Are you keen to learn about fungi and their ecology in the interconnected forests of the Rocky Mountains? We are excited to walk alongside you, sharing knowledge and stories to deepen your ecological understanding and sense of wonder. 

Our walk will begin at 9am at the trailhead with introductions followed by a short foundational lesson in fungal biology. We will then spend the majority of our time on a slow walking journey through the trees, seeking out fungal friends, practicing careful observation, and chatting about all that we find. We will also spend time sitting with a mushroom, getting to know them deeper through creative practice; drawing, written description, photography, meditation, or another medium that calls to you and can be easily carried. We will wrap everything up around 1pm with time for questions, discussion and potentially a cooking demo.

On this trip you can expect to:

• Learn edible, medicinal, poisonous and pigmenting mushrooms of the region. 

• Gain a base understanding of mushroom identification, taxonomy, and life histories. You will also get to meet the trees and learn how they relate and interact with the fungal realm. 

• Become familiar with the anatomy and patterns of mushrooms and other fungal bodies. This will include guidance on how to create high quality documentations of fungi so that you can contribute to conservation through community science. 

• Learn about humans’ impact as members of the forest ecosystem and practice honorable harvesting. 

• Share meditation and deep breaths with the forest, practicing observation through descriptive writing and drawing. 

Fungi and forests are constantly changing entities contributing to a diverse and exciting range of possibilities that we may wander into. There are many factors that affect which species will be visible and we can’t know what we might encounter until we take the time to go walking!