2nd Encounter with Magic Mushies

Setting: Joshua Tree National Park

Date: January 6, 2014

Amount/Method: 3 grams of  golden caps on a PB&J

     So before I start to break down this psychedelic roller coaster I experienced I feel it only appropriate to give a brief history of myself and psychedelics. A few years back I was extremely into raving and had experimented with acid a few times and had always been curious about mushrooms. I had the opportunity to try mushrooms for the first time several months ago and so my friend and I decided to make tea which didn't give me the trip I had expected but I still had a great time so this was my second encounter with mushrooms and I wanted to really get the full experience. 

     After acquiring the magic mushies I immediately hit up my best friend and trip partner to start planning this adventure and we decided that Joshua Tree was the place to go. We both are very active climbers and had done a lot of climbing in Joshua Tree so this was the natural choice. We left early and cruised up with our good friend who would be our sitter and guide through this experience. After arriving and setting up camp we made our peanut butter and jelly goodness garnished with the grayish/blue ooms. With this being the first time actually eating them I was a bit anxious to take the first bite but I really couldn't taste shit. Our trip sitter led us through a 20 minute yoga session which really helped the come up as the ground and surroundings started to sway and warp ever so lightly. With our body's relaxed and minds at ease we packed our bags and started to hike on a nearby trail. After about 10 minutes of walking I started to feel a little uneasy; not sick or anything, just weird. We turned around and picked out a ginormous rock pile to explore and started to make our way there. The entire time we were walking over I was feeling more and more weird and a bit neuseous and could start to really feel the effects of the mushrooms. The ground got extremely soft and plush like pillows and geometric patterns started to form. We eventually made it to the rock pile where I was starting to feel really uneasy.

     Feeling nauseous I decided to lay down on a flat rock near by. Walking to the rock seemed extremely difficult and my shoes kept grazing cactuses and rocks around me as if I had been drinking. Once I laid down I started to feel a lot better. I was feeling the mushrooms hit me in very powerful waves. At first I would feel extremely mucked out seeing shapes and patterns and other times I'd feel somewhat sober and normal. I began to start having distinct close eyed visuals such as stereotypical 70's flowers, smiley faces and peace signs accompanied by sacred geometry patterns. Whenever I'd open my eyes and look into the sun fractals would form from it's rays. Colors would surge across the landscape in deep purples to muted blues to light pinks. While I was laying down taking a psychedelic nap my trip parter and sitter were climbing the rocks, exploring and giggling. They were probably about 75 feet away but it sounded like they were right next to me. They eventually came to join me and make sure I was doing okay and I continued to relax on the rock and collect the suns rays while having these visuals. At some point an airplane flew overhead and the sound it made was deafening and kept changing pitch. It almost seemed like someone was trying to communicate with me and tell me something. Like a voice in slow motion.  My tripping friend had gone exploring and our sitter had climbed to the top of the boulders and started to dance so I was just watching him as his arms and legs started to trail whenever he'd move. I decided to put some music on so I whipped out my phone and headphones and put on my favorite tripping music, Tycho. I listened for about a minute or so before I was overcome with nausea again and ended up vomiting in a bush next to me. The nausea subsided after that but it took a toll on my trip. Almost immediately  I started to feel myself dipping into a negative place and I started to pick at all my insecurities. I started to think about the decisions I was making in my life questioning if they were right or not. I started to think about past relationships. I started to analyze everything that was going wrong. I needed to escape this rock. I made an effort to get up and drink some water. I didn't know where my tripping friend had gone so I decided to find him. When I found him he was completely shacked and on another planet. 

     It's strange, it seems like right after my "bad trip" I started to come down just as my friend started to peak. At this point in time probably 2-3 hours had elapsed and I knew I was still tripping but I could think more clearly and make decisions easier. Our sitter eventually came down to guide us to the top of the rock pile so we could take in the amazing view. On the way up I took some time to stop and appreciate some of the plants, still seeing slight geometric patterns in them and seeing them morph and breathe. Once we were at the top I looked out at the scenery and had an overwhelming sense of euphoria. I was extremely happy, to the point of tears, to be out in Joshua Tree, with my best friends, getting in touch with nature. As I stared at the landscape I saw all the plants form geometric shapes. For example all the trees seemed to be planted in a straight line which intersected with a pile of boulders kind of like crop circles. It was almost like I was reading the language of nature. I felt connected with my two best friends as we just sat there staring into the desert. At times I would know what my friends were going to say before they said it. After spending a good amount of time we hiked a little higher up to get to an even better lookout spot. I felt as if I was standing on the edge of heaven looking down into earth. I literally felt on top of this world. As we started to descend I helped my tripping friend down as he did tai chi in the bushes with an orange half-cut in his mouth. At this point I was just laughing historically at the faces he was making and things he was saying. I have never heard my laugh get that high.

     Now definitely feeling like I was sobering up we collected our things and started to hike back. We noticed what looked to be ruins off in the distance so we decided to check them out. Still feeling the mild effects of the mushrooms I just felt drunk and stupid. Once we got to the ruins I tried to pack a bowl of weed so mellow out a bit but I just couldn't pack it. Simple functions seemed extremely difficult so accomplish. We spent another 30 minutes or so at these ruins then went back to camp. Once there I still felt drunk and like my brain had turned to mush. I found myself walking around randomly bouncing from the camp fire to the tent to the car trying to find something to do. Interacting with our camp neighbors was just weird and felt uncomfortable. As the night continued we started to feel normal again and shared some laughs about our day. I had originally planned to bring a journal to jot things down since my memory turns to shit after psychedelics so I'm sure there's a lot I've left out. 

     All in all this journey was filled with extreme highs and extreme lows. I slipped into a bad trip and snapped out of it only to have an amazing time. I saw some of the most beautiful sights ever and was able to appreciate Mother Earth in a way I didn't think possible.