Our 2018 Annual Foray filled so fast we were taken by surprise. A lot of folks who wanted to participate were unfortunately too late to register. In an effort to get as many people out in the woods as we can, we are going to offer them a "Consolation Foray" on the Mogollon Rim this coming Saturday. 

FORAY DESTINATION: Forest Road 300 (Mogollon Rim Road), Coconino and Sitgreaves National Forests.

MEETING PLACE: McDonald's parking lot, southeast corner of Highways 87 and 260, Payson, AZ. (Click link for map). 

Note: If you are coming from the north (Flagstaff) or west (Verde Valley/Prescott), contact the foray captain for another meeting place that will be divulged later.

Have a full tank of gas and be prepared to drive 40+ miles on dirt roads.

FORAY CAPTAIN: Christopher May, 480-326-6863, ccmaymd@gmail.com. 

Brown Toyota Tacoma, AZ license plate XRAYDOC.

MYCOLOGY SKILL LEVEL: All

THEME: This is a general foray aimed at collecting and identifying edibles and medicinals, and learning other toxic and inedible species.

This will be a particularly good foray for those who are interested in medicinal mushrooms, as we will stop at several sites where Ganoderma tsugae (Reishi), G. megaloma(Artist's Conk), Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tails), and Hericium americanum (Lion's Mane) are known to occur. We also expect to see edible species like Boletus barrowsii(Barrows' boletes), Amanita "caesarea" (Southwestern Caesar's Amanita), and Pleurotus pulmonarius (Oyster mushroom.) With any luck we may also get into Boletus rubriceps (Rocky Mountain red-capped king bolete), Hypomyces lactifluorum (Lobster mushrooms), Harrya chromapes (Yellow-foot bolete), and Cantharellus roseocanus (Chanterelles.)

PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVEL: Gentle. You should be able to walk a mile on flat ground at 8000 feet elevation.

VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: High clearance vehicles are always best, but most passenger cars can make this trip without trouble. We will be driving the well-travelled Rim Road, FR300. In a few places, very low-slung vehicles may have difficulty. We have been told that the road is in worse shape than usual this year.

WEATHER: Over the past month, rainfall in the areas we will be visiting has been average to above average, reaching 6 inches or more in some locales, and it is raining along our route as this is written.

FORAY PREPARATION: At a minimum, you need a knife and a basket or mesh bag. We also strongly recommend that you carry water and a loud whistle. For a more detailed list of what you might want to take along, see the recommendations for baskets and other gear on the AZ Mushroom Forum website.

We recommend you download the free Avenza Maps app for your GPS-capable smartphone. You can get versions for Apple iOS or Android. Then download the maps for the Coconino National Forest South Section (free) and Sitgreaves National Forest ($4.99). You can use these GPS-enabled maps even if you don't have cell phone coverage.