Mushrooms of the McKenzie

Sometimes, the best things in life are the surprises that come along
when we aren’t even looking for them. On an evening stroll this past
Sunday, I found quite the surprise out along the McKenzie River Trail!

I was just strolling along enjoying the woods and the river flowing by, when I spotted some orange peeking out from the carpet of moss. This seemed really early for mushrooms, but we have had a bit of late summer rain, so I went over to investigate.

Sure enough, it was a golden chanterelle, and it wasn’t alone! I found several more, and the most pristine lobster mushroom I had ever seen. It was early enough that the bugs hadn’t found it yet. They love lobster mushrooms too, you see. I decided that since this was just a bonus, I would keep going with my hike and see what popped up along the way. I didn’t have a mushroom basket with me, so I knew whatever I found I would have to carry out in my hands.

Then I spotted something enormous peeking out beside a log, and ran over like a little kid on an Easter egg hunt. Sure enough, it was a HUMONGOUS lobster mushroom, the size of my head!

I finally had to find a piece of bark to carry out my haul since I was a good mile or more from the trail head and I had a whole assortment of golden chanterelles, white chanterelles and lobsters. I felt like I was bearing a cornucopia of mycological treasures as I sauntered back down the trail. Now, this was my first fall mushroom hunt in the Cascades, since all my expeditions thus far had been in the Coast Range, and based on this experience, I’m feeling like I landed in mushroom hunter’s paradise.

Our first mushroom pasta dinner of the year was delicious, and I am itching to get back out there and see what else I find!

Let the fun-gi times roll!