This little guy was exploring with a partner (or we scared it out of its hiding place). The small rodent has the iconic longer nose with a flat end. I only saw it for a few seconds as it stopped to see where we were in relation to itself before it skittered away under some leaves and disappeared.
This red growth was along one side of this birch tree. It grows in a patch about 12" wide by 24" long up the trunk. I didn't see it anywhere else on the tree down low where I could see without climbing.