fungus – Prepped and Frosty

Weekend Overnight Hike-Ward, CO

We love our weekend overnight hikes! We got out again to do yet another 1 night backpack hike/camp at the Gone Feral field site near Ward, CO. It’s one of our favorite hikes in any weather (about 5 miles). We prepared for rain and we got lots of it, and hail too! We found some interesting fungus growing on and in some aspen trees…it’s always fun looking and finding new things as we hike. We read that the fungus can be used to help start fires! Scott made a fire to help keep us warm during the rain and to heat our dinner and we enjoyed sleeping in the wikiup listening to the rain all night. Our “to do” list this time was to harvest grass so we could weave a new mat to sleep on and Scott practiced his fire making skills.

~Go, Do, Share, Enable

fungus comes off easily and can be used to start fires

cutting open a sap bubble on a fir tree to put on moss for fire starter

used the moss and sap to start a fire with the ferrocerium rod

grass harvested for our mat we will loom to sleep on

paracord taken apart to use strands to weave grass using a loom

rain and hail to start the morning hike out

aspen leaves are gorgeous in contrast to the evergreen trees

Overnight Hike-Gone Feral Field Site-Ward, CO

This overnight hike had several objectives. The first priority was to take down a dead standing tree next to the wikiup which had become increasingly unstable. Last year it seemed solid, not moving in the wind like the other trees. This year, you could make it move easily by pushing on it. A frightening number of healthy trees had snapped off in the winter high winds. Action was needed once the risk was recognized. We hope to utilize the tree in the future by splitting it and making some furniture for our day camp / cooking area. We were able to improvise a flat space using an already downed tree in the cooking area to get us by short term. Additionally we did a short day hike on a trail that we had not previously explored.

~Go, Do, Share, Enable

Dead standing, potential widowmaker: estimating distance of tree fall

raised bed with pine bows and grass mat for comfort

tree landed safely in target zone but a bit short of estmate

food prep area flattened by Scott with his axe

fire made with ferrocerium rod and fatwood

fall colors starting to show on the Aspen trees

gorgeous unknown mushroom growing miraculously out of a tree trunk

Crater Lakes Hike-Rollingsville, CO

Gorgeous 6 mile hike in the James Peak Wilderness near Rollingsville, CO to Crater Lakes…we were above 10,000 feet in these amazingly beautiful mountains with moss covered trees, wild flowers, mushrooms, and brook trout!

~Go, Do, Share, Enable