Is Mushroom Foraging the New Surfing?

[Howly Wolf]

I've seen at least 3 or 4 articles about lost mushroom hunters this fall-- far more than in previous years. Conversely, there haven't been all too many seaward surfboarder rescues throughout this same time period. It makes me wonder: Is mushroom foraging the new surfing?

There are a few parallels. Heavy locals, valley cowboys, and kooks competing for a limited resource. Holistic leisure with an undercurrent of territorialism, entitlement, and gatekeeping. A passion rooted in a deep connection with nature whose very participation compromises those same enjoyed ecosystems.

That's cool though if shrooms are in and surfing's out. I wonder if search & rescue lets you keep the chanterelles?

[BOX]

I do a fair bit of hiking when I’m not pretending to be a surfer.

Every once in a while when I’m deep in the woods on some unpopulated trail I’ll run into someone carrying multiple canvas bags full of mushrooms giving me the evil stink eye like I just stumbled upon their illegal murder mountain grow op. Just walking my dog, dude. Chill out, I’m not going to spill your secret spot.

Anyway, thinking of starting up a mushroom school where I take 20-30 newbies out in the woods and push them into some chanterelle fields. Snap a picture with a large lobster or matsutake for the ‘gram and you’re all set to go. Gore-Tex and galoshes rental available at the shop. Whaddaya think?


I haven't surfed since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I think it's starting to show

[Major Lazer]

I hadn't heard about to many of these incidents, but do remember hearing about an older woman getting lost down at Shore Acres just after Thanksgiving at the end of the season. I've been picking for a long time and never had issues with argro pickers and whatnot. My biggest concern is usually deer/elk hunters.

My foraging go outs these days typically revolve around surf sessions and going to and from the coast at grab and go spots. Most are pretty easy access and some have gotten quite popular with mellow and friendly crowd, but I also have some I access from private property and remote logging roads. I just have to go deeper at the popular spots, which is exactly how people get lost. When you're bushwhacking and your head is down looking at the forest floor for shrooms its easy to get turned around and lost. That's why I make my own custom topo maps I use in Avenza and also log waypoints at natural features I use for navigation year to year. In my pack I try carry: battery cell charger, whistle, protein bars, lighter, fire starters, water filter and always a real compass.

This past season after a 2 sarf day skunking in Seaside stopped popular spot on the way home. Mid am Sat in late October, and this season popped really early, so grab and go's were picked over requiring me to go pretty deep. Didn't have my pack, but had my phone with a full charge and Avanza. Figured I just stick to the zones I know, but only a few lft overs so crossed a ravine I've never had to go past and climbed a ridge and boom got into a honey hole of chanteis, but as it goes got caught up in the forge and kinda lost my bearings. I never rely solely on my phone and map app typically make mental notes of landmarks and take bearings with a real compass which I didn't have and got spun. So then looked at my phone and my basemap was gone, but luckily still had a nav arrow on a blank screen and had logged a waypint at the car. Coulda continued and filled my basket and then some, but was slightly spooked and was able to find my way back to the road without it about a 1/4 mile from my car. In the end turned out my base map cache had been erased on my phone and all and all I was probably fine, but a good lesson and a new zone to tap next season, but with my pack and base maps cached next time!!!!