Dawn on the Billy Goat

As many of you know, I like to do dawn hikes particularly on the Billy Goat Trail outside of Washington.  I had to share this amazing turtle from this morning.  While it is hard to gauge its size, it was huge for a river turtle (almost three feet in length). Indeed, the biggest I have seen outside of the Pacific islands. It was well inland on Bear Island on the side of a boulder.

It was a thrilling discovery this morning at dawn. The trail was crowded with deer, beaver, and other animals. However, the turtle was the  highlight.