by Brady Raymond

The Ben Woo Foray for 2018 was a nice change of pace from last years foray which featured wet snow and cold temperatures.  This year was warm and sunny, and although a little dry, it was a blast for all who attended.  The mushrooming wasn’t quite what it was like in the first iteration of the foray but specimens were found, identified and generally admired by all who attended.  A variety of mushrooms were found this year, by a count of species, just over two-hundred.  Not bad considering the dry weather.

There were a lot of new faces for the third installment of the Ben Woo Foray as well as some of the more recognizable figures of the club.  Both new and old members came together, many of them volunteering their time to help make this outing the best it could be.

Once again there were cooking and photography workshops and dying and cultivation classes too.  A-frame style barracks were opened up for attendees and it also appeared that a fair amount of folks camped.  As stated in years prior, the staff at the camp were outstanding, friendly and prompt in their duties.  Thank you to all the employees at Buck Creek.

Also, thanks to James Nowak and Luise Asif for putting this foray together.  Without their hard work, none of this would’ve happened.  Thanks again for all the volunteers, speakers, and guests who made this a weekend to remember.

Below is the 2018 Ben Woo Foray species list prepared by Danny Miller, Shannon Adams, and Noah Siegel.