Harris Creek Quicksilt/Clay/Sand Slide Area

This slide area's soil consists primarily of glacial silt, clay, sand, gravel and some rocks. There is always soft, WAMmable mud present in dry and wet years. Being a slide area, it is at its best after the spring snowmelt and during the really wet years. It is therefore the most reliable place to WAM. Due to the fact it is on a south-facing slope, it catches the sun more directly, resulting in the presence of decent WAMming conditions earlier in the year than other spots. The thick stuff doesn't chill you like thinner mud. The ground can vary in softness from watery to almost solid. You generally have to pound the ground with your feet to turn it into a pulsating, sucking morass, and have to pump your legs further to continue sinking. It has a very high density, making it difficult to sink far past your naval or chest. The really thick stuff may take a while to sink into, and take a long time to work yourself out, the surrounding ground usually being solid enough to push down on with your hands. Painful leg cramps can be a problem from struggling against the gripping mire. The area is constantly changing, with some spots disappearing, and new spots forming. You also have to be cautious of falling trees, not to mention the chance that part of the slide may start to become active again.

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Tuesday October 6'th, 1998

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Thursday July 19'th, 2001

The hillside on the west side of the above slide gave way, and now has the softest quickclaysilt, a larger pond and trickling ground water to clean up in, and is more concealed by trees above the cliffs than the other area to the east, which is viewable from a grassy open area between the road and the top of the overlooking cliffs.