Shroomies be bloomy
I have no idea what any of the mushrooms I captured below are. I wouldn’t even begin to describe myself as a novice mushroom hunter, I do want to eventually get good at id. I have a neat lil waterproof guide a friend gifted me that will hopefully stop collecting dust and join me on a few hikes this year. My goal on this hike was to spot mushrooms and photograph them as well as take in the delicious sounds of the gushing waterfalls and photograph those too. I did the Cataract Falls Trail, High Marsh, Kent Trail, and Helen Markt Trail hike on New Year’s Day 2023. I did this solo as I often do most of my hikes out of preference.
The first red flag on this hike was when All Trails tried to have me drive up a blocked fire road to access the trailhead. I instead had to park at the bottom of it and extend my hike by two miles to reach a random part of the middle of the trail. The second red flag was when All Trails lost GPS signal and could no longer approximate my location. I am accustomed to being without cell service on trails and also prefer that, but I never watched my All Trails map dance around a location trying to find me. The third red flag came around 5 pm when I thought I had an hour left on the trail and would make it back to my car in perfect timing before it got dark. After hiking another 20 minutes or so and checking back on my ETA I saw it grew to 4 hours and some change. I immediately panicked but also thought this can’t be right. I picked up my pace now keenly aware of the time ticking down on All Trails and how it was not going back to one hour. I texted my friend that I might be lost as soon as I got service and I began running.
After about 5 minutes of running and seeing the daylight drastically leave the forest I stopped. My heart was beating rapidly from movement, but also fear and my adrenaline was pumping. My phone still said I had about 4 hours left and the reality sunk in that I was not going to make it back to my car at 6 pm. I stood for a moment contemplating whether or not to continue on my fool’s journey of trying to outrun the sun before it set or to turn around and run back to the spot where I last had service and call for help. I chose the latter option. I ran back and was in near-total darkness by the time I reached the area where I had service. A flurry of texts came in from my friend saying she called the police who called the ranger and the ranger was trying to reach me. I wasn’t getting any calls so I called the police myself. They told me to stay put while they connected me to the ranger. As the curtains closed on the sky, I was increasingly afraid and aware of how small and vulnerable I was in the vastness of the forest and infinite darkness.
I could not stay put. The dispatcher heard me moving and asked if I was doing so. I lied and took tinier steps than what I was already taking. The call dropped and so did my heart. Now I was completely alone and surrounded by noises of wet trees groaning, leaves dripping, branches cracking and falling – sounds that would otherwise soothe me became terrifying reminders of my mortality. I began running with my cell phone flashlight on. As soon as I got cell service again I got a call from the police dispatcher who kindly reminded me I needed to stay put for my own sake. This time I did as I was told while silently weeping and genuinely thinking I might die. I finally got connected to Park Ranger Matt who thankfully had an iPhone. I shared my location indefinitely as well as sent my location pin. He texted me every now and then to check in and update me on the Marin Search and Rescue (SAR) team’s progress.
When the team got close I heard them calling out my name. A meek sound escaped my mouth as I stood shivering cold and feeling defeated and ashamed. They kept calling so I responded with what felt like a roar that took my remaining energy. I was expecting 2-4 people, having never been rescued before and not knowing all that goes into it. A group of about 10 people showed up and immediately handed me a coat, hat, gloves, trekking poles, headlamp, water, and food. As we began our hike back they checked in constantly reminding me it was safe and okay to take breaks and ask for anything I needed. As we were hiking back down one particularly slippery set of rocks I slipped and, with almost Spiderman-like senses, a rescuer in front of me who was facing away from me spun around catching and stabilizing me.
When we reached the nearest trailhead, Park Ranger Matt was there waiting to transport me to my car. He gave me a mask to wear while we drove the 20 minutes to my car. During our ride he shared so much about his partner, pets, life as a ranger, and photography hobby. He also shared that the area I was in is considered a “Blake Hole” in the park and people often get turned around out there. Matt and Marin SAR were actually out on the trails early in the day doing preemptive work to make sure hikers stayed safe and responded to another hiker who fell on wet rocks and broke their ankle.
To say I was lucky to have gotten out of that forest without a scratch and not have been stranded overnight in inadequate clothing with no food, water, or working cell phone (my battery was on 2% when I was rescued) is to say the least. I donated to Marin SAR after that experience because they deserve it and possibly saved my life. I have learned so much about preparedness and how to keep myself safe from this experience. Going forward I will take better precautions to avoid having volunteers risk their lives to rescue me.
Here’s to more beautiful and less dramatic hikes. 🥾
