Shaggymane Hill

Day 365: When I first discovered Shaggymanes (Coprinus comatus) on a local but little-used hiking trail, I dubbed the spot "Coprinus Corner" and lodged the coordinates firmly in my mental GPS. Every year since then, the location has produced at least one bowl of soup. A few years ago, I found a few additional 'shrooms a bit farther up the hill and added two more spots to the map in my head. Yesterday, I decided to make a loop with a double purpose: to put some miles on my feet and to ascertain whether the hard rain had ruined all the budding Shaggies I'd seen last week. Since I didn't want to risk having them turn to ink if I carried them for the whole trip, I did the route in reverse of my usual pattern so that I would be closest to my car if I picked any. As I came down from the crest of the hike, this was what met my eye at the topmost recorded location. At least 85 percent of them were too far gone to harvest, but I managed to find enough firm ones for a very hefty bowl of soup. The ones at Coprinus Corner were past pull date. Now I think this area deserves renaming to "Shaggymane Hill."