So a couple of weeks ago, Charlie and I *attempted* to hike the Turtle Rock Segment of the Ice Age Trail. We hadn't been there since last September and this is the absolute BEST time of year to hike this particular trail.
But after receiving heavy rains over a couple of weeks, we found that the trail was washed out shortly into our hike, and without water sandals (or a swimsuit), there was no way to get through.
Dejectedly, I turned around and slopped my way back through the muddy trail to the car and then drove to the other side of the Wisconsin River and hiked the Grandfather Falls Segment as Plan B - which was actually quite amazing!
But I really wanted to hike Turtle Rock.
So the following weekend, we ventured back - armed with my water sandals and a towel this time! But when we got to the spot where the trail was washed out, we found everything was neatly repaired.
By beavers.
Yep. This was my first time seeing firsthand the awesome construction ability of beavers. Pretty cool.
In the photo below, you can see the mowed trail on the other side of the beaver dam; the shore of the pond has "moved" into the trail about 10 feet and now you have to detour through the little creek on the other side of the dam. It's really quite incredible, since this "pond" was more like a marshy lowland last year; we've gotten a lot of rain this year!
I'm really glad I went back because the fall colors were absolutely gorgeous and well-worth the second trip.