February 21, 2023 - 10ish miles, Gain 400'ish: Maybe because of too many video games as a kid, I've always been into side quests when hiking. Sometimes that is chasing birds or clearing trails but lately I'm trying to figure out mushrooms. Winter is a great time to get into the game because there are a lot less varieties to investigate and there is less brush in the way. Actually identifying shrooms feels completely overwhelming but I've got a very modest start thanks to my patron saint, the creator of Mushroom Wonderland, who is posting timely videos from his park walks just across Puget Sound on the Kitsap Peninsula.
To get in some decent mileage, Oak and I headed to Lord Hill Regional Park which despite its lame name has almost 1,500 acres of excellent trails and some legit neck strainers (both in rock and tree forms). I wouldn't be surprised to find a bear had snuck through the suburbs to set up shop and there was evidence of deer, coyotes, beavers, etc. Now that I've had a chance to enjoy a peaceful walk where I could hear the birds signing I'm looking forward to returning to set the kids loose on the maze of trails.
This hike was the debut of a new trail saw and I assumed there would be a lot of work given the wind storm of the night before but I averaged less than a log an hour... The one tree that was really blocking a trail was a 20" fir that snapped off and landed full length in the trail. I'm ashamed to say I looked, thought "that is a s*!# show" and bypassed it. The saw made quick work of the other trees I found and is much easier to deploy than my trail bow saw.
Alright, so I mentioned shrooms and these are a few my favorites. I won't try to identify any of these as I would then highlight my ignorance but I do think I positively identified some turkey tails! I am a true amateur at the macro photography but it was a nice change of pace to focus on my feet for the day. We didn't find anything that was clearly edible and tasty but hopefully that will start to improve as things warm up.
