BULLFROG — Have you ever had a nightmare where something is chasing you, but you can’t run? You just drag yourself across the ground with your hands, desperate to get away but getting nowhere.

That’s what quicksand feels like. At least to this reporter.

I was walking through a side canyon in the Escantle arm of Lake Powell, marveling at the towering cliffs that dwarfed me in its ever-changing environment. But I wasn’t paying attention.

It happened quickly. One second, I was on solid ground, and the next, I was partially underground. I had no leverage to pull myself out; with every movement, I felt more trapped. I began to panic.

My guide, Jack Stauss, the outreach director at Glen Canyon Institute, acted quickly and, after sinking for a moment himself, successfully pulled us both to safety.

“You got to just keep going,” he said as I pulled handfuls of sand from my pockets and frowned at my expensive, now gritty, electronics.

Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid that appears solid when undisturbed but can suddenly lose viscosity — a resistance to flow — when stress is applied, giving it fluid-like characteristics. So when my foot disturbed the surface of this spongy earth, I sank.

I became trapped when the quicksand collapsed, and its viscosity increased again. My legs were enclosed in a mass of wet sand that no longer contained enough liquid to allow me to pull free.

Once I was safe, I was thrilled — downright giddy — to have had this experience. While adrenaline surely takes some credit for that, much of my elation came from learning something new about the world.

I severely underestimated quicksand, and seeing what it could do firsthand was both terrifying and fascinating. Still, I don’t recommend anyone else give it a go — let’s be clear: I was lucky.

While Stauss freed me from my predicament in a few chaotic minutes, Rob Tesar, whose story was shared by Outside Online, was trapped for nearly 12 hours while hiking in south-central Utah’s Dirty Devil River in 2011. A helicopter was dispatched, and the crew attempted to use the aircraft to pull him from the muck three times with no success.

Rescuers dug him out. Due to the dampness and the cold, Tesar was at risk of hypothermia and lost feeling in his legs for several days after his rescue, according to the article.

In 2019, Ryan Osmun of Mesa, Arizona, found himself stuck in quicksand for hours in frigid conditions at Zion National Park while hiking The Subway. According to The Associated Press, Osmun’s girlfriend Jessika McNeill was the first to get stuck.

After he freed her, he sank himself. Because they had no cellphone service, McNeill left to seek help. Once rescuers arrived at the scene, it took two hours to remove the man, and while stable, he had sustained extremity injuries and was hypothermic, St. George News reported.

While quicksand-related deaths are rare, they’re not unheard of. In 2015, Jose Rey Escobedo reportedly became stuck in quicksand in the San Antonio River in south Texas and drowned. He was found partially submerged about 350 yards upstream from where his car had been found several days earlier, according to MySanAntonio.

However, it’s virtually impossible for a person to sink so deeply that they become completely submerged, and it’s unlikely they’d be buried above their chests because people are less dense than quicksand, according to this 2005 study published in Nature.

Human and animal density is typically about 1 gram per milliliter, whereas quicksand density is about 2 grams per milliliter.

To mitigate risk, Stauss suggests taking a hiking buddy, moving slowly and testing the ground before walking on it. Additionally, hikers should pack a cord, which they could use to help free themselves.

“But, if you start to feel yourself sinking in the quicksand, move out of it efficiently,” he said in an email to St. George News. “The same goes for the Dominy sediment banks. Don’t trust any of the ground, test it and be wary of it and if you’re concerned that it is unstable, get off of it.”

According to the study, for a person to remove a foot that is stuck in quicksand at a speed of one centimeter per second, the force required would equal the amount necessary to lift a medium-sized vehicle.

To escape, water should be reintroduced to the sand. A person can attempt this by slowly wiggling their legs and feet.

Additionally, they could free themselves by leaning back to distribute their weight across a wider area, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Among America’s deadliest

Quicksand is one of many hazards a hiker could encounter in the 1.25 million acres that comprise Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and it’s certainly not the deadliest.

The recreation area was ranked in a top-10 list of America’s deadliest national parks and recreation areas based on the number of deaths that occurred in each between July 2013 and July 2023.

The study was conducted by personal injury lawyer Connecticut Trial Firm, which analyzed data collected by the National Park Service’s Public Risk Management Program, according to a news release issued by Journo Research.

While Lake Mead Recreation Area was reported as the most dangerous, with 203 deaths, and Glen Canyon was listed as No. 8 with 75 fatalities. The most common cause of death in Glen Canyon was drowning.

The National Park Service said that many people who drown were not planning on entering the water and suggested that those recreating on the reservoir wear life jackets and pack all required safety equipment on their boats.

Swimmers should not swim in marinas, as they could be at risk of death or injury from boats, propellers, or electrical faults from vessels or docks. The service also reminded visitors that there are no lifeguards on watch at Lake Powell, and they are swimming at their own risk.

Additionally, visitors could experience water quality issues and should check the park service’s website for water advisories, avoid drinking the water and practice good hygiene after coming into contact with the reservoir.

Be on the lookout for storms

When the sky was clear, the water was reflective, almost glassy, as we traversed the Escalante River. But that quickly changed when a storm approached. Stauss said anytime inclement weather is forecast within a 20-mile radius of Glen Canyon, travelers should cancel their plans.

“On the reservoir, I am very weary of wind and storms,” he said. “They can sneak up on you and make a trip very unpleasant or dangerous. … Pay attention and be adaptable. If you have an eye on the sky (and weather leading up to the trip), you should have a good idea of what you’re dealing with. If you see storms coming in, change your plan: Either get out of the canyon or hunker down.”

Lake Powell is one of the largest reservoirs in the country at nearly 200 miles long. It took us several hours to reach our destination on the Escalante River, which meant the return trip would take just as long while storm clouds loomed over the canyon walls.

Storms usher in various hazards, including high waves and lightning — a thought that gave me chills as we sped toward the marina in a boat made of metal.

Individuals should also avoid narrow canyons if storms or floods are predicted in the area, even if no storm clouds are present at the time. According to the National Weather Service, flooding causes more fatalities in the U.S. than other natural hazards.

“Flash floods are the artists who carve the intricate curves of slot canyons,” the park service states. “They are also the assassins of anyone who may be in their paths.”

According to the weather service, flash floods can be caused by rainfall miles upstream of a person’s location and can catch recreators off-guard. The water may contain trees, boulders and other debris.

Flash floods can develop with little to no notice, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Still, hikers may notice some signs, such as a roaring sound upstream, debris-filled or muddy water, or rising water levels.

“That may be a flood wave moving rapidly toward you,” FEMA states. “Head immediately for higher ground. Don’t be swept away.”

Why travel to Glen Canyon’s backcountry?

While Glen Canyon Recreation Area is home to many hazards, it is also beautiful and full of curiosities, including “ghost forests” comprised of cottonwood trees that remained standing after Glen Canyon was first flooded, carved canyons and ancient abandoned river meanders — where a river previously flowed but was later cut off.

Stauss has explored many of the reservoir’s canyons for his work with the Glen Canyon Institute — a nonprofit “dedicated to the restoration of Glen Canyon and a free flowing Colorado River,” according to its website. He said he has been on several trips to the area with reporters, filmmakers, researchers and others.

“Perhaps the best and most important part of my work is to get to explore these regions that no one has been into since the 1960s,” he said in an email. “We get to study, survey, and adventure through a beautiful and changing world that others are not really looking at in the same way.

“So, each time it is like going to the moon and getting to come back with these amazing stories and findings. So if you’re up for the challenge, it’s a very unique and humbling place to visit.”

Stauss said travelers should learn more about the area, the history of Glen Canyon and why Lake Powell was created before visiting. This, he said, would contextualize the trip.

Supplies and equipment necessary for a trip could include digital and physical maps, a boat, tents, sleeping bags, food and at least a gallon of water per person per day, Stauss said.

Additionally, it is a good idea to pack a first aid kit, an InReach or another satellite communication device, synthetic clothes that dry quickly, multiple pairs of socks and several different pairs of shoes. These could include hiking boots or muck boots and sandals, like Chacos or Teva.

Those renting a boat from the marina should plan to pack a sand stake to secure the craft at a beach while exploring or camping. There are floating bathrooms on the reservoir, which also serve as boat pump-out stations. These are marked on the brochure map here.

While cellphone service is limited in many parts of the recreation area, visitors who can see Navajo Mountain, where there is a cell tower, are more likely to have a signal.

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