Good Questions

Small-group guided foraging on the Mendonoma coast and forests — mushroom hunts in the wet season, an easy beginner Forage Walk on the Sea Ranch commons, a half-day Intermediate foray, and seasonal coastal and bay-clam outings. Every foray ends with a field tasting of what we find, and the option to add a chef-prepared Wild Feast at Elk Cove Inn.

None at all. Every experience is built around your level — total beginners are welcome, and the Forage Walk is designed as the gentle first taste. If you're already a forager, I'll happily go deeper.

It depends on the experience. The Forage Walk is easy walking on gentle trails for all fitness levels. The day forays are real off-trail travel — 2–3 miles through forest with slopes, deadfall and mud, or wet rock and tidal flats on the coast — and ask for moderate fitness and sure-footedness. If you're unsure which fits you, email me and describe your usual hiking; I'll give you a straight answer.

Yes — the Forage Walk is family-friendly and kids are welcome with an adult. The day forays suit ages 12+ who hike regularly. Tell me ahead of time and I'll help you pick the right outing.

Yes — a foraging experience makes a memorable gift. Just ask and I'll sort it out.

The listing shows the general area; the exact meeting spot comes in your confirmation email a few days before. Like most foragers, I keep the best spots quiet to protect them from over-harvesting — part of foraging in a way that leaves the place better than we found it.

Layers you don't mind getting muddy, sturdy waterproof shoes (or boots that grip wet rock for coastal days), a water bottle, a picnic lunch, and curiosity. Baskets, knives, gloves and the field tasting are on me. For coastal and clam outings you'll need a California sport-fishing license — I'll send the link before your date.

If conditions are right — and I only run dates when they are — yes. Twenty years on this coast means I know where the chanterelles hide and which reef the tide opens. But this is hunting, not shopping: the wild writes the menu, and that's the point. No date has ever gone home empty-handed.

Absolutely — you take home your share of the haul, within legal limits, plus the recipes and skills to cook it. The field tasting along the way is a preview; the basket is yours.

Every foray includes a field tasting of the day's finds when weather and regulations allow. The full Wild Feast — a multi-course dinner built from the day's harvest, cooked by Chef Victor Passalacqua at Elk Cove Inn with a guided wine tasting — is an optional upgrade from $130 per guest, added to any mushroom foray.

Rain doesn't cancel — rain makes mushrooms — so come dressed for it. I only cancel for genuinely dangerous conditions (big surf, storms), and if I cancel, you get a full refund. Safety is always the first call.

Safety is the spine of the whole experience. You'll learn the rules I live by: every mushroom is identified to species, anything uncertain never reaches the basket, and I teach the dangerous lookalikes first. When in doubt, we throw it out — always.

Tell me at booking (privately is fine) and we'll make a plan. For coastal and clam outings, anyone eating shellfish must have eaten shellfish before with no reaction; if you have any allergy, please carry your own medication (e.g., epinephrine auto-injector). Wild shellfish can also carry natural biotoxins you can't see, smell or cook away — we follow California's quarantine seasons and the state biotoxin hotline before any shellfish is eaten.

For coastal shellfish and clamming, California requires anyone 16+ to carry a sport-fishing license (quick to buy online — I'll send the link before your date). For mushroom walks, no license is needed; we forage only where it's legal.

The same ones that make it an adventure: off-trail terrain, ocean edges, weather, and wild food. I manage them with twenty years of judgment, small groups, conservative identification, and routes chosen for the day's conditions — but they can't be eliminated, and every guest signs an assumption-of-risk and release agreement at booking. I carry first aid, hold safety certifications.

Right now, through Airbnb — tap "Book on Airbnb" on the experience you want. Some seasonal coastal experiences are offered directly; email me for those.

Bookings made through Airbnb follow Airbnb's cancellation policy. Either way, if I cancel a date for weather or safety, you receive a full refund — your spot is never lost to conditions outside your control.

Yes — private bookings up to 10 guests, year-round, at the Sea Ranch commons or a venue of your choice, and corporate/celebration outings are welcome. Write me and we'll design it.