A Nighttime Mushroom Trip at My Old Elementary School
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Background
- Trip Preparation
- The Trip Begins
- Coming Up: First Effects
- Exploring the School Grounds
- Unexpected Decisions
- Conclusion
1. Introduction
This report details a psychedelic experience involving a full dose of potent mushrooms (3.5 grams) consumed during the late summer or early fall of 2013. The trip took place at night, in an unconventional setting—an elementary school. It was the first significant psychedelic journey for one of the participants, who had limited prior experience with milder substances.
2. Background
In August or September of 2013, my Filipino friend and I had planned a daytime psychedelic trip to a nearby lake, where we intended to enjoy a peaceful and introspective experience. However, our plans were disrupted when his mother kept him busy with tasks throughout the day, forcing us to delay our trip until nighttime. This change in timing introduced some challenges, as the lake area can be sketchy after dark, attracting meth users and homeless individuals. We didn't want to encounter any dangerous situations, particularly because we were preparing to take a full eighth of strong mushrooms, a dose potent enough to cause a profound psychedelic experience.
Given the circumstances, we had to find a new, safer location for our trip. After some deliberation, we decided to go to my old elementary school. Although it seemed like an odd choice, it was one of the few places that felt secure for a nighttime trip. The school was located in a somewhat rural part of town, with a mobile home park nearby—a stark contrast to the rest of the typical Southern Californian suburbia that surrounded it.
3. Trip Preparation
This experience marked my friend’s first official mushroom trip and his first significant psychedelic experience overall. He had previously taken a half-gram of mushrooms with me in the mountains, which resulted in slight visual effects. He had also experimented with small doses of 2C-B and DXM, but these experiences were mild compared to what was coming.
After buying the mushrooms from a strange, distant location, we gathered at a canyon near my house, right across from the lake. We each ingested a full eighth of mushrooms—3.5 grams—during the last bit of daylight. The taste was difficult to stomach for both of us, so we chased them down with orange juice and fresh oranges. My friend’s face turned bright red as he struggled to get the mushrooms down, but he generously shared his oranges with me when I ran out.
4. The Trip Begins
Roughly 10 minutes after ingesting the mushrooms, we left the canyon and walked about a mile toward the school. My friend lived nearby, so the area was familiar. As we passed a busy part of town and neared the school, about 20 minutes into the walk, I began to feel the familiar creeping sensation of the mushroom effects starting to take hold. The world around me seemed slightly more vivid, and the colors appeared more saturated. The onset was less intense and ominous than I had anticipated, which surprised me.
Curious about my friend’s experience, I asked if he was feeling anything yet. He said no, joking that it would be funny if he felt nothing all night while I tripped. We laughed, but the thought made me a little nervous. However, I reassured myself that it would eventually hit him—it was only a matter of time.
5. Coming Up: First Effects
As we arrived at the school and walked through the dark, empty parking lot, we discussed the effects of mushrooms. My friend, still uncertain about what to expect, expressed that he was mostly hoping for intense visual hallucinations. I explained that, while visual distortions are common, mushroom trips are predominantly mental, affecting perception and thought processes. This seemed to surprise him, as he had expected the experience to be more about visuals.
We hopped over a small fence and entered the school grounds, making our way to the far side of the campus. It was quiet and deserted, the perfect environment for what we thought would be a peaceful trip.
6. Exploring the School Grounds
The elementary school had changed little since I attended it as a child. It was strange to be back, especially at night, in such an altered state of mind. The darkened campus, which felt small and simple in daylight, took on a different character under the influence of mushrooms. Everything felt surreal and slightly foreign, even though I had known this place for years.
7. Unexpected Decisions
For reasons that remain unclear to me even now, my friend and I decided to lay down on the concrete rather than on the grass, despite there being plenty of open space. We found ourselves beneath a fence near the edge of the campus, next to the mobile home park. Although we were close to where people lived and cars occasionally passed by, the darkness provided a sense of safety and privacy. We were confident that no one could see us from their homes, as we were low to the ground and well-hidden in the shadows.
Laying on the hard concrete felt strangely appropriate at the time, even though, in retrospect, it was an odd choice. The trip was progressing, and our perception of the world around us was changing rapidly. Every sound, every light, and every shadow took on new significance as the mushrooms took hold.
8. Conclusion
This mushroom trip was a strange and surreal experience, set in the unlikeliest of locations—my old elementary school. While we had originally planned for a peaceful daytime trip by the lake, circumstances led us to a nighttime adventure in a familiar yet eerie environment. My friend’s first real psychedelic journey was filled with unexpected twists, from the delayed onset of effects to our bizarre decision to lie down on the concrete. Despite these oddities, the trip was a memorable and introspective experience, one that highlighted the unpredictable and transformative nature of psychedelics.