The Morel Dance

Today I received word that a small patch of morel mushrooms was found at Two Rivers State Park. It is moist and warm -- I have no reason to doubt it. So I am celebrating this day, April 14, as the beginning of morel season 2010.

Everybody dance now.

I went for a short walk along the Missouri River near Council Bluffs this past Sunday. Not that I expected to find morels, but I wasn't going to be surprised if I did. If I've learned anything from years of hunting morels, it is how little I know. Now that I have reliable information that they are popping, I'll start looking longer and harder until I start filling my buckets. And when I find my first morel of the season I will dance. Big D will dance. Rootball Willy will dance. And Morgan (a.k.a. Sasquatch) will reluctantly dance.

The past two years I took my vacation too early. By the time the morels were popping en mass, I was back to work. This year I'm scheduling the bulk of my vacation time in late-April and early-May. The cold winter had the bulk of my hunting buddies guessing that late-April would be a safe time to schedule time off. Of course, now it looks like the season could be upon us by the 20th-24th.

I will doing a daily blog for the entire season. I'm planning no less than 14 days of dedicated foraging. If I find them, I'll let you know how many and secrets from the hunts. If I come home empty handed, I'll whine like a little baby.

And I'll take photos every day. This year I am better equipped than ever and am planning to do a video documenting the season as well. I'll also be on Greg Wagner's outdoor show on 1620 AM Saturday, April 24 at 9 a.m. Greg is already drooling over the thought of fried morels.

When you find your first morel, let out a woohoo and do a little dance. It doesn't matter if anyone is watching. It doesn't have to be an audition for Dancing With the Stars. A little jig will do. Dancing won't fill your quota any faster, but it will make you smile.