Bottomless swamps pose a danger to ATV'ers in Northern WI. See the picture in my Album of a snowmobile trail groomer that was out too early in the season and fell into an unfrozen swamp. Luckily the driver escaped. That's a big tracked machine. The swamp that trapped it could have swallowed a half dozen ATV's at that spot. Eventually, that groomer sank deeper and tipped over. It took a scuba diver and special equipment brought from a hundred miles away to get it out. So when riding in Northern Wisconsin, it's a good idea to avoid snowmobile trails, especially when the swamps aren't frozen. You might think a trail is taking you over a grassy field, when suddenly you can disappear. Or, at the least, you'll spend many hours or even days getting your machine out. As you pull with a winch, things tend to sink deeper, as was the case with this groomer. The DNR will probably give you a hand, along with a citation carrying a big fine.

 

Speaking from childhood experience, most swamps don't really ever freeze. The vegetation seems to keep the water warmer than in most scenarios. We always hated when a hockey puck went into the reeds. It was always bad going retrieving it. The groomer is much larger scale. The other threats with winter riding are thin ice over deep water, and deep snow that won't support you and your quad. That's why it's always a good idea to ride with buddies whenever possible.

 

The swamps like the one in the picture tend to look like grassy fields. There are usually no reeds or cat tail rushes sticking out of the snow to warn you. The bridge construction photo in my Album shows what I'm talking about. If you are unfamiliar with the territory, you can easily get fooled.

 

Up here in New England we have the same kind of thing but with green grass. Usually not quite as deep as what your photos show. We have a lot of leaf and other materials that break down into that lovely black soil. Add a little water and some grass on top and presto, deep mudhole. Watch out for those innocent looking low spots.

 

I don't have the photo that shows just how deep this machine ended up. I do know that it sank for three days as they pulled and tugged on it with winches and wreckers. It eventually tipped over, and I've seen pictures where all that shows is part of one of the tracks sticking up out of the mud. That machine is at least eight feet tall. If you rode an ATV into that swamp, I don't think you could swim your way out. You'd be like the guy being sucked under by quicksand.

 

Actually, mud or water saturated sand, gives you more buoyancy than water. Your quad, with its 4 air filled tires, would probably not sink as much as the treaded machine that has no buoyancy. In other words it would only sink so far. If you as a peson get in deep stuff you can get out but it takes time due to adhesion on your clothes and skin. The idea is to spread your weight out and slowly crawl out on your belly or back. It works. I speak from experience. Unpleasent to put it mildly. The worst thing is if you break through something like a floating matt of moss or other vegetation and you can't find your way out from under it.

 

Deep...Can you post the pictures in your thread? I'm not seeing them in your album.....Or post a link to the pics. Thanks.

 

I've seen pictures posted with threads, but I haven't been able to find out how to do it. Any help with this would be appreciated.

 

Try these links. The first is the groom in the swamp. The second is the bridge construction.

ATVConnection.com ATV Enthusiast Community - Deeplaker60's Album: Deeplaker60 info - Picture
ATVConnection.com ATV Enthusiast Community - Deeplaker60's Album: Deeplaker60 info - Picture