DOSE:

3 g

oral

Mushrooms

(dried)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

I feel the urge to share what I would call one of my favorite and most insightful trips with mushrooms. Just to add some background I'm age 20 now and the only drugs I associate myself with are marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD.

I've been smoking weed since age 13; as someone who struggles with anxiety I like the calming and chill effects of marijuana. It was around age 15 that I became greatly interested in the psychedelic state of mind. I did much research mainly into mushrooms and LSD and was always fascinated that a substance could create such mental states as well as produce extreme personal and spiritual significance. I enjoyed reading through all the testimony from the many people who, driven by equally as much curiosity and passion as myself, dive into this psychedelic landscape. Throughout my research and reading the desire to take my own plunge into psychedelic space grew increasingly. It felt more than just a desire. It was as if from deep within my life essence needed to journey into this other realm in order for me to realize myself. Many people who are experienced with psychedelics can relate to the specific knowing sensation they get when it is the right time for them to embark on these trips. Things seem to align, the drug itself becomes easily accessible, and everything falls right into place. This is what seemed to happen for me one year later at age 16. Between age 16 and now I have become experienced with mushrooms and have taken LSD 4-5 times. All these experiences gave me deep insight on myself and my reality in general. The experiences and the way I integrated them shaped the person I have become, and continue to shape me as I learn and grow. Though this is one out of many mushroom trips I've taken, it was one of my favorite experiences with psychedelics which is why I'm choosing this one to share.

The Trip:
It was October 2019. I was 19 and during the time of this trip I was going through several different life struggles. I had just went through a summer of Lyme disease which essentially changed me. And on top of it me and my father, who had been working together in carpentry for 2 years, got into a fight which resulted in me quitting my job and moving to my mother's house. It was definitely something that I was feeling upset about however, it played its role with this trip. Being out of work for this short while opened up a lot of free time in which I could enjoy myself. So when I felt the natural urge to take a trip I spent some of the little money I had on some mushrooms and made a plan with my one friend that I enjoy tripping with. Our plan was to eat a few grams of mushrooms together on that following Saturday. I wanted to trip during the daytime hours so we could walk through the forest of a certain nature preserve which is in my local town. We wanted to eat them earlier in the morning and that's exactly what we did. I was driving my small pickup truck, I went and picked up my friend at 7:30 AM and we drove about 15 minutes over to the nature preserve.

At 8:00 we both ate our share of mushrooms. I had weighed us both out 3 gram bags. I ate my entire bag and he finished mostly all of his bag saying he can't eat anymore and offered them up to me. There was probably only .5 g or less leftover and I told him just to dump the rest on the ground that I wasn't worried about it. After eating our dose we waited about 10-15 minutes and began our walk in the preserve. I didn't really have specific intentions for this trip but I wanted to enjoy the beauty and peace of the forest and not be bothered by the world.

The great thing about the place I chose to walk is that it's quite a big preserve with plenty of space to explore and keep us busy the whole duration of the trip. Also in October with it getting colder here in New England where I live, we hardly crossed paths with anyone at all on the trails. It is always smart to make sure you are tripping in a safe place because you never know what can happen and the last thing you want is to be arrested or get hurt. For some reason there are several different sections of this nature preserve so the scenery and landscape would completely change and I specifically remember feeling like I was going into different biomes in minecraft. Regardless we began our walk in the first section which was most defined by tall power lines that cut through the middle of the preserve. The land under the power lines is cleared out and full of shrubs, undergrowth, and tall grass. On either side of the 100 or so foot wide clearing is dense forest. A foot trail slices through the shrubbery underneath the power lines. This is probably 20 minutes after eating the mushrooms, my friend and I were just starting to feel funny. Both of us being quite experienced with mushrooms knew what was coming and we were just enjoying the scenery on the start of our walk. The power line section starts on the top of a hill following a trail that goes about 3/4 of a mile down. I remember feeling the warm fuzzy sensation of an oncoming trip and I was very calm and content. The temperature was perfect and I had an overwhelming feeling of beauty while enjoying the autumn colors around me. Colors seemed to be vibrant and amplified. There was a pretty strong breeze that flowed through the hill so perfect-like. The birds were chirping and I felt very grateful to be having my experience in such a welcoming setting. Nature seemed to be opening it's arms to me inviting me to venture inside.

We continued about 15-20 minutes down the trail and me and my friend were definitely starting to feel the mushrooms taking hold. Now about 30 minutes into our trip we took a left hand turn onto a red trailhead which led from the power lines straight into the woods. This is the first time during the day that we experienced the scenery change. Me and my friend both had the same reaction of "woahhhh" as we stepped out of the sun and under the shade of the trees which seriously felt like walking into a new world. Though I had walked down the same trail the week before it felt totally different from the last time. This section of woods was full of tall pine trees. The ground was covered in little brown pine needles which in my eyes look like a soft blanket covering the earth. I remember looking around and watching things start to move and sway in my vision. Colors almost start to blend together as if there were no borders. I felt very calm and the nature setting was very soothing. We continued walking down the winding trail which had a rock wall on one side and went through many large boulders creating little hills. The mood was very uplifting, my friend and I could not stop giggling as we were amazed by the world around us. I was constantly looking around and felt as if I was noticing every little detail of my surroundings. From the moss growing on the rock walls to the small undergrowth plants dancing in the wind all the way up to the synchronicity of the trees swaying and the sound of the autumn breeze rushing through them. Although it was very quiet the forest seemed alive with all of its motions and nooks and crannies.

Now it's about a little over an hour into walking and I notice how hard I'm starting to trip. The visuals were starting to get intense with colors morphing together and the forest around me swaying and "breathing" as they say. My whole body just felt weird like I was a big noodle or something. The body effect from shrooms is really weird it's like I can feel my body but not at the same time. As I was hiking I couldn't even really feel my legs moving which was fine by me. Me and my friend at this point saw a large opening in the forest that we wanted to go check out. There was trees all around this one little grassy area which I found to be very gorgeous at the time. We went about 400 ft off the trail and found a fallen log where we sat down for a quick rest. At this point we weren't talking that much but instead were just indulged in the surrounding beauty of nature. I was about 1:45 into the trip now and I was just overwhelmed by everything around me. I felt as if we had found our own little grotto in the woods with the little grassy clearing. I remember looking at the trees and they looked so wavy and were just moving as if they were alive. And then I looked to the grass which seemed to have a green wave of color which would radiate through it. It looked like an ocean of green with waves flowing through it and the log I was sitting on seemed to be floating on top. It was quite an amazing feeling and I was just overtaken by it. I wasn't really thinking about anything in detail. I was just jaw dropped by the beauty being portrayed around me. Before we left back for the trail to continue ahead we saw a little mushroom which had a bright super trippy design on the top of it which we stared at for probably 5 minutes straight. I thought it was funny while tripping on mushrooms to find a cool trippy little fungi just chilling there waiting for us to stumble upon it. Sure enough after our little mushroom fixation we continued on the trail.

Now a little over 2 hours into the trip we finished walking the red trail which dumps back out into the power line trail much further down. Though it felt like we had walked miles I think the red trail loop was only a little less than 2 miles. Once we stepped foot back into the open area under the power lines and out from the protection of the trees we felt the wind blowing pretty hard. We couldn't help but stop and bask in the amazing feeling of the wind tearing through us. Even though summer was over I felt like I was getting the most wonderfully amazing air conditioning rushed through my body. It was truly indescribable the feeling at that moment of the wind going through my body. I was totally at peace with the nature around me and the feeling I had was sensual and almost sexual. Not in a way that it was pleasing me sexually but just that the earth was expressing a deep love for me. After about 10 minutes standing in the wind we walked straight across the power lines where the entrance to another trail was. This trail goes through some grassland.

Again walking into the grasslands I got that feeling of walking into a new biome in minecraft. Me and my friend had another "woahhhh dude look at this" moment as we began our walk through the big field of tall grass. I remember the waves of color going through the land. I also was observing what seemed to be a strange array of small plants all in this giant open grassland area. We took a left at a fork in the road and in about 15 minutes were headed towards another wooded trail. Again with the scenery change. This part of the forest was also filled with pine trees but they were different in a sense. They weren't as tall and instead of dirt at our feet the ground was a weird loose sandy material. I remember feeling like I had totally teleported to somewhere else. The pine trees looked like weird spikey cactuses and the sandy effect made me feel like I was suddenly in some weird alien desert. This part of the trip was great for me because I truly felt like I was exploring some alien world even though I knew in my head I wasn't. It was a child-like sensation of wonder when discovering new things. We then took a short little walkway down to a small river going through the woods. We sat here for probably 20 minutes. I was peaking at this point and all my senses were just completely overwhelmed. The bright colors of green and orangish pine needles covering a sandy ground. The sun coming down and reflecting a beautiful image off the water and the soothing sound of the river running was all just surreal at the time. All of my senses just seemed intertwined into one orgasmic experience. It's very hard to put into words.

After spending some time by the river we turned back on the trail after seeing a map and realizing the trail we were on would lead us to civilization. We retraced our steps a little ways back to the grassland and continued the loop there. We were at the bottom left hand part of the grassland loop and our next destination was the yellow trail which connected at the top right hand side of the loop. So we made our way through the grasslands to where the yellow trail connected. Right at the entrance to the yellow trail there was a little bench so we decided to sit down for a quick breather. I remember my friend pointing up and going "holy shit dude look at the clouds" and we sat there in awe staring at the sky. There seemed to be color radiating through the sky and the shapes of the clouds were just morphing. I never really remembered seeing the sky as anymore gorgeous than it was at that very moment. I was pretty much still peaking and the view just filled my senses. It was as if I could feel what I was seeing all at once. Me and my friend then decided to smoke a quick bowl while sitting on the bench which was nice. Just after we finished smoking two elderly folk with their dog walked around the corner down the trail towards us. Even after all the mushroom trips I've had prior that weird feeling of "oh shit they're gonna know I'm tripping" came upon me. Even though I knew it was gonna be fine I still hate trying to talk to strangers while tripping. Regardless I maintain my composure and when they walk by us I just gave them an awkward little wave with a "how's it going?" And they walked by and went on their way. Feeling relieved that they didn't try to have a conversation I realized I had nothing to worry about.

Now my friend and I continue to our last part of our walk which was the yellow trail. This trail led through yet another different part of the forest which was dominated by mostly oak trees. This is where we got to see a lot of your postcard gorgeous autumn colors and the ground was rocky littered all around with fallen leaves from the trees. After walking about 20 minutes in we found a large rock which seemed to be the perfect place to chill out for a bit. Though it wasn't planned to turn out this way we spent the next hour sitting on this rock. We were past the peak but still tripping pretty hard and we ended up just having some deep conversations about life and reality. I felt very open and conversation with my friend flowed freely. We talked about the things we saw that day but also about fun moments in life and memories that we shared. This is one of my life long friends so we know each other very well. Once during any mushroom trip I'll usually have moments where I'm going through thoughts and memories in my head and think about everything I've done. Having these conversations and thoughts always make me feel deep gratitude for my life and those around me. Even going through whatever struggles I was at the time I knew that life was good and even when faced with challenges you still have the opportunity to be thankful for all the good in life. Life is truly about balance. We all experience good and bad in our life and it's up to us to find the balance between the two.

I had a backpack filled with waters for the day as we were going to be hiking for hours and getting thirsty. All I had for food was the little packs of peanut butter crackers which I was having a hard time eating because my body and throat felt so jello like. But I specifically remember my friend scarfing down two packs while we were on the rock and referring to the crackers as some "fine cuisine" which I thought was hilarious. I had no idea how he was eating them so easily but hey whatever makes you happy right? After an hour of sitting on the rock it had been about 4 hours since we started tripping. So it was around 12-12:30 at this point and I was well beyond my peak but still feeling pretty funny. We continued the rest of our journey through the yellow trail during which I was starting to feel myself coming back to reality. I knew I was coming down because I could feel my body and legs again, which were actually pretty sore because we had walked about 6 miles that day. I still had a nice glow for the rest of my walk and my uplifted mood didn't go away for days after.

The whole trip felt like a relieving and much needed break from what I was going through at the time. I had spent much of the two years prior to this experience just working with my dad doing what I felt I had to do to make money and also please my family. I realized during this trip that I can truly do whatever I want. I don't have to live my life based off of what others think is best for me. It's up to the individual to find ways in which they can express their self and be happy. But what the trip showed me most importantly is that these are things I already knew. Sometimes it's easy to lose your way when being distracted by certain feelings or situations that you feel you might be stuck in. I realized it's up to me to make the changes in order to ensure my own happiness.

Me and my friend finished our walk through the yellow trail which led us back to where my truck was parked. It was about 1:00 now and I was feeling fully come down for the most part. After waiting a little bit to assess if I was ready to drive I decided I felt fine so we left. I remember having deep thoughts and understanding in my own mind throughout that day and days to follow. That same week I went and made amends with my father who I had got into an argument with prior. That felt good. I also found myself a different job instead of working with him which felt like the healthy thing to do because I was able to enjoy spending my free time with him instead of always seeing him in a working environment.

It now being 2021 while writing this me and my father have got along fine ever since. The main features of this trip that I took away were the beauty and the adventurous feeling of exploring a pretty large nature preserve. Also the peacefulness of nature which was strong enough to relieve some of my struggles that I was dealing with personally. Almost as if the earth itself took me in and washed away my worries. It set me up with the mindset and capacity for healing in months to come after that. And on top of it all I was able to connect with my good lifelong friend with great conversation and share deep thoughts. Mushroom trips have always had positive impact for healing and change in my life. Mushrooms specifically have the potential to be very natural, healing, spiritual, and eye opening in just the right way. This is why I have grown to love them.

Exp Year: 2021	ExpID: 115210
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 19
Published: Feb 28, 2021	Views: 525
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Mushrooms (39) : Nature / Outdoors (23), Glowing Experiences (4), Public Space (Museum, Park, etc) (53)