Once again, we are being treated to the wealth of knowledge and generosity of local fungi experts Jack Wilson and Chris & Vicki Vacher on a walk/talk and more, on Sunday, September 12, starting at 9:30AM.

Jack shares this “draft plan” for our outing:

“To avoid hot weather, we should start at MoonDance Camp (Braley Pond Road) at 9:30AM.

We will be at 2000’ and that helps some with summer heat.

After a brief orientation, we would hike much of the route we did for the (February 2020) Lichen Hike, plus a look at the Calfpasture River.

We will do a scouting expedition a few days ahead of time to see what’s out.

I would suggest that we add Summer Pollinators to the agenda. The pollinator garden in front of the Wayside solar panels is in it’s third year and was developed with help from Master Naturalists.
It would make an interesting stop, if we add pollinators as a topic.

After what is an easy 2 mile hike, we would head to Churchville and The Necessary.
Lunch can be either bring-your-own or pre-ordered and waiting for us at The Necessary.
The Necessary has a video kiosk for the inside portion of the program.
The Necessary is an outlet for White’s Wayside and is also home to both Necessary Bees and Friends of Fungus.

No Pets, No Smoking, 10–12-person limit is our preference.

Hiking poles, long pants, creek hopping shoes and a camera with good macro features are suggested.”

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“Jack Wilson, along with Chris & Vicki Vacher, are residents of the George Washington National Forest, likers of lichens, beekeepers and certified/state-approved mushroom foragers.

Jack is the proprietor of White’s Wayside Diner. When not busy with the above-mentioned activities, he is attempting to train Bella the Diner Dog to find morels.

Christopher is a licensed landscape contractor who has installed well over 10,000 plants, practices small-scale organic agriculture, and has worked on many conservation projects.

Vicki is a degreed horticulturist who enjoys creating landscapes with natural beauty that improve the environment and provide habitats for biodiversity.” – from our February 2020 Headwaters Highlights HERE.

Thanks to Malcolm Cameron with our CE Committee for making this happen! He is our Chapter host for this trip and can be reached at malcolmgcameron [at] gmail.com

Sign up to attend in the current VMN VMS: Better Impact. You will be given directions to get to this outing once you’ve signed up. Sign up early. Space is limited!

Rain date is Saturday, September 18.

Read about our November 2017 Lichen Hike with Jack HERE.

Photo above is of Jack and a lichen-covered log from our 2017 outing with him. Photo by Jerry Hopkins, Cohort I.