On a rainy afternoon, 22 people and a little black poodle march along Whidbey Island’s Kettle Trails, with their bright yellow, red and green ponchos creating a huddle of color when they stop to examine the small earthy treasures of these damp woods — mushrooms.
“Beautiful,” breathes one of the women in the group.
Another comments on how pretty the large white and blue mushroom the group examines is.
This interactive hunt for mushrooms is not a science class or one only for those interested in mycology, the study of mushrooms. It is just one of the innovative walks taken by the class, A Sound Mind in a Sound Body, which is offered by the coalition of Whidbey Walks and the Greenbank Farm.
Elaine Woods, head of Whidbey Walks, said last year the organization, Whidbey In Motion, alloted a grant to Whidbey Walks and Greenbank Farm, with the goal that they would come up with an outdoor walking program. Thus was born the classes for A Sound Mind in a Sound Body.
“The philosophy is that when we exercise, to be a part of nature,” Woods said. “Not only that, an important part of human fitness is our mental fitness. So if we walk with a naturalist, it gives us something to think about — it appeals to our brain — it keeps our brain alive.”
She said integrating the intellectual aspect back into the physical gave her the idea for the class’s name, and the direction the classes would take.
Her own experiences with the benefits of walking came several years ago when she was diagnosed with fibromyalisis, which inflamed her joints and caused her great pain whenever she moved.
“I started walking in the woods,” she said. “It was so healing. I realized this is where I wanted to be. This is what I wanted to do … you can get healed from walking in the woods.”
Now almost symptom free, Woods helps others discover the benefits of walking in the woods for themselves.
“I do what I can to encourage people to get out onto trails,” she said.
On this particular walk, the class is walking with naturalist Margaret Dilly, who is mushroom specialist and an advanced amateur mycologist. Dilly, who has studied mushrooms since the early 1960s, identifies each of the mushrooms on the trail, explains whether or not they are edible, how to prepare them, and points to keys to identify them most easily. Partial to the Latin names, she tries to help those on the walk remember and keep each name in order with its fungal counterpart.
“There is so much to learn,” she said. “ You’re not going to learn it in one day out in the woods. Believe me, it’s just not something you can do … there really is a lot to it.”
Those on the walk, however, are eager to learn and from the questions, answers, recipes, gathering, prepping and tips, a great deal is learned.
John Hyde from Langely said he enjoys walking with the classes when he can.
“Well, it gets me out of the house — I’m 70-years-old and a widower,” he said.
The classes are for anyone, any age, who enjoys a meander, not only in the woods, but anywhere the group can walk and learn a bit more about nature. They have walked along fault lines, sea shores, beaches and other outdoor terrain. They also incorporate a variety of teachers covering a variety of topics, such as forest succession, fault lines, erosion and cultural anthropology.
This year, as the first year of the program, classes were every Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The classes will break for the holiday season and begin again early next year.
Wood said she hopes these classes help people enjoy the wonders of where they live, exercise their mind and body and enjoy a higher quality of life and fitness.
