mini-gaitors all spring , summer and autumn. I wonder about those who wear those little trail sneakers.

What is meant by "destroying the soil", and what's the problem? The trail is a ribbon of land where no vegetation grows. The barren dirt is the trail, isn't it?

Sure, there a some places on some busy trails that have serious erosion problems. Then our excellent trails crews work their craft.

Ever try to follow a trail that's been abandoned for a decade, or even a few years? That soil gets covered in vegetation quite well.

People may restrict themselves from the trails if they choose, but they would be wrong to view those of us who hike when it's muddy to be reckless or careless or destructive.

Happy Trails

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I go right through the mud. I wear boots and mini-gaitors all spring

What about if the mud is 3-4 feet deep? Mini gators don't do much if there is mud in which you can get stuck.

What is meant by "destroying the soil", and what's the problem? The trail is a ribbon of land where no vegetation grows. The barren dirt is the trail, isn't it?

Not sure in your area, but the problem is in steep sections, where the hiking REMOVES the soil. No issue in the flats.

Then our excellent trails crews work their craft.

Nifty! I do whatever I want, and someone will clean up after me.

Ever try to follow a trail that's been abandoned for a decade, or even a few years? That soil gets covered in vegetation quite well.

Ever see a 30 foot wide section that used to be soil/tree covered, and is now just bare rock?

People may restrict themselves from the trails if they choose, but they would be wrong to view those of us who hike when it's muddy to be reckless or careless or destructive.

Even on trails in which the state ASKS you not to hike on?