The night was pitch black as we lugged our gear along the creek bank heading to our fishing spot. Then the ground collapsed beneath my feet.

It was the mid-1980s, and friends Blair Harris, Mark Terry and I decided to take a late-night crappie trip to the mouth of Speegleville Creek. We were packing our poles, a minnow bucket, a tackle box, an ice chest as big as a Volkswagen, a floating fishing light to attract fish and the 12-volt truck battery we used to power the light.

I was carrying the battery. I don’t know how they managed, but Blair and Mark carried everything else. Mark also had a flashlight that he held in his mouth to navigate through the trees, brush, downed logs, and to avoid bumping into any unfriendly varmints.

Following Mark and Blair wasn’t a problem. I could see well enough to know when to sidestep something or duck under a low-hanging limb. But as we reached a bend in the creek, I heard a sound that I suspected might be important — our footsteps were causing twigs to snap.

This continued for about three or four steps, and I suddenly realized the ground under me wasn’t ground at all. It was tree limbs. I heard a cracking sound and got a sinking feeling, and soon I was up to my neck in trouble. My battery and I were uninvited guests at the Beaver Den Inn, and I had a bad feeling there was about to be a “no vacancy” sign attached to my leg.

So Blair and Mark quickly came to the rescue — laughing, shining the flashlight in my face, and opening up the ice chest to toast the impromptu break. Meanwhile, I could feel my feet beginning to sink into the mud below, and made a formal request for assistance.

Blair took the battery out of my hands, and before Mark could reach down to help me out of the hole, I conducted a vertical jump that would’ve made Scott Drew give me a basketball scholarship to Baylor. Unfortunately, he was only about 14 years old at the time.

Fortunately, I got out of the den with minimal mud and blood, and we continued on our way and caught a lot of fish.

Lake Waco is home to a lot of wildlife, including beaver. Evidence of these animals can be found in the form of dens and dams along creeks feeding into the lake, and also by gnawed-down trees that beavers leave in their wake.

You can even catch sight of these creatures if you’re in the right places at the right times. Beavers are nocturnal, and Blair, Mark and I saw several cruising across the water that night, chattering at each other and slapping the water’s surface with their tails.

Curtis and Sara Moore recently discovered a beaver skull in their Woodway back yard, which is bordered by two creeks and a vast wooded area.

Central Texas is rich with outdoor opportunities. Get out and enjoy them — and watch your step.

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