DOSE: T+ 0:00	1.75 g	oral	Mushrooms	(dried)
T+ 3:00		smoked	Cannabis
T+ 3:20		smoked	Tobacco - Cigarettes

BODY WEIGHT:

130 lb

A Life-Changing Experience

First, let me start off by saying I am no stranger to psychedelics- specifically mushrooms. I have eaten mushrooms three times, but the third experience is one I'll remember for the rest of my life. The first two times were in the same place; the basement of a familiar, secluded house in the woods in northern Georgia. The most recent time was in a much different setting: Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

Friday:
Once settled in after our first night and morning camping out, the first mission was to locate someone with psychedelics, particularly LSD or mushrooms. Coincidentally, as we were lounging about our campsite, we were greeted by an older man passing through who claimed to have opium, MDMA, and LSD in his possession. After purchasing ten hits of gelatin “windowpane” acid from the man, my two comrades and I found the perfect mellow, shady spot in the woods to relax in.

We each took a hit and waited to see who would be the first to experience any effects. Sadly, after half an hour no one had seen a thing. By this point we were almost certain we had been duped, but each of us took another hit just to be sure. Nothing. Already two days into the festival, we were discouraged and had little faith in being able to find a reliable source.

Saturday:
The next afternoon, while sitting in a bar to cool off, we were approached by a friendly girl. After exchanging some small-talk, she offered MDMA. Discouragement set in again as that was not what we were interested in. She could see the disappointment written on our faces and asked, “Well, what is it you guys are looking for? Acid? Mushrooms?” After the first experience with the bad acid, we weren’t willing to take that risk again. I replied, “Well, mushrooms would be nice.” Lo and behold, her tent-mate happened to have an eighth of P. cubensis (for an extremely reasonable price, we later found out). Seeing as an eighth would only suit one or two people, my buddy Pedro* and I decided we would be the ones to eat them while our other two tent-mates looked on. This mystery girl was the connection we had been waiting for.

After making our purchase and heading to our next destination, the stage where The Black Keys would be performing, we claimed our space with a blanket and made ourselves as comfortable as possible in the horde of people around us.

7:45 PM when we divided the eighth of mushrooms between us and ate them eagerly, chasing them down with a bottle of water. The taste was surprisingly pleasant. (I hadn’t really known what to expect as the first two times I tripped were from shroom chocolates.)

8:15 PM (T+30): Comedic actor Aziz Ansari introduces The Black Keys. Pedro and I become increasingly more giggly and curious about our surroundings. My eyes begin to dart around uncontrollably. I’m bewildered by people-watching. The notes of the opening song, Thickfreakness, begin to permeate the air. I suddenly feel moved to stand up and dance.

9:00 PM (T+60): I can’t stop moving. The body high is almost overwhelming paired with the music. The lights onstage provide me with excellent visuals. The light trails are breathtaking. Lightning branches across the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance. I smile to myself and remember that it happened to storm the first two times I’d eaten shrooms as well.

9:30 PM (T+90): The other two tent-mates decide to leave the concert early to cover our tent before the weather becomes more threatening. We are left to take care of ourselves. I am hypnotized by the crowds of people swaying to the music. It is an incredible feeling of unity to be tripping with everyone dancing and moving around me.

10:00 (T+120): The concert ends and I’m overcome with deep sadness that they didn’t continue to play. Thunder continues to rumble as bright flashes of lightning illuminate the sky. There still hasn’t been a drop of rain. We decide to head back to the tent to make sure everything is covered or stowed somewhere it won’t get wet. It’s nearly a mile walk back to the campsite but we are restless and energetic and make it to our tent in what seems like only a minute.

We walk through a sea of people along the trail, greeting everyone we encounter cheerfully and decide they must all be tripping, too. I walk along a wall of graffiti, mesmerized by our shadows and how they change with the light. My own shadow seems to skip beside me playfully, taunting me. I can't stop staring. It is a very Peter Pan-esque moment. The graffiti seems animated, like it's jumping off the wall. I can't stop giggling.

We manage to find our campsite among the jungle of tents around us. The other two tent-mates are asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, we agree to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere and pleasant breeze of the approaching storm. We sit alongside the forest and gaze into it, transfixed by how deep it is. We hear nothing but crickets now. The branches of the trees are waving calmly, almost beckoning us to come in. However, it is extremely dark beyond the first layer of trees and I’m somehow reminded of the Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter and begin to feel paranoid. Somehow the topic of a zombie apocalypse arises. I suddenly realize that, should it happen at that moment, we would be in the worst place possible. To ease our minds and take the edge off, we decide to smoke a bowl.

11:00 PM (T+180):
As we smoke a bowl of kush, we hear Eminem begin to perform in the distance. We decide to walk back to Centeroo to see what else is happening. We are both still teeming with energy. We make the grueling mile walk back, which again felt very quick. We watch the remainder of Eminem’s performance and are delighted when fireworks begin to explode slightly offstage. They are so beautiful, I feel ecstatic.

1:00 AM (T+200):
We make our way to a different stage to see a jam-band, String Cheese Incident. After laying out our blanket once more, we smoke a few cigarettes and continue to watch the buzz of activity around us. I can’t help but notice a guy behind us having a TERRIBLE trip, probably on acid. His sitter begins demanding xanax to help his poor friend calm down. After about 20 minutes, I realize the band hasn’t even set up yet.

At this point, the dropping temperatures and humidity begin to leave a chill hanging in the air. I shiver slightly and wrap myself in the blanket and drift into another world. The band begins to play. I can hear them, but I’m somewhere far off inside my head. Almost like the place between dreaming and waking. I fall in and out of this transcendental state until the music ended.

3:30 (T+290):
By this time, I have come down from my marijuana high and am left feeling groggy. I’m still feeling the body high, but the visuals have decreased. We decide to make the trek back to the camp once more, the final time of the night. We climb into our tent and drift off to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

Summary:
This was by far the most intense trip on mushrooms. However, if you are a first=time user I would definitely NOT recommend trying them with 90,000 people crowded around you. It was a little overwhelming at first while coming up, but I was already familiar with the effects and was able to quickly curb the anxiety I was feeling. I don’t know if the trip was more intense because it was the first time I’d eaten actual mushrooms rather than mushrooms ground into a chocolate or because of all the goings-on around me. It was something I will never forget. While dancing to the music of one of my favorite bands, I felt more in sync with my body and the world around me than I ever have and probably ever will.

Exp Year: 2011	ExpID: 91654
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 20
Published: Oct 18, 2024	Views: 38
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Mushrooms (39) : Music Discussion (22), General (1), Festival / Lg. Crowd (24)