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	February 27th through March 5th, 2017

The cool down that flooded the air before last week, continued to flow through the trees and over the lake, drowning out any thoughts of an early Spring. Some tree tappers mistook the mid-February warm as the start of the season and holed some maples. Those spiles were cold and dry last week.

The condition of Knott Lane has deteriorated. Frozen ground, layers of lumpy ice, a dusting of snow, and gravity have combined to form a perilous surface. For even the shortest strolls, helmets and bruises are the rule.

With fighting gravity on the lane being a losing proposition, a trip to Ski Brule was ordered in the hope of making nature's weakest force an ally instead of an adversary. That, plus the snow cats are pretty cool.

The snow was great for March. There was about an inch of soft and cushiony powder on the last 100 meters of most runs.

With the air temperature hovering just below 20°F we did not expect many on the hill. We were wrong. There was a surprising number of people riding the lifts.

By the weekend, the sun came out and the temperatures began to rise. The sugarmen gave the order to gather the buckets and start the drills.

The snow in the woods was only inches deep and very crusty. Without the usual several feet of the white stuff and the encumbrance of snowshoes, the tapping crew moved with amazing speed.

Before the end of Sunday morning, 360 trees were bucketed.

The maples ran a bit, then it got cold. The 2017 maple syrup season is not going to start with a gusher.

This syrup season looks to start like a teen's first try in a manual transmission car. Rough and jerky, but without that burning clutch smell. After the tapping crew finished, all the forecasting services shaved 10°F to 15°F from the previously forecasted high temperatures for the next 10 days. The gathering of sap and ice-out on Lake Lucerne are going to be a little later this year. We'll be sure to get an ice thickness check soon.<br><br><br>-Nemo continues to insist that Spring will eventually come.

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