Won’t you be(aver) my neighbor

I happened to catch the start of the fall colors on my final camping trip of the year. It was a great coincidence, made better by the lack of bugs.

The last weekend in September, I went to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park in Onamia, Minn., to hike, camp and see what there was to see.

In case you were wondering the thought process behind my park selection, I was bound and determined to use my Minnesota state park pass, at least one more time before it expires. Everyone else wanted to go camping that weekend, too, so the campsite selection was slim.

Since I have the gear for backcountry camping anyway, I decided to search, based on the availability of backpack-in sites. Why camp right beside someone, when there are more remote options? Also, the woods are usually prettier than a campground, anyway.

There were only two parks in the entire state of Minnesota, that had backpack-in campsites available for the weekend I could get away, so I picked the closer of the two.

It was a good choice. The parking for my campsite was in the equestrian parking lot. There was some good people- and horse-watching to be had there.

The walk to my campsite was along shared hiking and equestrian trails, some more heavily used than others, which double as ski trails in the winter.

The last 1/3 of a mile to the site had very little traffic and was along a “most difficult” ski trail. Hills. Wow. It was a gorgeous landscape and definitely made me happy when I finally arrived at the campsite, especially after a full day of hiking.

My site was bordered by a beaver pond. I wondered if there were actually beavers in the pond anymore, or if it just looked like an area they would enjoy.

The first night I camped there, I got the answer to my question. I was just on the edge of falling asleep, when SPLOSH! Yep, there are beavers there.

I don’t know what startled the beavers (and me by extension), but whatever it was avoided the campsite and spared the really annoying squirrels running laps around my tent.

The next evening, I heard the beavers gnawing on something, so I walked down to the edge of the pond to try to spot them. Eventually, one swam through not far from shore and I got to watch it until it was too dark outside to see. That was the highlight of my trip, for sure.

There was also a 100-foot observation tower the public was encouraged to climb. The views from the top provided a look at the trees that were just starting to turn and of Mille Lacs Lake.

There were also interpretive trails with information about sites that were Native American villages and the park’s natural resources.

I think I timed my trip pretty well. There were park-led events, the trees were pretty and all the wildlife, except for the bugs, were active. I’m already looking forward to next year.