Wintergreen Trail

This is one of the most used trails in the Reserve. However most folks don't go beyond the look out point on a rock bluff.

Charlie and I always go to the very end and spend some time hanging out at the dead end and watching the river. No matter the season, it is always beautiful with something to see.

I decided to do the Wintergreen Trail, it is only 1 mile out and you have to turn around and come back. I would like to go on an all day hike, but it wasn't going to happen. The afternoon was predicted to be muggy, hot, and smokey. 

With the recent rains and all the foggy mornings, I felt it would be a perfect morning to look for fungi. We were not disappointed. I did come across 4 elder ladies who had been foraging. It looked like they had a small bag of mushrooms of some sort. State lands prohibit taking anything from State owned land. I don't know the Reserve's stance on that though. I just hoped that they'd left beautiful fungi for me to admire and photograph.

I found another one of these brilliant white ones. I spent several minutes trying to get a good shot. [This is an Amanita Cokeri which is poisonous]

...and since I brought the mini me...

She...

was meant to be holding her camera. However, she dropped it when I finally balanced her...

and I spent 15 minutes looking for a tiny Lego camera in the debris under and around the mushroom.

I did finally find it and moved on.

The colors of Fungi are incredible and the different types are so amazing. Wintergreen Trail follows a bluff facing west along the Kickapoo River and has a micro climate that is conducive to interesting Fungi. One just has to keep looking.

Especially if one finds a friendly dragon.