Don't ask me why (I'm fairly certain it had nothing at all to do with what I'd dreamt the night before, or work, or anything else), but I woke up this morning trying to remember how one gets out of quicksand. (Yes, "remember"-- no, I've never been stuck in it myself, but if you haven't read the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, you're doomed, friend, DOOMED!)
As it turns out, I learned two new things in the process, so this is both Two New Things *and* a PSA! See? It's good to know a librarian! I could save your life with this information someday, should you ever become trapped in the Lightning Sand of the Fire Swamp, being threatened by fierce, bloodthirsty R.O.U.-- no, wait, wrong reality. (And actually, Lightning Sand is more like dry quicksand-- thought 'til recently to be a myth, never reliably documented in nature (although I have my suspicions about the hungry sands of the Desert of Lop), and considerably more dangerous... but I digress...)
Public Service Announcement: How to Escape Quicksand
Where to beware: Naturally-occurring quicksand can occur near marshy, brackish areas, shorelines, salt flats and other tidal regions, regions of recent flooding, and yes, even deserts. Earthquakes are also said to create quicksand-like regions along the fault by destabilizing and liquefying the sand/soil. (If you get caught in quicksand during an earthquake, you probably have bigger things to worry about.) Gravel and sand quarries are another place to be on the lookout and step carefully. (You remember that 10' pole that was part of the standard D&D adventurer's kit? This would be a good use for it.)
Point One: If you're ever trapped in quicksand, STAY CALM. Do not thrash about. Thrashing only helps to separate the sand and water into uneven globs of solid (trapping you) and liquid (making you sink), causing you to work yourself deeper and mire into it. Trying to just yank a foot out is going to take a lot more force than you can exert-- like, enough "to lift a medium-sized car," according to an article in Nature. (Good luck with that.)
Point Two: Most naturally-occurring quicksand is only a couple of feet deep, not deep enough to actually *sink* in. (Of course, if you've tumbled in head-first, you've got yourself a bit of a problem, as our redundant air intake system is unfortunately located only an inch or so away from our primary air intake system. Poor design, there. ;) )
Point Three: If you have successfully navigated Points One and Two, relax. Lie back slowly and spread out your arms. The human body is less dense than quicksand. By lying back and floating (pretend you're in the pool), and wiggling your legs in very small circles (to encourage the water to flow down your legs and back into the solid sand trapping your feet), you should be able to free yourself, float to the surface, and paddle gently to the edge. (Remember, no sudden movements, they'll only get you stuck again.)
Point Four: Don't panic, but do be alert to your surroundings. The good news is that most people trapped in quicksand don't die of suffocation or drowning-- they die of exposure, flash flooding, or rapidly returning tides. Isn't that comforting?
Onward! To the Two New Things
Thing One-- the fact that you can actually float in quicksand? That's a recent discovery. So is the fact that quicksand is made with *salt*, not *fresh* water. Read more about it here.
Thing Two-- the most dangerous, notorious spot in the world for quicksand? Nope, it isn't hidden in the rainforests of South America or the deep African jungle or anything like that. It's in the far north of England, in Morecambe Bay, a place where the footing is so treacherous that royal guides are appointed to lead people across, and the tides come in faster than a racing horse. (Note that, although this reminded me a great deal of Castle Aaaaarrrrrr-- er, Stalker, that turns out to be located in Scotland.)
Thing Three-- And while I'm at it, this has spurred a Third New Thing, because something about Morecambe Bay's fast tides tickled my memory, and I wound up learning all about St. Michael's Mount (which is, alas, iin Cornwall, which is the southwest of England) and other tidal islands. I have an incomplete recollection of a book (children's? young adult?) featuring a ruined castle on a tidal island with a disappearing causeway, and fast, treacherous tides that could drown the unwary. If you approached the ruin at the right time of day from the right angle, it wasn't a ruin at all-- the causeway would take you across to a magical land in a medieval setting when the castle still stood, and that's exactly what the kids do in the book, following a rider onto the magic causeway and getting themselves into no end of trouble (of course). But for all that I can remember the details-- the rival baron's colors were red and black, I believe-- I can't remember title or author of the book.
::wanders off to do searches for an hour::
AHA. Sneaky, sneaky. It's not a whole book! I'm almost positive the story I'm thinking of is the novella "Everard's Ride," included in Diana Wynne Jones' Unexpected Magic. Now I'm going to have to check it out and read it again to be sure... ah, such a wearisome life I lead.
Oh, and (Thing Four!) by the by, did you know that sand dunes really *can* sing? Go, Marco!
Posted by gris at August 20, 2006 11:45 PMFollowing up... yes, the story *is*, in fact, "Everard's Ride." And! There are few "real" locations mentioned specifically, but there's a reference to the dangerous tides and quicksand that take lives, and there *is* a tidal island (which Morecambe doesn't have).
The one place mentioned as nearby is an "Arnforth Hall" where the local gentry live. Now, this may be a stretch, but... there's a Carnforth in Lancashire with a Gothic-style Hall in the area, as well as a ruin of a 14th century manor house (a rectory, not a castle, but hey...). Here's the kicker-- it lies just at the edge of Morecambe Bay. ^_^ I'd lay odds Ms. Jones took a holiday up towards the Lake District (Carnforth is the last major town before Cumbria). ;)
Posted by: Gris at August 22, 2006 11:18 PM