[pct-l] No on Proposition Foraging

[Nathan Miller]

Gorram buttons...

Anyway, as I was saying...

...it's CRITICAL that you know EXACTLY what plant you're viewing...and intending to eat...and which part is edible and how to prepare it.  There are native plants along the PCT that WILL KILL YOU!!!  However, you're unlikely to find enough calories out there to keep you going.  In fact, I've been on stretches of trail where there was NOTHING edible for miles or days.

Late in the season in parts of the PNW, you can graze on various berries (and not just huckleberries) as you walk, but even then, you'll have to keep pausing a bit to grab them.

While near town, however, go nuts.

Oh, and Thayer also has Queen Anne's lace, also called wild carrot, in one of his books.  Every part of it's edible.  Its botanical name is Daucus carrota.  The botanical name of the common garden carrot is...Daucus carrota ssp. sativa.  Yup, it's the same thing, just minus centuries of selective breeding!

Foraging might be an interesting exercise on a section-hike if you're not trying to crank out miles.  But you should do your homework ahead of time.  Even Lewis and Clark had local tell them what to eat and what not to eat!

-Nate the Trail Zombie
Newberg, OR