I used to always say this about quicksand, it's in like every third young adult or fantasy novel but like lol who ever deals with that nowadays
and then when I was working as an entomologist I did actually get caught in fucking quicksand while working a greenbelt and I was suddenly really grateful for all those stories modeling how to deal with quicksand
Quicksand is actually pretty slow, and I was able to get my phone from my pockets before my legs went under, and I was microfamous at the time so I fucking live tweeted the experience ajfjfklals
I was walking along the creek bed bc the tide was super low looking at all the various detritus and creek bed stuff that's usually not visible and didn't notice I was crossing the mouth of a marsh which is exactly the place to find quicksand. Thought "oh it's getting a little too squishy" and then the next step I went SHLOMPF and was in the ground right up to my knees.
Didn't seem like anyone could hear me so I flopped on my back and wriggled out, lost one of my cheap slip on shoes and got very muddy but otherwise safe.
"shlompf" is such a good way to put it yeah. Just sucked down to equilibrium and then having to awkwardly slowly float/wiggle my way out. it felt weirdly mundane and then I'd pull too hard and get sucked a bit further in which would remind me like oh right this could kill me I forgot. having to take breaks every once in awhile to catch my breath and post an update to twitter. very slow going
I was wearing like thigh length mudding boots which got shlorped off in the mud, so I had to walk all the way back out of the quagmire barefoot and then had to drive back to the office to get new mudders lmao. Never have I been more grateful that I listened to the advice to always keep an extra pair of socks in the truck when doing field work
Very shocking sensation where you're just suddenly IN the ground instead of on it.
