The Harvest

Narrator: In the wilderness of Washington state, filmmakers from National Geographic Channel are following a legendary wild man named Mick Dodge. Mick: Aoooh! Whoa! Ha-ha! Narrator: This morning, Mick's come to the community swimming-hole with his good friend, Sunray Kelley. Sunray: I like to sit on the end of that and just watch the fish. Mick: Ah, yeah! [Sunray laughs]. I know what you're up to, man! Yeah, OK, yeah, I feel more secure. Sunray: Hey Mick. Mick: Yo! Sunray: I think you're gonna have to jump in here buddy. Mick: That sounds good to me, man. My body could use it. Sunray: Yeah, yeah, I can smell ya. I know your body can use it. [Mick laughs]. Narrator: After testing out the board, they're ready to get wet. Sunray: Ah, whoo! Narrator: And out here, swimsuits are optional. Sunray: Whoo! [splash]. [Mick laughs]. Whoa, yeah. Mick: Up, up and away! [splash]. [Mick laughs]. Narrator: 25 years ago, a man named Mick Dodge left the modern world behind. Mick ventured deep into the wilderness. He made his home in trees, hidden in the moss and to this day, he's still out there. In the far northwest corner of America lies the 1500 square mile Hoh Rainforest. The home of Mick Dodge. After an early morning swim with SunRay, Mick's got a pep in his step, and he's sharing it with his fellow forest creatures. Mick: Now look at these guys, look at these guys huh, you see 'em? Got a dance going on. Whoo! This is how you train with 'em. Hiyah! Bruce Lee ain't (bleep)! [laughs]. Narrator: Already in high spirits, Mick's about to make a discovery that will really get his blood pumping. Mick: Whoa! Look at that! Look at that, look at that! Yeah. Chanterelle. Ah man, look at these guys. Narrator: These are chanterelle mushrooms, a vitamin rich delicacy that appears in the Northwest only once each year. Mick: One of my major ah, winter food sources. It's tempting to eat it now, but I know I'll need it much later. I'll chop 'em, I'll dry a lot of 'em, and then I'll have them throughout the entire winter. Jesus, God, look at 'em! This is what the rain brings. Ha-ha-ha, the rain! Narrator: The patch of mushrooms Mick's found here isn't enough to last the winter. He'll need more and he knows he won't be the only one on the hunt. Mick: That's gold. People are gonna start coming out and grabbing them and taking them back into the city to sell 'em, so I gotta get my stash. This is hunting. Narrator: Highly sought after by culinary experts, people from all over the world flood the forest to hunt down these rare mushrooms. And when they bloom, the race to harvest them is on. Mick: Chanterelles are a nugget of gold, they're like sunshine in the forest. Narrator: Chanterelles can sell for over $20 a pound. But for Mick, they aren't a luxury. They are a potent source of potassium and vitamin D. And he knows that if he doesn't move fast to claim his share, he won't have the food he needs to survive the winter. Mick: If you do not show up at that time, then you're not gonna get your food. Because that's when the earth is presenting it. Narrator: With the race for chanterelles underway, Mick's first stop is a patch that's delivered pounds of the nutritional mushrooms for the past five years. Mick: It's a place I've been countin' on for a few years. Narrator: But this year. Mick: Hey, psst, shh! Narrator: It seems someone's beat him to it. [distant voices]. Producer: Some people. Mick: Yeah, somebody's in my patch. Yeah, they got here already. Damn, they're picking chanterelles in the patch I was headed for. It's competition. They're the first ones to get this one. Narrator: Mick's primary patch is already claimed and now, he's got one option left. He'll head for the only other spot he knows that consistently produces chanterelles. Mick: I know where some are higher up. It's not as easy to get to. So the race is on. Narrator: With foragers flooding the forest, Mick's got to move fast. Luckily, he knows just where to find a pair of running shoes. Mick: This is like a cobbler's shop, you know? A place where I can find this tree sap and plant my feet in it. One of the things about bare feet, running around in a wet forest is you begin to slip all the time. And so you start looking for other ways to increase your grip. Oh yeah, it's already sticky. Then you plant 'em in sand or dirt, that gives me more friction. So I'm making my forest-made soles. Look at that! See how sticky that is? Narrator: With new treads on his soles, Mick begins a 9-mile trek into the night, intent to beat other foragers to his last remaining chanterelle hot spot. Mick: Yeah, we're gonna go a couple of more miles tonight. We got a lot of ground to cover, so I really push late into the dark. Not a good idea. Narrator: Moving fast through the darkness, it's easy to make mistakes. Mick: Ow, (bleep) dammit! Ow, (bleep)! Walked right into a devils club. Ah, here it is right here. Look at it and I stepped right in it. Narrator: Common to the moist Olympic Peninsula, the devil's club plant is covered with small spikes that can spell big trouble. Mick: Ah man! They just keep digging deeper and deeper into you. Yeah, so we're done running for the night. We have to bed down here. Narrator: Overnight, Mick rests his injured foot, hoping that the morning will bring a fresh start. Mick: Oh, Jesus. Ah! Narrator: Unfortunately. Mick: Oh no, man. Narrator: Things have only gotten worse. The Devil's Club plant carries a toxin that's caused Mick's foot to balloon in size. Mick: Ah, my foot's, um, that thing's really swollen up. I can't close my toes. Narrator: Just like that, Mick is sidelined. And if he can't recover fast, he could be facing a hungry winter. Mick: Oh, man! [grunts]. Narrator: In the Pacific Northwest, chanterelle mushroom season has begun. But in the race to harvest them, Mick Dodge has been sidelined by an infection from a plant called devil's club. Mick: Ah, man! Ahh! I feel a pain all the way in my joints. But when it gets to the going up in the joints like that it's like a, it's devil's club. Narrator: Though his foot has swollen to nearly twice its size, he can't afford to sit still. Mick: All right, here we go, ah! Narrator: Luckily, he knows that the very plant that injured him holds the cure. Mick: The antidote for this is in the bark. Uh, it should be called "angel's club" at this time. It's called "devil's club" in the beginning when you get stuck. [laughs]. Then you are looking for the angel. See where these leaves are dying? These green shoots? I wanna get that green bark. Making medicine from the very thing that gave me pain in my foot. That's the way life works. Whatever comes at you bad and negative, ah, there's some kind of good in it. Even the biggest (bleep) have some kind of good to them. Narrator: Making the antidote for this injury requires a steady hand to avoid the poisonous barbs that got him here in the first place. Mick: I'm making uh, so I can hold it without getting needles in my hands. Narrator: With the proper protection, Mick's ready to get started. First, he strips and chops the devil's club stalk. Mick: I'm in the doctor's office, and the doctors are all these plants. Narrator: Then he adds a bit of his own saliva to create a paste. Mick: I need the water in saliva to mash up this poultice. Now I'm gonna put the medicine on. I'm gonna put this poultice on my foot, and I'm gonna use these leaves, ah, which add moisture to it. Narrator: Native Americans have traditionally used this plant for its medicinal qualities, and Mick's application should reduce swelling and diminish pain. Mick: I can already feel it doing its magic. It's really amazing. I can feel it [inaudible] in the joints of the toes, I had this pain in there. And it just like locking them up and already I mean, look at it. I'm already moving my toes better. Narrator: Over the next two hours, Mick lets the homemade balm do its work, and then, to finish his natural remedy, he visits a nearby glacial spring. Mick: Yeah, look at this one. See the spring coming up? It's an underwater Jacuzzi. Narrator: Pure 38-degree glacial water sprouts at this spot, and Mick will use it to reduce swelling and squeeze the toxins from his wound. Mick: Ah, it feels so good on the foot, I can't explain it. It's kind of like ah, suction, it's like, I think maybe suck out any more impurity. I don't know. I just know it's healing. Feels so good. It's cold, squeezing my feet. Narrator: Though Mick should rest his foot to fully heal it, the race for chanterelle mushrooms won't wait. So he's eager for a test run. Mick: My feet are feeling good. I've really worked on the healing so now, this is good soft sand, mineral water, so I want to give 'em a good pounding to see if I got my run back. [huffs]. You ready? [huffs]. [splashing]. Yeah, I have my run back. [claps]. Yoosh! Narrator: Once again in fighting form, Mick can resume the race for his primary winter food source. But with other foragers seeking the same prize, he's hoping it's not too late. Mick: So we're getting real close to ah, where the uh, chanterelle patch is. This one's a lot harder for people to get to and find. Narrator: Finally, he reaches the chanterelle patch he's targeting. But to his surprise, there's nothing to be found. Mick: It doesn't look like they've come up yet. Damn. Narrator: At first, it seems the patch never grew in. But on closer inspection. Mick: Oh no, they did come up. I see the scraps of mushrooms. Oh (bleep)! There's a footprint. Narrator: Once again. Mick: Damn. Narrator: Someone's beaten Mick to the punch. Mick: Somebody got here and picked 'em already. (bleep) damn it! You can tell a human being. Narrator: After another blow, Mick's out of ideas. A without the nutritional mushrooms he needs, it could be a long winter ahead. Mick: That's not good at all. Narrator: In the Hoh Rainforest, Mick Dodge can't find any chanterelle mushrooms. The potent source of vitamins and minerals he needs for the winter to come. Mick: I pray for something to reveal itself. But I do need to get some food. Narrator: And as he desperately scours the forest floor, he's finding everything but the golden mushrooms he's after. Mick: Hey, look at these! These are puffballs, see how they're sporing? Narrator: This inedible species of fungi is known as a puffball mushroom. And though they're commonly used for making ink, for Mick, they're a drum-kit. Mick: Percussions! [drum sounds]. [laughs]. Oh yeah. Narrator: After his puffball jam session provides a brief diversion, Mick's search continues for hours; covering another five square miles. Mick: Look at the color of this guy, its beautiful. Narrator: Though Mick's quick to admire his latest discovery, he knows that eating it could be a risky proposition. Mick: Yeah, watch this. You just pinch them, and see how it's turning dark blue? The bluing is a indication of ah, take you on a whoo trip, and you go ahhhh! Like that, see? Make you sick. Narrator: He pushes on despite frustration, but even when he finds what seem to be chanterelles, he's still out of luck. Mick: Ah man, look at these guys! That's not chanterelle. It's a false chanterelle. Looks like a chanterelle but it's not. And people pick 'em thinking they are chanterelles. Narrator: False chanterelles carry a toxin that can cause severe abdominal pain and it isn't easy distinguishing them from the real thing. Mick: Gotta look at them very closely. See how much more orange that is? I don't know if they'd kill you or not. I imagine they could. So, not on my menu. Narrator: With every passing hour, Mick's chances of striking gold grow slimmer. But he knows he can't give up if he hopes to stockpile food for winter. Mick: We are hunting some ah, very elusive, very um, uh, hard track, hard track. So let's keep hunting. Come on, you guys! Over here, gettin' close. Get over here and check this out! Look at 'em! Yeah! Chanterelle mushrooms. Narrator: After two full days, Mick finally spots what he's been searching for. But it's already been claimed by another forest animal. Mick: Banana slug. Look at him chewing away. So this chanterelle has already been hunted and you leave it alone; you share. Narrator: Mick's willing to leave these to the banana slug, because he knows these mushrooms usually grow in clusters, and there should be hundreds more close by. Mick: I know we're headed for some big ones. Narrator: Wind can carry mushroom spores for miles, and Mick believes he can track the spores that spawned this chanterelle by reading the landscape. Mick: You just pretend like you're a spore, riding the wind, and, and how would you go, and where would that wind carry you at? You see how all those broad green leaves are right there? If that wind hit that set of trees right there, that wind would come right down in here and start shooting. So it would hit something low and that wind would travel. [blows] That wind would shoot over this way. [blows] Wind would go right through there. See? See how the wind would come right through there? [laughs]. Yes, jackpot! Narrator: After over 48 hours hunting for chanterelles, Mick Dodge has finally hit the mother lode. [laughs]. Mick: Did I ever hit gold! Narrator: And he wastes no time collecting his spoils. [laughs]. Mick: They're just all over the place. Don't you sit on those. Getting ready to sit on some. God damn it, this is my food. Yeah, yeah, ok! Gold, gold, gold. [laughs]. Listen, I'm gonna get me enough to get through the winter man. This is incredible. Narrator: As he gathers up his bounty, he's on cloud nine. [makes horn sound]. Mick: I'm gonna sneak up on these. Look at that! Pure beauty. What'd you say? Hey? Got something to say? Man, I'm gonna be looking good for the winter. Just beautiful. All right, take my picture with this guy. This is, these are just beautiful. Narrator: Now that he's found this patch, Mick won't leave it until it's picked clean. So he sparks a flame right here, to begin preserving his harvest. Mick: I gotta build me a drying system. [grunts]. What I'm making here is a tray to lay my mushrooms on it; dry 'em out. Narrator: Using a plant known as a Scotch Broom, he quickly fashions a homemade drying rack. Mick: So I have my drying rack. Narrator: Drying the mushrooms will preserve them for months and during winter, he'll rely on this stash when he can't get his hands on anything else. Mick: Man, I'm gonna be looking good for the winter. Mm, smoked chanterelle, try it. Good, isn't it? [laughs]. Narrator: For Mick, the last few days tested his resolve and endurance. But more importantly, they fortified his belief that the forest always provides. Mick: I live by seasons out here, and I learn the seasonal changes sets the rhythm. And you have to show up and uh, for that rhythm, 'cause if you don't, then you're not gonna get your food. And it takes effort, it takes strong effort. You gotta, there's some work to be done, but just living in that moment, and being able to use your knowledge and skills, it becomes such an adventure. Every day and every moment, any time. And you will find that the forest always provides. They look good to me!