It was a daring mushroom walk when we decided to go through the deep forests of the Mbang area, North Aceh. From the city of Lhokseumawe to Mbang, we had to cover a distance of more than 30 km over fairly rough terrain. Thankfully, it can be traversed by motorcycle.
After parking our motorcycles in a place that we thought was safe, we went on foot along the rat trail to find spots that would allow us to find mushrooms. Sufficient mineral water and anti-mosquito lotion are must-haves.
There are so many bushes and sharp, thorny branches that will tear your skin if you are not wearing a jacket, long shirt, jeans, or shoes. The loud buzzing of cicadas competing with the cries of langurs was a common thing we heard there.
The dense forest makes the atmosphere dim, and the view is a bit blurry, so you no longer know where the east and west are. We didn't bring a compass, and there was no cell phone signal. Everything is just based on intuition that you won't get lost and can go home safely.
The tiring journey makes you thirsty from time to time, so wetting your throat with enough water is a must. But it all paid off when we found an amazing view.
Yeah, it's mushroom heaven! There were so many orange mushrooms appearing on the ground. Smile happily!
We seemed to see a natural mushroom farm. They are all one kind; there is no other. Everything still looks fresh in brilliant orange, which is fantastic!
This confused me regarding identifying the mushroom because the cap had not opened completely.
Is it Hygrocybe squamulosa, or Leotia lubrica? But I'm more inclined to conclude that it's Leotia lubrica. This is just a preliminary conclusion, and I made this a homework assignment to solve.