The invaders are more politely known as morel hunters, andtheir prey is the succulent morels and other wild mushrooms that growin the hardwood forests.
Chandler Township is prime morel-hunting territory for fungusfans, who search under dead elms, near rotted tree stumps and othercreepy places for these fibrous clumps.
"They've got a nutty, wild kind of taste," says JoeBreidenstein, owner of Springbrook Hills Resort in Walloon Lake, homebase for the popular "Morels & More" weekends scheduled April 17-19through May 15-17.
A weekend package with two nights of lodging, priced at $139per person, also nets morel hunters meals and guided tours into thewoods led by morel-meister Lanny "Tree" Lonik, author of The CuriousMorel.
Lonik also offers free instruction and advice on how to findand choose the right kind of wild mushrooms. This is very important,because the wrong kind of mushroom can be deadly.
"People find all kind of goofy looking things in the woods,"says Breidenstein. "Larry's very knowledgeable about morels, withmore than 30 years' experience. But our rule of thumb is: If youdon't know what it is, and we don't know what it is, we don't eatit."
The harvest is brought back to the resort for a Saturday-nightfeast featuring grilled pork steak with morel-tinged trimmings, morelquiche and rice with morels.
Visitors from as far away as New York and California descendon northern Michigan each spring to search for these elusive treats.
"Come April, old logging roads leading into the woods andpreserves of Chandler Township will be jammed with buses, vans, motorhomes and pick-ups," Breidenstein says.
That's why Springbrook Hills Resort offers another twist tomorel mania: mushroom hunting on horseback. The midweek equestrianpackages with two nights at the resort include all weekend activitiesplus livery, for $239 per person. To add a Monday of morel huntingon horseback to a weekend package, tack $120 onto the regular weekendfee of $139.
"Some people think it's strange, looking for morels atop ahorse when they're so hard to find even if you're walking on theground," Breidenstein says. "But you're further removed from thedead leaves and dirt, so there's a better angle to see a morel'sprofile. And you can travel three to four miles into the woods injust 10 minutes, beating the crowds."
This year's morel crop looks like a good one, according toBreidenstein. Sufficient moisture and mild winter temperatures havecombined to make conditions ripe for a bumper crop. "If we get someconstant 50-degree temperatures, morels will be popping upeverywhere," he says.
But be careful out there. Lurking under Michigan soil is ajust-discovered humongous fungus: a single wild mushroom spanning 37acres and weighing at least 220,000 pounds. Found near CrystalFalls, at the Michigan-Wisconsin state line, it is being called thelargest living organism ever found on Earth. Scientists say the1,500 year-old fungus has been known to "eat" trees. Who knows ifmorel hunters might be next? Specifically
For information on "Morels & More" programs at Springbrook HillsResort, call (616) 535-2227. Walloon Lake is about eight miles southof Petoskey.
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