Quicksand isn't a movie prop. It's real, it looks completely normal, and it happened to two men in the past three months — one in a frozen Utah canyon, one in a Florida mud pit. Austin Dirks is an experienced thru-hiker with thousands of backcountry miles. He stepped into what looked like an inch of water in Arches National Park and couldn't move for two hours. Andrew Giddens disappeared on Valentine's Day and wasn't found for days — shoulder-deep in saturated clay at an industrial site, invisible from 20 feet away. We cover the science of why quicksand traps people, why fighting back makes it worse, and what actually works — plus a 2026 NPS safety alert for Glen Canyon that's worth hearing before spring break. If you ever find yourself sinking, stop. Just stop. 00:00 Podcast Introduction 00:30 Quicksand Nightmare Setup 02:29 Utah Canyon Incident 06:06 Rescue In Courthouse Wash 08:00 Quicksand Myths Explained 08:44 How Quicksand Works 12:18 Rescue Tactics And Physics 14:17 Self Rescue Tips 15:17 Zion Subway Survival 18:20 Florida Mud Pit Case 21:40 Entrapment Survival Mindset 22:20 How Long Was He Stuck 23:27 Deputy Spots The Truck 24:49 A Face In The Mud 25:57 Two Hour Extraction 27:31 Aftermath And Medical Risks 29:15 Is Quicksand A Real Risk 30:55 Where Quicksand Forms 31:48 Warning Signs And Probing 32:53 Smart Moves If You Sink 34:43 Calling For Help Fast 37:32 Why Stillness Wins 41:34 New NPS Quicksand Alert 43:07 Final Takeaways And Resources Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Resources

Austin Dirks / Grand County Search and Rescue — local Utah news coverage, December 2025
Andrew Giddens / Putnam County Sheriff's Office — Palatka Fire Department statement, February 2026
Ryan Osmond / Zion National Park — Utah DPS rescue records, February 2019

Science

Daniel Bonn et al., Nature — "Granular media: how to pull out a foot" (2005)

Safety & Alerts

National Park Service — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area quicksand safety alert, March 2026 — nps.gov

The Broomway

Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broomway
BBC Travel — "This desolate English path has killed more than 100 people" — bbc.com/travel
Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways (2012)

Crisis Resource

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 — 988lifeline.org

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast
Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/
Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/
Use discount code CRUX to get 10% off tuition on a 2-day Wilderness First Aid course!

Trapped in Quicksand: 2 Hours vs. 6 Days | E223

The Crux True Survival Stories

Trapped in Quicksand: 2 Hours vs. 6 Days | E223