Still Winter

The temperature this morning was rather un-torrid. Minus eight degrees Fahrenheit is a lot of things, but torrid ain't one of them. It looks like we're doomed to take a step backward in the coming days before getting close to freezing again, c'est la vie (ooh , French!).

Although the temperature did not call for it, the calendar called for taps to be joined to trees.

And a woodsman's spirit, ranging for pancake topping,
With a 7/16 bitted drill by his side come hot with friction,
Shall in these confines with a tapper's voice
Cry "Havoc!" and let hammer the spiles of sapping
(ooh, Shakespeare! (sort of)).

Breaking trail, fun for about five minutes. After that, thoughts turn to maximum heart rate calculations.

Saving many of us from one or more coronary events were well packed main trails. The mains were compacted a few days before tapping by a beast of an ATV on loan from Tom, Joe and company. Thanks guys! (ooh, tracks!).

It was warm enough for the maples to run a bit on Friday and Saturday. The sub-zero cold shut them down after that. Unless a freakish warm front pops out of nowhere, the first collecting of tree sap will be next Saturday or Sunday.

After lesser trails were tromped and spiles tapped into trees, the hump in the middle of the main trails was dealt with. (ooh, smooth!).

The change in the woods over the next few weeks never ceases to astound. Snowshoes plodding along the snow mazes from bucket to bucket will give way to tennis shoes on the forest floor in just weeks.

Back on the lake, there is a 3 inch layer of styrofoam like snow covering the ice.

The ice is 23 inches thick. No ice-out this week.

It looks like we have one more week of Winter so get those last few downhill runs in this week. The Spring sun is doing a job on the ice and snow that coated many of the roads since November. Knott Lane is still ice covered, but all paved roads are clear. Huzzah! We tapped 305 trees by Sunday. There were around 50 more maples to do, but we were told to reserve them for some folks that have requested the "full tapping experience". It's looking to be a short sapping season this year which could lead to pancake rationing later on. Let's hope not.

-Nemo, looking for the "full golf experience"

Still Winter

March 18th through 24th, 2014