Length of stay: 2 days
Visited: November 2024
We had a fabulous fall this year. The leaves were a bit delayed in changing colour because it was warmer and drier than usual. But the cold and rain was finally catching up. It wouldn’t be long until we had our first snowfall. So we decided to head to the cabin before it got much colder outside.
Day 1: Fascinating Fungus
We drove up Saturday morning and parked our car at the usual spot to hike in with baby M and most of our stuff. We’d have to make another trip to the car to get the rest of our supplies. Travelling, or going anywhere with a baby, always requires a lot of more stuff. But that’s okay. It’s not far of a hike, about a kilometer or so. And we could use the fresh air and exercise.
It was 5°C outside and about 1°C inside the cabin once we arrived. We started a fire in the wood stove to take the chill out of the room then heated up some soup for a late lunch. Afterwards we went for a walk since we needed to circle back to the car anyway.
All the leaves had long fallen and the ground was a damp with all the soggy leaves. There was also an abundance of mushrooms everywhere. So this walk was all about taking things slow to see how much fungus we could find. But let’s be real, it’s not like we had much of a choice as baby M is getting heavier!
A fungus is an eukaryotic organism whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus. It is neither a plant nor animal and it lives on dead or decaying organic matter such as leaves and wood. It includes molds, yeasts, mildews, mushrooms and more. There are estimated to be millions of species of fungi though only about 140,000 are classified in the fungi kingdom.
We mainly saw bracket fungi, also known as shelf fungi or conks. They are commonly found growing on trees or dead logs in damp woodlands. They help speed the rotting of wood, which can be good for forests.
We saw quite a few bracket fungi on trees that were still alive, or rather upright. It was hard to tell this time of the year when all the leaves had already fallen. Once a tree has developed bracket fungi, there’s no way to get rid of it.
We saw some different types of fungus as well, or at least we think they’re different. This might be Orange Jelly or Witch’s Butter. Apparently both are edible.
No idea what this blob of fungus is.
It started to lightly rain. This was our cue to turn around and return to the cabin. It continued to rain periodically for the rest of the afternoon, but we caught some glimpses of the sun later in the afternoon.
There was even more color when the sun was starting to set.
We realized we forgot something back at the car so we went for a quick walk to retrieve it. We made it back just as it was starting to get dark outside.
Day 2: Blue Skies
It dipped below freezing overnight, but we stayed nice and warm inside the cabin. I had to wake up a couple of times to keep the fire going though. It was initially overcast and windy, but we got to enjoy some blue skies and sunshine as we were heading out.
We tried to time when we left to coincide with baby M’s morning nap. So we wasted no time in making breakfast, packing our stuff and cleaning up. We then made two trips back and forth to the car. I had to make an extra trip though as I left my phone behind.
If it’s a mild winter we might try to sneak in another visit to the cabin. Maybe by then baby M can make the walk in herself!
L
It is really tough to travel with a baby.
Yup! It requires more planning and way more stuff! We’re finding our little one is having a hard time napping or sleeping while travelling too.
What a stunning place and some nice funky fungi as well!
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. We’ve been coming to the cabin for years and I had no idea that there was so much fungi all around us. It was a lot of fun trying to find as many different types, shapes, sizes and colours of it as we could.
Its amazing how much you have to and can carry when travelling with a little one. Also amazing what gets forgotten or left behind. Love all your Fungus Fotos. This organism is so amazing and so varied. Also love all the big smiles in your family photo. M will come to love the outdoors as much as you do and that is a good thing. Happy Valentine’s Day Linda. Allan
Totally!! And it doesn’t help that the stuff they need keeps changing as they get bigger!! But it’s so worth it to go away together as a family. I think we all had a wonderful time. It was nice to take things slow and pay more attention to what was around us in the forest. Turns out there’s a lot of fungus here! Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day too. Cheers. Linda
Nice fungus pictures. Your unidentified fungus may be one that goes by the descriptive name of dog vomit fungus”. I saw something similar once and that is how the iNaturalist app identified it.
Thanks! I had no idea there was such a thing called dog vomit slime mold. I just looked it up and I think you might be right!
Wow so many different types of mushrooms. We don’t have many here in arid Alberta. Great family picture! Maggie
Thanks for your kind words. I never really realized just how many mushrooms there were in the forest around the cabin. It was fun to try to find as many as we could. Too bad you don’t have many Alberta.
Such interesting information about bracket fungi; I learned something new today. 😊 Baby M is so cute; and her two little teeth are adorable!
Glad to hear! It was fun to go on a scavenger hunt to try to find as many different types and colours of fungus as we could and then to try identify them afterwards. Baby M now has a few more teeth since that picture was taken – three on the top and three on the bottom. It’s very adorable.
Really interesting fungi. 👍
We’ve been coming to the cabin for years and this was the first time I’ve noticed just how many fungi there are in the forest. It was a lot of fun to try to identify them.
Life, beautiful, surprising, diversely creative and wonderfully strange! 😍🙏🤗🥰😘🌹
Absolutely! And well said! There’s no shortage of things in nature to keep us entertained and forever learning and admiring!
Another post with excellent photos!
This post is a perfect example of “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey”.
Thanks! One of the benefits of hiking with our little one is that we’re forced to slow down and pay more attention to our surroundings. It’s been good.
What a delightful family photo. Baby M is growing fast. Good to learn about the different forms of fungi too. Do you need to chop the wood for the cabin fire or is there usually some readily available for you to use when you arrive?
Thanks! Baby M is definitely growing up (way too quickly if I may add). We had a sizeable stockpile of wood in the outhouse that was already chopped and ready to go, but it’s running low. We’ll likely have to head there this summer and spend a few days cutting, gathering and stacking wood to replenish it.
Thanks for this great post about the mushrooms, Linda. I didn’t know that once a tree is infested, it will eventually die. Great evening/sunset photos; beautiful. And your last picture with those gorgeous smiles is so lovely. After all the snow you’ve had – with more on the way – you might not make it to your cabin again until spring!
Thanks for your kind words. I had no idea there was so much fungi in the forest around the cabin. It was a lot of fun to try to find as many as we could and then to identify them afterwards. A tree can never be cured from fungus and is often a sign that the tree is unhealthy or dying. It can be treated to slow the spread of the disease though. And yes, after all this snow, I imagine we won’t be visiting the cabin anytime soon!
Happy Valentine’s Day, fun-gal! You’ve mushroomed into one of my favorite bloggers. You never spore me with your posts🍄❤️
Awww, you are too kind. Why did the mushroom have so many friends? Because he was a fungi! Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day as well.
Happy Valentine’s 🤗 Day
Beautiful Photos and What a Wonderful Journey .. Great Photos, Thank you for Sharing.
Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment. Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day as well.
It’s so interesting to me how beautiful and varied fungi are. The sunset pictures are really beautiful. But the best part is your family picture 🙂
Oh I know. it’s incredible how they come in such different shapes, sizes, colours and varieties. Half the time I never know what I’m going to get when I try to take a family selfie, but this one turned out nicely!
Thanks for this educational tour of fascinating fungus. Do you carry an outdoor guide or have an app that helps you identify what you find in the wild? Fungi are so interesting and varied, and the ways they interact with the forest to assist it, is just amazing. Your little one is growing so fast, it seems like she was just born and soon she’ll be ready to walk herself to the cabin. 💕
I totally agree about how fungi are so interesting. It’s incredible how many species there are and that they’re very beneficial to environment and for us humans. I totally should download the iNaturalist app which would have come in handy at trying to identify all the different mushrooms from my pictures. And yes, baby M is getting so big. She’s growing up way too quickly!
I love seeing the fungus, until I am mesmerize by baby M’s beautiful smile. Sending love.
Thanks for your lovely comment. A happy baby = a happy mom!
Yes, exactly! I’m happy for you.
Awww adorable photo of you three. She’s getting so big!
Fungi are so weird and cool. Neat photos!
Oh I know! Even hiking on flat terrain is becoming more challenging given how big she’s getting! I’m looking forward to when she can start hiking on her own, even if it means going at an even slower pace.
We too are often fascinated by fungus growth. Study them closely and they arrive among nature’s most artistic creations. Every colour shape and texture you could think of, just about.
Fungi is pretty amazing and also super weird. Some of them even glow in the dark. That’s something I’d love to see someday.
Great photos and story. I found a lot of puff balls this year. I know a lot of people who don’t like them, but I love them in my scrambled eggs.
Thanks for your kind words. I’ve seen puffballs in the forest, but I don’t think I’ve eaten one before. There’s a guy who sells mushrooms at our farmers market and I’ll have to keep my eye out for them. Good to know they work well with scrambled eggs!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you dear and your loving family 💞🙏🌷 photos are all viewing time so awesome Autumn 🍂
Weather feeling and special your family photo so stunning, your baby grownup and cute , nicely travels with parents 🥰👍🏻🖖 such a wonderful nature there and variety of colourful fungi mushrooms 🍄 (1st time watching so much fungus)
The trees are just nice 👍🏻 thank you so much for sharing my dear friend,sending greetings 🌷🙏💝✍️🌷
Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day as well. It’s neat to look back at pictures of my daughter from a few months ago and to see how much she’s grown and changed. Even though the weather wasn’t the greatest it was still nice to spend time in nature.
So glad to hear and thank you for feedback my comments dear friend 💖🙏🌹
Anytime. Enjoy the rest of the week.
Some of my favorite hikes are the slow ones where you truly study the moss, fallen leaves, mushrooms and other goodies Mother Nature gives us. Also, that’s a terrific family photo!
Thanks! One of the benefits of hiking with our little one is that we’re forced to slow down, which has been nice even if it means we cover less distance.
Consider it the road well traveled and enjoy!!
Thanks! And hey, we’re just happy she enjoys being in her baby carrier, otherwise we likely wouldn’t be doing much hiking!
That is fortunate!
Oh I know! She hates the car seat, has a tough time napping while travelling, but absolutely loves being in her baby carrier. Our upcoming trip to New Zealand should be interesting.
Oh my. That will be a grand adventure!
You bet. We’ll be gone for 5-6 weeks. It’ll be our longest flight and longest trip ever. What could go wrong!?
Not a thing. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to show off the best behaved baby in the world. Just in case though – maybe pack a big bag of chocolates to share with your fellow passengers!
I like that suggestion to bring some chocolates for everyone. It’ll be a 14 hour flight! So we could sure use some positive energy!!
Absolutely! It may go a long way to ease ill will if you happen to run into any trouble. And, if you have no trouble, who doesn’t love a baby passing out free chocolate?
Fall seems like such a distant dream now. I hope you didn’t have to dig yourself out after this last storm…baby looks so happy!
Oh I know. But it’ll be here again before we know it. Although maybe not considering how much snow we have!
Thank you for this beautiful seasonal share, featuring fabulous fungi. 🍄 They don’t grow in my neck of the woods, so any chance I get to see them is greatly appreciated. Wishing you a joyful weekend.
They seemed to be thriving here based on how many we found on our walk. They are fantastically fun and funky. Enjoy the rest of the week. Linda
That’s great! Thank you and you, too. 🌞
Love the mushrooms- they’re always so much cooler in person than they are when I photograph them (and these look very cool!).
I’m glad you had the cabin, I’m such a grumpy camper when I’m cold that I don’t think I’ll ever manage a winter camping trip with only a tent.
I know what you mean. It’s hard to capture just how funky and fabulous fungi is. It’s amazing how many different species there are. We mainly saw bracket fungi. But even then, there was still a lot of variety in shape, size and colour.
We tried winter camping before. It wasn’t very fun. I’d much rather stay in a cabin with a wood stove!
Wood stove and solid walls are key!
Oh absolutely. I’m getting way too old to rough it in the wild these days!
You and me both 😂
I never knew looking at images of different species of fungus can be so interesting. It reminds me that sometimes the little things we often overlook are worth paying close attention to. I mean look at those shapes and colors! Despite the cold weather, baby M definitely looks happy!
Totally! We hike at a much slower pace with baby M which has been kind of nice. We’re able to focus on some of the smaller details along the trail. It’s funny because we’ve walked along this route so many times and I’ve never really noticed just how much fungi there is.
Thank you for the primer on fungi! I learned a lot. That sunset is gorgeous.
Thanks for your lovely comment. There’s so many fun facts about fungi. They’re fabulously fascinating. Some of them even glow in the dark.
Oh that Fall weather looks beautiful just about now. Hope you three are surviving this winter storm today!
Fungus in forests are interesting. Both pretty and a tad creepy to look at and how quickly and large they grow and spread. But that makes nature so wonderful. Everything serves its purpose.
Does M ever curious about wanting to touch them or other things she encounters in your nature walks?
I am definitely missing those warm fall days now that we’re in the middle of winter. This is easily the most amount of snow we’ve had since moving to Georgetown. Thankfully our neighbours have a snowblower and have taken pity on us with our little shovels.
Did you know that some fungi glows in the dark? How cool is that? But yah, it’s also a bit creepy and gives off horror movie vibes.
Baby M typically enjoys holding onto a leaf or flower while we’re hiking. She’s very curious about her surroundings and loves to just touch and grab everything. It’s very cute. And hey, as long as it’s not my hair, I’m good!
I did not know there are fungi that glow in the dark. Very very cool!
I know! I’ve never seen before glow in the dark mushrooms before. But I’m not surprised as I don’t go hiking in the forest when it’s dark!! Apparently they can be found all over North America.
I love seeing fungus in the forest – it’s amazing how many different species there are, and you have so many beautiful photos here. Can you imagine when your baby starts walking – I think your trips from your vehicle to the cabin and back again might get a lot longer!
Oh I know. And it’s amazing how there’s so much variation even within the same variety of fungus. You’re absolutely right, our hikes are going to get slower before they get any faster! M is walking now, but we haven’t let her try to walk outside yet. There’s too much snow!
Baby M certainly is growing you will need a sled to bring her to the cabin in the winter. Such lovely sunsets at the lake. xo
A sled would definitely be necessary given all the snow we’ve gotten so far this winter!! We’ll have to wait until later in the spring to visit again. There’s not better place to watch the sunset than by the water!
What a selection of fungi! Great photo of all 3 of you. Love the sunset pic.
Thanks!! I’m amazed at how much fungi we came across on our walk, which wasn’t even that long. I’m curious to see how much is still there the next time we visit.
Wow I’ve never seen that much fungi out in the world! And while I knew it was a fungus, I wasn’t thinking organism. I’ve also wondered about those blobs – we get them on our mulch – not terribly attractive! I love your picture at the end and your cabin looks like it was a cozy place to stay!
It’s funny because out of all the times we’ve been to the cabin, I’ve never really noticed how much fungi there was. Has it been here all along or is it because a bunch of trees have recently fallen and are now rotting? I’ll have to keep my eye out for it the next time we visit the cabin. The blobs are very weird. You’re right, they’re not very visually appealing. Someone mentioned they could be dog vomit slime mold – not a very attractive name either!
Ha! Well you have a well-documented record of the fungi so it will be easy to check next time you go 🙂
Very true!! And it sounds like a good excuse to return to the cabin!!
Definitely!
Very cool fungi photos! Also, wonderful family photo as well. 🙂
Thanks so much, Allie. Going on a scavenger hunt for fungi added an extra element of fun to our walk. It was neat to learn more about the different varieties afterwards and about fungi in general.
Fun times with little one! Also love your fungi photos to show wild variety.
Thanks! Even though we mainly saw bracket fungus, it’s cool how it comes in such different shapes, sizes and colours. I really want to get a mushroom identification guide for Ontario and just leave it up at the cabin.
Lovely sunset. Nice to see all these mushrooms.
Thanks. The weather was a bit blah that day, but it was nice to see a bit of light and colour from the sunset. It was a lot of fun to try to find as much different fungus as we could during our walk.
Oh my gosh Baby M is growing up so fast – what a lovely photo of you all 🙂 And I have just spent all morning chopping off fungus from my dead tree in the garden as it was spreading everywhere, I should have read this beforehand as I didn’t realise it sped up the rotting process!!
Oh I know. She’s growing up way too quickly. We’ve been coming to the cabin for years and I never really realized just how much fungus there was. While it can be good for the health of the forest, it’s not so good for the integrity of living trees.
That is fantastic! I love finding a lot of different fungi especially the shelfing ones! They are the neatest. I love also the photo at the end of all of you guys Matt does the same thing smiling with his mouth open like that lol it cracks me up Great family photo and glad you guys had a nice time
Fungi is so fascinating. I can’t believe I never noticed how much there was of it around the cabin. We’ve been trying to take more family selfies as it’s a great way to remember the moment. And it’s crazy to see how much she’s grown.
It really is! I remember when you were just mentioning being pregnant with her! Time surely flies. Matt and I do that a lot with photos, more in particular I pester him lol he doesn’t really mind though. It’s important to make memories through pictures. Keep memories I mean haha. I really enjoy your family photos in some of the pieces, it’s nice and it also makes the blog even more pleasant if at all possible :-).
Oh I know. And I find the older I get, the faster time seems to fly. I couldn’t agree more about how pictures are a great way to preserve and cherish certain memories and moments. Glad to hear you enjoy our family photos!