According to Gass’ account of the day's bartering, the Corps obtained from one of the native people “a robe of sea-otter skins, of the finest fur I ever saw."

All of this trading was spurred by the urgency to establish a comfortable winter camp as soon as possible. The Expedition members were feeling this need strongly because, as Gass said, of “the season being so far advanced.”

At the time of the Corps’ arrival in November, the native people in the area would have already enjoyed many foods which were now no longer in season. Fresh watercress and fiddlehead ferns would have been harvested during the spring months; little wild strawberries (not evergreen) would have been ripe for the picking during July, and evergreen and Himalaya blackberries would have formed part of the diet during August.

Had the Corps of Discovery arrived in the area earlier in the year, they would have found native people harvesting Sea Beans and Goose Tongue, both green vegetables which formed a part of the local diet. Fresh Watercress and Fiddlehead Ferns have a short season in springtime, while little wild non-evergreen blackberries and wild strawberries provide sweetness during June and July. With the warmth of August, evergreen blackberries (a tart, slightly sour berry) and evergreen Himalayas (a big, sweet berry) are usually prolific.

The lush Pacific forests remain the source of a great number of edible delicacies, some of which were utilized by the Corps of Discovery. The area is rich with seasonal crops, including eighteen varieties of mushroom which are sought after by today’s chefs and connoisseurs of fine food. Present-day restaurants in Pacific County often feature indigenous mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms, harvestable during summer and early fall, and Chanterelles, which appear at the beginning of July and can be found up to November, are among the favorites. A recipe for native sturgeon and wild mushrooms is a local favorite.

The fall picking season is greatly dependent on whether the year has been dry or wet. If there has been adequate rainfall, mushrooms tend to come on early and be more plentiful. Local mushroom pickers report that, from September through December, they usually harvest Porcinis, Honeys, Turkeys, Lactoria Delicioso, Chicken o’the Woods, Cauliflower mushrooms and more!