Snow and Ice and Spiles, Oh My

March 5th through 11th

The machinery that moves the seasons slipped last week. We didn't slip backward to Deep Winter, but the season was not advanced to Spring-ish. Instead, the lake was stuck with the close to freezing highs and the unfortunate lows that defines the February-esque season of Thaw.

Early last week, there was a lake ice check. We expected more. It looks like a yard of ice is not to be this year, but 25 inches is still pretty thick.

The thaw-by-day, hard-freeze-by-night nature of the weather has created a thick, bruising ice layer on top of Knott Lane. This is probably the main reason that the O'Keefe Triathlon in not held during the month of March.

There was snow mid-week. About 5 inches of blowing, drifting white nested in the pines and smothered the already covered ground.

The snow is pretty deep in the surrounding woods.

Deep snow makes tapping season interesting. Fortunately, the days of sleds and cursing have been replaced by the ATV with feet (and cursing). By week's end, all the trees that were planned to be tapped were tapped (360). The sap did run a bit. It's currently frozen in 2 to 6 inch pucks out in the woods. Cooking that ice down will begin around St. Patrick's Day.

Warmer sun has produced an impressive crop of icicles on just about every overhang.

Roof curl icicles are our favorite.

It's like tubing, but without enraging the footers.

The snowmobiles got a bonus week and ice-out contestants got a more complex problem. You'd think that an extended cold would push ice-out back, but it can also result in a more violent early Spring. Savage Spring takes the ice faster. Still, we think that the lake will be ice free by June. Not so sure about the snow in the woods. Having sunk up to the belt while wearing snowshoes does not bode well for a snow free July.<br><br>-Nemo dressed in layers, still got cold.