A meadow vole

I'm pulling this picture, somewhat ridiculously, from "The Field Guide to the Prairie" from the University of Minnesota , but voles have quite a range! I did want you to see how it looked in the snow.

Trail conditions and animal sighting

A walk up the Holden Trail (aka: the cart path end of Cataract Street, marked by white triangles) found it well used. It has been plowed by the city up to the roadblock; a well-beaten trail heads around the roadblock and down the remainder of the street. Watch out for a substantial snowbank on the northern end!
Before it turned to snow, this hiker nearly stepped on a busy little mole? shrew? out for a snack in the warmth of the day! About three inches long, brown, with a pink nose, he scurried off into the snow at the side of the road and dove into a footprint to get away. His appearance may clear up a mystery we've been pondering here at the Lodge: tracks of a small mammal with a tail that showed up before dawn two days ago. A mouse from the house or something outside? Perhaps small things outside are stirring.

UPDATE: I am informed by reliable sources that the mammal I ran into was a vole. I'll see if I can pull up a picture to show you.