This morning I started the adventure of training for a 10k hike/trail run in October! My hike was 3.2 miles. I intentionally left my binoculars at home so I’d keep moving and not get distracted by birds too much.
I went out with my mom and our friend, Kate. We started out hiking at a decent pace; occasionally pausing briefly for a native flower in bloom or an interesting bug, but then continuing on. However, our pace drastically slowed nearly 40 minutes into our hike when I stopped everyone because there was a snail on the trail and I wanted to take a picture and make sure it didn’t get squished.
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| The snail. (Mesodon thyroidus) |
Once we stopped for the snail, we started to notice some interesting fungi. As much as we tried to move forward, we just kept seeing more and more unique varieties. Here’s just a small sampling of what we found:
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| Common Coral Slime (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa) |
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| Chocolate Tube Slimes (Genus: Stemonitis) |
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| White Jelly Fungus (Ductifera pululahuana) |
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| Unknown Slime Mold (Class: Myxomycetes) |
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| Golden Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) |
After seeing these and dozens of other fungi, we did eventually continue hiking. Training for a continuous hike may take longer for me than the typical hiker, (thanks, snail!) but I can’t wait to see what else I find along the way!
Today’s path:
While I’m doing this in honor of my grandmother and several friends and even my sister’s service dog, Miami, who have died from cancer, I also want to share my love of the natural world and the exciting things I encounter along the way. I hope some interest in my journey will help raise money for cancer research and help me meet my donation goal for Pelotonia Gravel Day 2025.
100% of funds raised go towards cancer research at OSU. Learn more or donate here.
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