Walkin' Down to Beaver Town

We went on a Nature Hike Wednesday, into ExcaliBEAVER's realm. This is a lovely distance -- we drive to the entrance of the trail, so it makes it a short enough hike for even a hot sunny day.

Much of the trail winds through stands of Red Pines, providing a soft cushion underfoot and a cool canopy overhead. Along the way, there are great views down to the beaver ponds. Lots of evidence of dental work on the trees. We found where the beaver slides logs down the steep hillsides by the pond, where he'd dug out a narrow canal to make log moving easier. Lots of woodchips left behind from those big sharp front teeth. We found a great blue heron enjoying the mud flats in the lowest beaver pond.

Dragonflies galore. Wolf scat... (which is much more interesting than just writing down the words would indicate) Lots of plants -- bullrushes, cattails, Saskatoon bush, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries -- we even converted Katie, who said she didn't like blueberries. That is, until she tried some of the real deal, the wild ones, sweet and flavourful and not at all what you get in the grocery stores. Bunchberry, lichens and lots of mushrooms all got some attention. We looked at tracks in the mud and in the sandy sections.

Beav wasn't visible. His house, greening up nicely as plants grow on the roof, was. His dams were. The water level is much lower than in the spring, but he still has plenty of water held back, so we don't think he's at all concerned. In fact, we think he's just lazing about, enjoy the summer.

We found lots of interesting things. We found a bank house, with its entrance above water level. Normally, these are entered from underwater, and it is an alternative accommodation to the more commonly recognized (and easier to find) Beaver Lodge (I took this picture back in March, in Algonquin Park)

We went all the way down to the Oxtongue River, where a frog welcomed us and lily pads swayed in the current. From our landing on the river, it is a short paddle upstream to Marsh's Falls, and a lovely leisurely drifting paddle down to Dwight Bay.

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