Sun Guidong, chief reporter of Peninsula All Media
In Qingdao, you can not only catch the sea but also go up the mountain to pick mushrooms. This newspaper reported that after the wild mushrooms in Laoshan entered the harvest season, they quickly rushed to the hot search on Weibo, with nearly 4 million reads on the whole network. In the peak season of September and October, surrounding villagers, mountain climbing enthusiasts and even many tourists from other places have gone up the mountain to experience the fun of looking for mushrooms. What's the magic? On October 10, the reporter followed the mountain catchers and climbed 15 kilometers of mountain roads in 8 hours to experience the hard work and fun of picking mushrooms in the "special forces" style.
The harvest is full
The "special forces" style went up the mountain, and some people came from Yantai to experience itThe whole mountain is very long, and you have to start early in the morning to get down before dark. At about 7 o'clock in the morning on October 10, a group of 8 reporters gathered at the foot of Laoshan Mountain. Among these 8 people, there are travelers who often climb mountains, and Mr. Wang, a mushroom picker who came from Yantai all the way. Mr. Wang is also a travel blogger who leads 70 or 80 people up the mountain to pick every day during peak hours. Recently, the number of mushrooms in Yantai was small, so he took the high-speed train to Laoshan in Qingdao.
Different from ordinary mountain climbing, the trip to pick mushrooms on the mountain is relatively tight, and there is basically no rest in the middle. As soon as I got up the mountain, I began a "rapid march" type of hurry. Mr. Yang, the team leader, led the way at the front, and some places were very steep, and everyone passed quickly. For those who have just climbed the mountain, it is difficult to adapt at first, and soon they are out of breath. Xiao Guo, who participated in mushroom picking for the first time, walked for about an hour, and his legs had begun to tremble, and he asked if he could find a shortcut down the mountain.
Take the wild road, and go up the mountain in the style of special forces
The whole route is through Laoshan Mountain, many of which are wild roads, and if there is no one to guide you, it is very likely to get lost. So, the team leader decided to take a break and start again.
The process of going up the mountain is very physically demanding, but in order to be able to catch up with the others, the mountain riders rarely rest halfway and basically do not eat much. If you fall behind the other teams, the mushrooms may be plucked.
In previous years, the mushroom "nest" was gone, and the fresh food went into the mountainsAt present, Laoshan is mainly larch mushroom, also known as pachycyclic lactia. They grow underneath pine trees, generally on mountainsides around 800 meters above sea level. The area of larch trees on Laoshan is very large, and pine mushrooms are also relatively common, and a pound of good quality can be sold for 100 yuan.
In the beginning, the mountain riders will follow the path they have stepped out of, looking in the pine forests on both sides. At about 11 o'clock in the morning, after four hours of mountain road, I finally came to a larch forest.
"Last year, my companion and I picked more than 30 catties here, loaded the basket and went down the mountain." Mr. Yang said that for people who run the mountain all year round, everyone has their own "nest". Some of the old mountain catchers in the surrounding villages like to go up the mountain alone. Mushroom picking focuses on making a lot of money with a muffled voice, for fear of exposing their "nest".
Recently, the rain on Laoshan Mountain is relatively low, and the number of mushrooms is not much, and the team leader has pounced on the "old nest". So, everyone continued to march around the mountainside to another "nest" to look for it. But luck doesn't seem to be good, and the harvest is still not improving.
In view of this, the team leader decided to take everyone to look deeper in the mountain forest. These places are often one or two kilometers away from the often traveled paths, and if you are not familiar with the terrain, it is easy to get lost, and some old mountain drivers are reluctant to go.
The reporter followed the team into the depths of the woods, this section of the road is more difficult to walk, some sections of the road need to use both hands and feet, the soles of the feet are also entangled with vines from time to time, there are branches above the head to block the way, if you are not wearing a thicker long-sleeved jacket, your arms will soon be scratched.
At about 12 o'clock in the afternoon, after more than an hour of travel, we finally arrived at a dense forest. Everyone began to look for mushrooms separately, and in order to prevent them from getting separated, they contacted each other through the most primitive way of shouting mountains to determine each other's orientation.
I walked 15 kilometers in more than 8 hours, and each person gained an average of 5 catties mushroomAfter entering the "old nest", the mushrooms finally ushered in a bumper harvest. The reporter saw that the larch mushroom grew under the tree, the color was pale yellow, and it looked like a withered leaf from a distance.
Find pine mushrooms
Often after finding one, there is a piece around it. Under a tree, a dozen larch mushrooms appeared at once. Especially near the river, the humidity is high and the number of mushrooms is higher.
"The growth of mushrooms is closely related to temperature and humidity," says Mr. Yang, who said that now is the time to harvest larch mushrooms, which can last until the end of October at most. On October 9th, there was a light rain in the mountains, and three or four days later there would be a new wave of mushrooms.
From this mountain forest, all the way down the mountain is the growing area of larch mushrooms. Everyone scattered to look for them, and some mushrooms were buried under the leaves, and they couldn't be seen at all without careful searching.
After more than 5 hours of mountain travel, everyone's physical strength was almost exhausted. But when they saw the mushrooms around, everyone was very excited and left their tiredness behind.
"The main thing is that I like the fun of this treasure hunt in the mountains." Mr. Guo said that seeing the mushrooms growing beautifully made him feel a sense of accomplishment.
Everyone went down the mountain while looking for it, and after more than 3 hours, they came to the foot of the mountain one after another. I started to go up the mountain at 7 o'clock in the morning and walked more than 15 kilometers of mountain roads in more than 8 hours. The reporter took a look, and almost all of the people's baskets were full, and on average, one person could pick about 5 catties.
Reminder: Wild roads are dangerous, so don't get into danger easilyEvery year in autumn, mushroom picking is common in the mountains and forests of Tohoku. What many people don't know is that Qingdao Laoshan is also rich in mushrooms. Previously, the main force of mushroom picking was the "mountain runners" from several surrounding villages, and as the older generation withdrew one after another, few young people relayed. In recent years, many mountain climbing enthusiasts have begun to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms while going on outings, which has become a new way of fitness tourism.
However, for many novices, going up the mountain to pick mushrooms is very physically demanding and there are many risks. More professional mountaineering enthusiasts will be equipped with trekking poles, foot covers, neck covers and other equipment to prevent snake and insect bites. Many of the places where mushrooms grow are wild roads, and the mountain roads are rugged, and in some places there are cliffs below. Without the guidance of professionals, it is very easy to be dangerous.
At the same time, there are more than 40 varieties of mushrooms on Laoshan Mountain, and only a dozen are edible. After seeing mushrooms, many people cannot distinguish them, and there is a risk of poisoning if they eat them rashly. Therefore, although it is fun to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms, you must do it within your means.