Mushroom Fever

It's the time of year when I almost give myself whiplash from braking so hard on my mountain bike every time that I see something little and yellow.  Of course, being the time of year that it is, most little yellow things on the ground are fallen leaves from a variety of deciduous trees.  What I'm hoping to find are gorgeous little chantrelles.  This is my second season actively hunting the golden fungi, and while it is still a little early, I did find a few today.

I live in a beautiful place and I am so fortunate to have such fabulous access to the forests that wind from the foothills of the Olympic Mountains to the Hood Canal.  I rode up to a beautiful view this morning, got some great exercise and happened to spy some mushrooms on my way back down.   I was thinking about how pleasing it was hear the sounds of my tires gently rolling across the gravel, the pine needles and the forest duff when I spied another little yellow thing, but this time, it was really a chantrelle.  I hopped off my bike, got out my knife and celebrated.  Then I turned around and there were a few more on the other side of the trail, almost hidden under salal and ferns.  Today I remembered that moving slower can allow us to notice and appreciate more details, like occult chantrelles.  I noticed several smaller chantrelles after I was crouching way, way down and slowly observing the perimeter of the trails.  I made a few cuts, then I smiled and gave thanks to the planet and then quickly and quietly gave thanks to the greater universe too, because who knows about origins for certain?

There were a few places along the trails that literally smelled like warm vanilla this morning.  What a delicious aroma to complement the refreshingly mossy forest smells that dominate the hills!  The vanilla leaves from the spring must be drying, because they don't really smell like vanilla until they dry.  At one point, I got a waft of a thick, sweet hormonal creature, which always makes me think "BEAR!" but I realized it was just me.  I apologized to the forest for being such a stinky human.  Tonight I will make something with the first lovely harvest of chantrelles and I may post a picture to brag.