Field Trips & Foray

Four or five times each Spring and Fall the Society organizes field trips, usually at forest campgrounds. Members are free to arrive and leave as it suits their schedule, however standard procedure (recommended for new members) is to arrive before 9 am for tea or coffee while you get some pointers on where to try hunting and possibly hook up with another person or group. From there individuals or groups fan out in the surrounding 20 miles looking for new hot spots or old reliables. People that are tired or not successful may return to eat their lunch and find out how others have been faring, then head out again; while those in the gravy will stay out all day. Master Identifiers are present from 9-4pm to verify your discoveries.

Potlucks are usually held sometime between 3 and 5 pm. Remember to bring serving utensils for your potluck dish as well as your own plates, utensils, napkins and cups for participation in the potluck or for snacks

In order to participate in field trips, members have to sign a liability waiver at the campground in the morning of the field trip.

Since space is limited, priority for our field trip guides are for new members. You will need to have an emergency whistle to be on a guided field trip. NO exceptions.

Field trip FAQ

Field trip FAQ

Hosting

"It takes a lot of love to make a house a home". Similarly, Field Trip Hosts bring that extra bit of love that makes PSMS field trips unique. They show up early at the location of the field trip they are hosting, where — with gear provided by PSMS — they arrange a breakfast table of coffee, tea, fruit and baked goods (which PSMS will reimburse) and set the atmosphere for a great day in the woods. In the afternoon they prepare the area where the potluck will be held, and at the end of the day they pack up the gear and help tidy things. Between breakfast and potluck, Field Trip Hosts are free to go out mushrooming at their leisure.

Hosting a field trip is a great way to get to know PSMS members better, while making everybody's mushrooming day even more enjoyable. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated by all, you will get a mention in our Spore Prints, and you'll earn a spot in the volunteers-only Memorial Day Field Trip!

If you love entertaining, are punctual and responsible, can keep track of things while working in a campground setting, and can manage the fast pace of providing 70-100 happy mushroomers with coffee and goodies for a couple of hours, you've got what it takes! We also recommend having attended a field trip in the past: seeing hosting "in action" is very helpful.

You can find a more detailed description of the tasks in the hosting guidelines. And if you'd like to sign up, or just have additional questions, contact Carolina & James or Debbie at host@psms.org

Schedule

The field trip schedule is available to members on the members' calendar.

Members can access the Field trip schedule by logging into the Member's page and scroll down to the Communication section.

Contacts

Contact Brian Luther (Contact information available in the roster on the members' page), or email president@psms.org and the email will be forwarded to him.

Field Trip Safety

Field Trip Safety by Wren Hudgins

Field Trip Expectations

Field Trip Expectations by Wren Hudgins

Field Trip Tips

by Agnes Sieger

Apparel

The Pacific Northwest is wet. Wear warm clothing, preferably in layers, and waterproof shoes or boots and bring your rain gear. Pacific Northwest vegetation is usually thick, and the sky is frequently overcast. Bring a compass and whistle and a map of the area and remember to use them.

Mushrooming gear

You will need a wide-bottomed container for your mushrooms. This can be a basket or bucket. Do not use plastic sacks; they tend to condense moisture and turn mushrooms into slime. You will need a sturdy knife suitable for cutting and prying and perhaps a soft brush to clean up the edibles; some people even bring a small garden trowel for digging. To protect individual specimens for identification, take some wax paper sandwich bags or aluminum foil.

Collecting

If you know you have a good edible, cut off the stem cleanly and brush off as much soil and debris as possible. Store like species in a rigid container where they won't get crushed or pick up more dirt. Try to keep the mushrooms cool and dry, and process them as soon as possible.

Foray

A PSMS Foray is something like a field trip, only on a broader basis, lasting two or three days. Though there may be field hunting, the focus is on education with several learning opportunities. Because the outing includes at least one evening and dinner, there is also an emphasis on good food, drink and conviviality.