Life is full of surprises. On the table when we enter the lodge is a number of samples of edible mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. Something I didn’t know until my husband and I are watching an informative video along with the group of eager mushroom hunters is how there are many edible mushrooms to find.

My hopes rise when my husband, Leroy pulls me back. I look down to find I almost stepped on a mushroom. Several other mushroom hunters hurry over to get a glimpse of our catch. We wonder if it’s a Paxillus atrotomentosus or Tricholoma vaccinum that’s edible, but not a popular choice. Our guide Larry suggests slipping what we find into our basket so we can take them back to the lodge where he’ll help us identify the mushrooms that are safe to eat.

We found one, then another, and now a dozen more between us. The mushrooms seem to be popping up everywhere suddenly. My brother-in-law, Walt shares his harvest of Morel mushrooms with us each spring. He has forty years worth of experience paying close attention to the wooded settings in Indiana to hunt Morel Mushrooms, Morchella conica. We can’t wait to return to the Springbrook Hills Resort at Walloon Lake in the spring for the Morels & More Weekend Outings. We hear it’s a thrill to find them because the Morels grayish color makes it easy to miss them among the brush and ground cover. They can range in size from 2 inches to almost a foot, and larger morels can weigh over a pound. 

After collecting our fill for the morning we return to the lodge for lunch before heading out again. Evenings arrived and our group returns for dinner and wine tasting with baskets full of mushrooms. My patience has paid off. The pleasure of good company and the delicious meal prepared with many of the mushrooms we identified as edible is our reward. I’ve had so much fun; it’s hard to believe the weekends come to end.

We look forward to returning to Charlevoix County for the Annual Morels & More Outing scheduled for the last two weekends in April, and first three weekends in May. In the summer we’ll be back to cruise on the lake and play a round of golf at the world-class golf resorts in the area. No matter what time of year it is there’s plenty to do in Boyne County. Maybe we’ll run into to each other at the family owned and operated Wolverine Dilworth Inn or the slopes of Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands this winter. After all, Boyne City is a small town where strangers become friends.

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