Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 82 Meanwhile back at the river, we packed up the camp and got ready for a unique approach to the patch. Although we were later to successfully navigate to and from the patch with canoes, it required super sharp reflexes, split-second timing to disembark and secure the canoe, and a no-mistakes performance on the fast-moving water over a rock-strewn bed. In today's conditions there was no chance a canoe would work. The water was just too high. Even those of us lacking a sense of fear could tell this was a battle best left unpicked. But Egan had friends. Friends with boats, the best kind. And pontoon boats at that. With careful seating, we could get on board suspended inches above the water. So, dry, essentially— not high and dry—but dry. And float- ing downriver fast. Rocks and sweeps in the river come up fast as we zipped downriver, scooting like water skippers towards the opposite bank. We were swept a quar- ter mile downriver as we approached the steep shore. Since 1991, the Western Mon- tana Mycological Association has offered workshops and forays focused on mushrooms—not all of them as exciting as this one—ev- ery spring and fall season. These forays are always campouts, and attract dozens of dedicated mushroom hunters from all over the state. We have never been skunked on our annual morel hunt. In fact, I don't believe even a single participant has been skunked, although some may have aroma issues regardless. An average WMMA spring foray nets dozens of species of mushrooms, and a BioBlitz at Glacier National Park turned out 60 humans and over 240 fungal participants in the spring of 2017. Even so, I reckon there are dozens of undescribed species still waiting, since we could only sample a limited num- ber of locations. Globally researchers estimate 10 species of fungi for every species of plant. In the last 30 years or so, Montanans have come to better appreciate the importance of fungi in our cold and dry climate. Worldwide, our northern coniferous forests are some of the most important for, and efficient at, sequestering carbon. This is due to the killer efficiency that our local mycorrhizal mushrooms display at pulling nitrogen and phosphorus out of forest detritus, leaving behind reduced carbon. This is mostly in the form of Brown Cuboidal Rot (BCR) the reddish-brown lignin left behind after fungi have digested the cellulose fibers out of decaying wood. BCR is key to the survival of our montane ecosystems, where the soils have evolved from two basic components: mineral (rock) and organic (BCR) mate- rial. Rock, as you may have noticed, does not absorb water. BCR on the other hand holds upwards of five times its weight in water. Guess where 85% of the available water is found when the trees go looking? It is a trick question; you know the answer is mushrooms. Fungal hyphae or mycelia penetrate these masses of brown cuboidal rot and then transport this water to the tree roots, in exchange for photosynthetic treats. Mycorrhizae are the swellings on the root tips of every conifer, and these organs serve as the water and nutrient exchange ports between tree and fungus. But I had no time to think about this as our pontoon boat was rico- cheting off the rocky shore, as the oarsman pulled mightily against the current to slow our craft, and I grabbed the bow line and jumped on the narrow brushy rocky beach and braced myself on a dogwood bush. The boat swung around and scooted ashore. We hefted it out of the water and up on the bank and surveyed the burn zone before us. Yup, okay, yup, this was where we wanted to be... morels showing themselves at every step...! Ah, the joyful tedium of harvest- ing. We all got 10 or 15 pounds. Getting back across the river was doubly exciting, each of us anxious about spilling our hard-won bounty before stepping on solid ground again.

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