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I wasn't sure how Charlie would behave in the woods, especially if we ran into another dog or a deer or a varmint, so I kept him leashed a lot of the time. He wore a light pack and carried his own water (for the first time) and seemed to have no trouble with the weight.
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Some of the terrain was a little steep, but we both managed it without incident. The leash even turned out to be of benefit (to me, anyway), as Charlie charged ahead uphill. ;)
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Some parts were easy walking and others had downed trees and sometimes dense undergrowth, but Charlie and I learned to work together, spotting and clearing paths.
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For the most part, Charlie ignored the mushrooms. He loved it, however, when someone found one - they'd let out a little cry, and Charlie would help them celebrate by jumping on them and snuzzling their face. In truth, that's probably the best argument for continued leashing in future trips -- the chanterelles often grow in little groups and it's not hard for an unrestrained celebratory big dog to trample the delicate fungi.
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I mentioned that Charlie ignored the mushrooms for the most part. There was one very notable exception. As we approached a big downed log, Charlie went over to something big and started sniffing around it -- suddenly I could see that it was a flying-saucer-sized mushroom. I called in the expert, who pronounced it an edible bolete. I don't know if it's as tasty as a chanterelle, but it's certainly dramatic-looking and big enough for a family of 4!
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The bad news now for Charlie is that I'm going to eat our findings and he's not. My reasoning is that if he learns they're edible and, dog forbid, develops a taste for them, he'll find the chanterelles first and eat them on the spot the next time we go mushroom-hunting. So he'll have to be content to lick the saute pan for now.
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It was absolutely a great day! We got to tramp around in the woods and came home with mushrooms, to boot. You don't find as many 'shrooms when you're managing a big dog, but we'll definitely do this again!!