Difficulty: Intense
Some locations may have no established trail system or maintenance whatsoever. If we're lucky, there may be deer-paths to follow, but more likely than not we'll be foraging our own way through the undergrowth, mud and/or flooding depending on location and time of year. Expect difficult and often unwelcoming terrain throughout.
Creature Climate: Intense
You WILL become intimately acquainted with ticks, be required to make frequent Blood Sacrifices to the Mosquito Horde (often regardless of precautions), and endure verbal harassment from various critters that you've offended with your presence 🤷♀️.
With the exception of Mosquitoes and Ticks, it is rare to be met with outright aggression when crossing paths with local creatures in these areas. Most will avoid us entirely (i.e., deer etc.), some may observe from a distance out of curiosity (i.e., wild turkeys, crows, etc.), and others hide in place until the last minute so that they can flee in a sudden burst of noise to startle you in retaliation (i.e., grouse)....
All jokes aside, while there are hazardous animals in these areas to be aware of (i.e., coyote, rutting buck, porcupine, etc.) seeing them at all is uncommon (they generally prefer to avoid humans), and it is even more uncommon to have a dangerous encounter with them. In a very real way the biggest threat that will be encountered is the smallest and most unimposing of creatures - ticks, and to a lesser degree, mosquitoes.
Subject Overview:
The following core topics will be addressed during each excursion:
- Location-Specific Details (type of property, ownership/management, unique features, rules, etc.)
- Responsible Access (location-based foraging and off-trail exploring prohibitions, trespassing, consequences, etc.)
- General Safety (guarding against ticks, identifying and avoiding environmental hazards etc.)
- Stewardship Principles (recognizing and managing access impact, etc.)
- Plant Identification and Safety (safe and hazardous, uses and dangers, etc.)
- Mushroom Identification and Safety (how to identify mushroom species, safe and hazardous species, uses and dangers etc.)
