I Spy on the Trails - Weeks of September 3 and September 10, 2023

I was on vacation out of state most of these past few weeks. But Nola Larson, an avid life-long hiker, stepped in to reflect on what she has been seeing. Nola started a hiking group called Trek-N-Treaters (TNT) thirteen years ago in the La Crosse area. The group hikes twice a month and they have lunch afterwards. They describe themselves as dynamite group- and I agree. Nola can be found on the trails often in between these hikes. Say hi when you see her.

Let's see what our roving reporter shares with us! 

There were many new trail adventures for me these past two weeks which I would like to share with you.  Thank you, Marge, for asking me to share my experiences while you were having your Rocky Mountain Adventure!

A treat on the trail

Our hiking group, the Trek n Treaters (TNT), hiked the Quarry and Compass Trails in the Gateway Trail System on Granddad’s Bluff.  Compass North is a winding trail through lovely forest. Two fawns were on the trail ahead as our group approached the end, near the Granddad Bluff shelter. They just looked at us, then walked off the trail.  One stopped about 10 yards away and just watched as we passed by. It was quite a treat.   

In spite of the fact that we have had little to no rain there are mushrooms to be found!  I went on the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC) Mushroom Foray to the Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area.  A group of twenty-five, with their baskets and paper sacks, spread out into the woods in search of mushrooms.  After our foray, we gathered to share our “finds” with two graduate students from UWL’s Mycology Club.

They identified various fungi, discussed edible and non-edible and explained the importance of mushrooms to the ecology of the forest.  We did find some interesting fungi:  Wood Ears, Oyster Mushrooms, (both edible) and Sparassidaceae or Jelly Mushroom.

Wood ears

Oyster mushrooms

Jelly mushroom

NOT edible

Some mushrooms are difficult to precisely identify and some resemble poisonous fungi. If you fancy eating wild mushrooms, we learned “When in doubt, throw them out.” 

Ghost pipes

One does not have to go to Cassville, WI to find mushrooms, however.  If you look, you can find them along most trails, especially in the spring and fall.  To my delight I discovered a clump of Ghost Pipe when I returned to the Compass North Trail four days later.

Two days later, a friend and I hit a Ghost Pipe “bonanza!”. We hiked the hilly, ascending Oak Trail on the Hixon Forest property. We accessed the trail from Bliss Road, walked to Log Loop, made the loop and returned on Oak.  I spotted the first Ghost Pipe near the trail and when we looked further out into the woods they were everywhere.  We lost count. 

It was truly a garden of these beautiful, elusive mushrooms without chlorophyll. Of course, we were then on the hunt for other mushrooms.   Here are a couple we saw: Hard-skinned Puff Balls, Lobster Mushrooms (Hypocreaseae), and the Turkey Tail, a type of shelf mushroom.

Autumn is definitely in the air as falling yellow leaves and acorns rained down on us in spots on the Oak Trail.  Looking at the Wisconsin bluffs, I noticed a few trees are fully yellow (a change in just two days).  Fall is definitely coming to the Coulee Region and it’s exciting!

 What are YOU noticing on your hikes?

Two week's of Nola's hikes: Gateway Trails: West Quarry Loop, East Quarry Loop, Compass South, Compass North trails, La Crosse WI;, Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area, Grant County WI; and Hixon Forest Oak Trail, La Crosse WI. 

Two weeks of Marge's hikes:  Levis/Trow Mounds Trails, Neillsville, WI; then out of the Driftless to Colorado for hiking: Fountain Valley Trail and South Rim Trail, Roxborough State Park, Littleton CO; Wild Basin Trail, Loch Vale Trail, Alluvial Fan Trail, Nymph Lake/Dream Lake/Emerald Lake Trail, Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake Trail, Estes Park CO.

Lobster Mushrooms

All images - Nola Larson