18 months ago, I had a wild idea to try gluing crochet mushrooms to bark I found on the ground while hiking.
This year, I’ve turned that “wild idea” into a public art installation spread across 6.5 miles of trail.
Now announcing: the Lost Creek Fungi Hunt!
The Fungi Hunt is an outdoor interactive installation of crochet fungi distributed across the Lost Creek Hiking Trail just west of Chatfield, MN.
This 6.5 mile public-use trail crosses private land in the rural Driftless region of Fillmore County. It was created and is managed and maintained by the landowners and Bluff Country Hiking Club volunteers. Thanks to their efforts, this trail stays open all year and offers a peaceful hike through woods, rocky creekbeds, and open meadows.
Over the winter and spring of this year, I made 15 sets of crochet fungi. At the start of June, I installed them on dead wood and stumps along the trail in an art-and-seek scavenger hunt.
As you hike the trail (or run, snowshoe, etc), try to spot these mushrooms placed alongside the trail. Each is a lifelike representation of a species of mushroom native to southeast MN. Some may be familiar, like the bright yellow and orange chicken of the woods. Others may seem less familiar, such as honey mushrooms or elm oyster, but are naturally found in this part of the state.
Look for signage to help you identify each mushroom. You can look them up a little more after your hike (cell signal is spotty on the trail) to find out more about these essential components of the cycle of life.
NOTE: Please respect all trail rules. Each fungi is mounted on the trail or on a dead piece of wood easily viewable from the trail regardless of foliage, so there is no need to leave the trail to find them.
The art will stay on the trail for a full calendar year, coming down sometime in June 2025. Hike your favorite section of the trail to see what’s been added to it, or hike the entire thing and try to spot all 15 sets of mushrooms!
Share photos on social media with hashtag #lostcreekfungi hunt. Tag @amigurumihorde or @lostcreekhikingtrail so we can see your fungi hunt!
If you’re as excited about this public art installation as I am, mark your calendars for June 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Bluff Country Hiking Club and I are hosting a FREE artist reception at Jordan Town Hall (18380 County 102, Chatfield, MN), followed by a guided group hike.
Hear a short presentation from the artist (myself) and from the club. Learn about the volunteer group trying to create a 100-mile hiking trail across the Driftless region of SE MN (of which the Lost Creek Hiking Trail would be a part). Buy some crochet mushroom art inspired by this project. And then join myself and club volunteers to hike a mile of the trail and spot some of the mushrooms.
Other programming and guided-trail hikes are being planned for the summer, fall, and even winter, so follow me on Instagram at @amigurumihorde or subscribe to my emails for future announcements and updates.
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