Mushroom Trail

Happy Solstice to all of you wonderful folks!

Today the forest pauses at a quiet turning point.

Light shifts. Shadows linger. And beneath the leaf litter, the mycelial world keeps doing what it has always done — patiently weaving connection, resilience, and renewal.

Whether you’re walking through quiet forests, studying spore prints at the kitchen table, or simply noticing how the air feels different today, I hope this solstice invites you to slow down and listen. The land is always teaching, even in stillness.

Thank you for walking this trail with me — for your curiosity, your care for wild places, and your respect for the fungi that stitch ecosystems together. May the returning light bring you groundedness, wonder, and many good days in the year ahead.

New video coming soon! 🌌

6 days ago | [YT] | 46

Mushroom Trail

Super grateful for all of you - and for the small forest miracles we get to explore together.

Wishing you a peaceful, wonder-filled Thanksgiving!

New video coming tomorrow!

1 month ago | [YT] | 42

Mushroom Trail

Mushroom Update - Candy Caps are coming up in the PNW! Check your spots!

I was just out checking up on my Candy Cap patches this past Sunday (November 9th) and was thrilled to see them just beginning to fruit out... just in time for all the holiday baking that looms on the horizon!

Here in Western Washington, ALL of my best patches are found under Beaked Hazelnut ... curious to know if any of the rest of you (especially those in the Pacific Northwest) have had similar experiences. Let me know in the comments!

PS - I threw a quick video short up last night and was trying to do way too many things at once! I slipped up and said "Red Alder" instead of "Hazelnut" and didn't realize it until I watched it back! Oops! 😅 Apologies for any confusion!

1 month ago | [YT] | 26

Mushroom Trail

Bring on the RAIN!💧I hope the Fall Equinox is treating everyone well. I returned from a trail run yesterday with a head full of the day's playlist (a nonstop frog chorus!) and muddy legs after a whole lot of puddle splashing out there. The cooler temps and precipitation have me downright excited about what's to come over the course of the next few weeks. You know what they say... when it rains, it spores!

3 months ago | [YT] | 24

Mushroom Trail

Chanterelles are really popping out right now! Curious to know - what is your favorite chanterelle? (and if your favorite isn't listed here, let me know in the comments!)

4 months ago | [YT] | 6

Mushroom Trail

Ever see one of these? (5/10/25)

6 months ago | [YT] | 22

Mushroom Trail

Got out for a quick trail run the other day in a local forest east of Seattle, and I was absolutely floored by the sheer volume of uprooted and snapped trees following the "bomb cyclone" weather event that recently hit us here in the PNW. 

After hopping over the first couple trees, I began to count the number of trees that were down. I stopped counting within the first couple miles after surpassing 100 trees ... and here's the kicker -- that was only the trees that had fallen across or obstructed the trail. I didn't even try to add up the countless additional trees that lay off trail. 

This forest is a different place after that storm. New gaping holes in the canopy abound. Sunlight will be breaking through in new places in the coming year, welcoming the next stage of growth into the cycle. 

What began as a run, turned into a trot ... climb ... walk between trees ... jump up and over another, etc. I have never seen anything like this in these local forests. It was honestly tough to capture in photos, and on a scale that was difficult to take in. There were parts of the forest that were so obstructed that it wasn't easy to find the trail.

I couldn't help but wonder what messages were being swapped between trees through the mycelial communication system that exists below our feet. Although electricity was no longer flowing through our power lines, I suspect that the electrical activity within those mycelial networks was firing on all cylinders!

Are you all encountering similar sights here in the PNW? 

My goodness... what an incredible weather event that was!

1 year ago | [YT] | 21

Mushroom Trail

Sorry for the delay folks! Got caught up in that whole "bomb cyclone" weather event and found myself without power for a few days just as I was sitting down to edit/post. Events like this always serve as a good reset of sorts. Hope you all are staying safe, happy, and warm... new video coming soon!

1 year ago | [YT] | 25

Mushroom Trail

Curious to know: What's your favorite way to prepare morels?
So far this Spring, I've done a classic sauté, a morel/asparagus/tarragon cream sauce for pasta, a morel-topped pizza .... and I'm currently drying some out to save for our favorite Thanksgiving dish, the mushroom pie! 
Let me know if you have any suggestions! Always looking for new recipes and creative ways to bring out the best of these tasty treasures!

1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 16

Mushroom Trail

Do you get excited about Thimble Morels? 

I can't wait to find my first of the year... which I know should happen any day now! The Thimble Morel (Verpa bohemica) is sometimes referred to as the "Spring Morel" or "Early Morel." Even though it is not a "true morel" of the Morchella genus, it is one of the year's mushrooms that I look forward to finding the most. Not only is it one that some people seek out for the plate, but it is also a harbinger of things to come. These mushrooms typically grow under Black Cottonwood here in the Pacific Northwest, and they usually come out a week or two before Morchella genus Morels here in Western Washington and other parts of the PNW.

Even though Verpa bohemica sometimes gets a bad rap, many report that it is quite similar to the landscape morels and, just as with those of the Morchella genus, needs to be cooked thoroughly to ensure a safe dining experience. Some reference that they will often parboil this one to assure safety. I've heard Paul Stamets and others hail it as being a choice edible, but have also seen him encourage caution with this one because of reports of not-fully-understood chemistry. Furthermore, opinions vary, with some enjoying its flavors and others being unimpressed. Stamets' teacher Michael Beug is reportedly not a fan of its flavor.

The jury is very much still out on this one, and many field guides discourage its consumption, while in some parts of the world, this is reported as a common spring edible.

I am curious to get your opinions.

So what is your take on this one? Let me know in the comments!

(and enjoy these pics from last year's finds)

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1 year ago | [YT] | 13