Wounded Winter

February 20th through 26th, 2017

Lake Lucerne
Last week started off in a most pleasant manner. The 50+°F temperatures and disappearing snow made it feel like Spring. The sound of snow goes, that just days earlier had filled the air, was replaced by bird song, brook babble, and quiet.
Lake Lucerne
There was also the sound of rain. Monday night we got 0.6 inches. The level of Lake Lucerne is going up!
Lake Lucerne
After the rain, there was a check of the local sugarbush. No maple tapping yet, but there could have been.
Lake Lucerne
One of the portents to pounding spile into tree is the pulling away of the snow from the tree's base. There was talk among the sugarmen that we missed the first sap run.
Lake Lucerne
Some plants mistook this faux Spring for the real deal and started to bud. Silly plants.
Lake Lucerne
Patches of exposed grass led some to try to get in their first round at the NCC golf course. The first round will have to wait a bit longer. Some fairways were playable, but the greens and tees were still snow sopped.
Lake Lucerne
There were also more subtle signs that the course may not have been open yet.
Lake Lucerne
On Friday it snowed.
Lake Lucerne
It's been said that a cornered, wounded animal is the most dangerous. Winter was backed into the end of February after having endured several fifty degree plus floggings. Viewed in this light, we should have expected Winter to lash out with ugly cold, biting wind, and a seemingly never ending snowfall. The warm roads melted the first few inches of snow. Then that slush froze, making walking extremely tumbly. The snowmobile trails are still open. The maple syrup season will have to wait another week or two.


-Nemo: Shovel, Shiver, Repeat