Judging the Success of a Morel Mushroom Hunt

I suppose, in all honesty, if I had led a hunt for Morel mushrooms that resulted in overflowing mushroom bags, my story today would be different.  I would judge the success of the expedition by the pounds that had been collected.  

But, since that wasn't the case, I am still going to say that we had an extremely successful mushroom hunt yesterday.  Less than two weeks after the last blizzard that dumped snow on us, and only a day after drenching rains, we were greeted with sunny blue skies and warm temperatures.

It was even warm enough to create thermals that a lone hawk took advantage of to float lazily in the sky.

The ferns in the undergrowth along the South Platte River are already growing vigorously.  The soft greens are a welcome sight after a winter of brown and black.
It may seem like a wilderness to us, but it is a super highway for the deer.  This well-traveled deer trail cut right through the heart of our mushroom territory.
Other creatures were traveling along their own super highways.  These ants were scurrying busily along, but froze in place with my camera mere inches from them.
My intrepid mushroom-hunting partner.  After a long day at work, which for him started at 5:30 a.m., he still had a smile on his face when his wife dragged him out for an adventure.
Oh yeah, in case you were wondering.  No mushrooms.

Thanks for stopping by.  The coffee is always on.