Nature Tour on a Duckabush Trail
If you live in the Pacific Northwest you've probably entertained the fleeting dream of "living off the land." Last August Tracing the Fjord was invited to attend Hood Canal Adventures' "Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants, Lichen and Fungi of the PNW" tour. The experience reignites the desire to learn more about foraging in the Pacific Northwest.
The group gathered at the Hood Canal Adventure's Base Camp office located in Brinnon. Here we were met by owner and resident biologist, Christina Maloney. Christina also operates a successful kayaking rental and tour operation at the nearby Yelvik beach. In the last few years she has expanded the company's profile to include education marine and forest tours. Christina works with local naturalists and guides to lead her tours. Today our guide was herpetologist and professional forager, Jerry Novak. Growing up in southern California, Jerry cemented his fascination with edible and medicinal plants and fungi working Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife as a steward at an amphibian sanctuary near the Columbia River. The days connecting with the land fueled his infectious curiosity which is clearly a mantra of his current foraging tours.
From the moment he pulled up in the dusty passenger van the tone was set with energy and anticipation.
After loading up (some participants chose the option to drive their own vehicles to the trailhead) Jerry drove us the 15-20 minutes to a Jefferson Land Trust preserve located on the Duckabush River. Literally under the power lines, we piled out in the hot August sun and surveyed the seemingly uninteresting logging slash around us.
The unseen quickly became seen. Jerry reached down and grabbed a handful of dusty weeds with a head of purple flowers intertwined in the blackberry vines. His first plant was one that I had often overlooked as they are an ubiquitous on the forest floor. But never had I understood their varied healing properties. Some of which, Novak claimed, rivaled those bought over the counter.
Jerry shared the historical lore of each plant and his own personal experiences using the plants for their early medicinal uses.
He expressed a disregard for writers who reported on the benefits of flora without actually testing the methods themselves.
The tour descended into a sun dappled shady giant maple glen near the Skokomish River. Here we explored different fungi and trees and even sunk our teeth into a rhizome of licorice fern.
Despite it being mid-August and most of the plants past their prime and fungi still hidden beneath the soil, everywhere our guide stood, whether it be in an elk-trodden meadow or near the bank of the Duckabush River, there were countless opportunities to bring the "goodness" from the earth. You could do this walk anytime of the year and it would be an utterly different experience as the season changed.
As for poisonous plants and berries, he had some advice. "If they are too easy, don't eat them." Often times the plants that have no natural protection like thorns or "stings" are actually poisonous. I mulled over this later and could think of lots of plants that this rule doesn't apply to – like Huckle or Thimble berries for example, but unless you are sure, this is a good rule to adhere to. Nighshade and Snowberry (Ghostberry) definitely fit the definition.
The tour concluded with picnic lunch on the beach at the Duckabush River while Jerry prepared a hot wild foraged tea for the participants.
Hood Canal Adventures Fall Foraging & Fungi Tour Schedule:
Contact Christina directly, 360-301-6310, to reserve your spot or visit hoodcanaladventures.com to book online. Cost is $59/69 per person.
Mushrooms of the Olympic Peninsula - Walking Tour
September 24, 25 & 30; October 2, 7, 9, 14-16, 21- 23, 28- 30; November 4, 6, 11-13, 18-20, 26-27; December 2- 4
Edible & Medicinal Plant, Lichen & Fungi - Walking Tour
October 1; November 5
Mushrooms of the Olympic Peninsula - Walking Tour followed by Lecture with foraging author Langon Cook (sponsored by Jefferson County Libraries)
October 8: