Fear of quicksand: Gone?

Since the very first time I saw a movie where someone sinks into quicksand and almost dies (they're pretty much always saved, huh?), I've been scared to death of the stuff. I would've definitely ranked it very near the top of my phobia list--if I'd thought of it, but thankfully, quicksand isn't really something I think about a lot (nothing like Abe Lincoln, of course).

Until last night, when all of that changed. I was watching a Miyazaki movie, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, when two of the characters fell into quicksand. They're OK, though--they're sucked through the quicksand into a huge chamber underneath the toxic forests where Princess Nausicaa discovers the secret of the petrified trees, the insects and their efforts to save the earth from the wastefulness of humans (but that's beside the point). In real life, I am completely sure, if I stepped into quicksand I would not be OK. I would die an awful, crushing, lungs-filling-with-sand sort of death. I know enough about my physical abilities and overall clumsiness that there's no chance I would survive.

But, hoping to find some sort of tips on how to survive quicksand should I ever find myself in such a terrifying situation, I looked it up on Wikipedia. (And just to note here, I don't feel that I can say, "I wikipedia'd it." It's no "googled"--yet.) And, to my HUGE relief, Wikipedia's entry on quicksand told me this:

Quicksand is not as dangerous as depicted in many movies. As quicksand is rarely more than a few feet deep, there is usually little danger of sinking below the surface. Even when the quicksand is deep enough, deliberate effort is required to sink below the surface. Quicksand is typically denser than the human body, meaning that a body is much more buoyant in quicksand than in water. Thus, the body will float quite easily in quicksand.

Now, I don't float very well in water, so it's not like I'm gonna be jumping in the stuff for a nice swim, but I thought I would sleep a little better tonight, until I started researching more, and found this, which contained such warnings as this (emphasis mine):

While it's possible to die of exposure (hypothermia) from being stuck in cold quicksand for an extended period of time, most quicksand-related deaths result from drowning. Most people who drown because of quicksand do so on beaches or tidal flats, where quicksand is common and where a person can become trapped as the high tide comes in. If this is a concern try to get out as quickly as possible, but still do not panic, as that will only hurt your efforts. Keep your head as high above ground (and water) as possible in order to give you more time if you are still stuck as water approaches. Generally, however, by the time the tide comes, it is too late. The best solution is prevention. Avoid crossing mudflats or other tidal areas or exercise extreme caution when doing so. Know when the tides will come in, do not go alone, and carry rope, a stick and a flotation device that you can easily inflate should you become stuck. And, of course, whatever you do, avoid putting your head under the quicksand, even for an instant.

Back to the awful thoughts. And then it added this...

While choosing to hike barefoot may protect you from quicksand, it can expose you to parasites that enter through the skin, such as hookworms and strongyloides.

Which reminded of another of my irrational fears, stuff crawling into my feet. (And for those of you keeping score at home here, my other worst fears are of aliens, which is why the movie Signs absolutely terrified me--Superman and Alf, though aliens, I'm ok with--and of a certain form of interactive theater. Don't ask.)

So, just to be safe, I advise everyone to read this, which, though it contains a scary picture, gives some good hints. In the end, I hope we're all a little more educated on that scary non-killer quicksand, and like everyone tells you in times when panic is the exact appropriate response (like, oh, drowning in quicksand), don't.