Burn Morels and the 3-Hour Dopamine Rush

Drinking coffee, cuddling cats and reading the newspaper are how I start every day outside of hunting season, and I usually cap off the routine with my favorite New York Times puzzle (Spelling Bee, not Wordle, because I have a deep aversion to anything I see in excess on my social media feed).

But two Sundays ago, the Spelling Bee was not holding my attention. I strive stubbornly for “Genius” level every day, but on this day, I lost interest before I even made “Amazing.” I was planning to head up the hill to search for burn morels in the Caldor Fire zone, and I started to feel a sense of urgency long before the appointed time.

Get your ass up here! The mushrooms were calling loudly.