« Previous	Unburied	Next »
	April 16th through 22nd, 2018

Last week started off cold and white. "The Storm" had dumped between 18 and 24 inches of snow on the lake. The 40 mph winds did not help. After "The Storm" passed, there were some aftershocks of snow, but these amounted to less than an inch of fluff. Hardly worth mentioning.

It was noted with some relief that the bar was not totally buried. There was a slit of open all around the building that permitted viewing, entrance, and egress.

During a normal Spring, we'd be reporting on the progress of ferns and trillium. No so much this year. There might be some green under all that snow, but we haven't seen any yet.

The weather inflicted a frozen siesta upon the tapping season that lasted for several days.

By mid-week, a warming trend started and the trees began to run again.

Sap collecting operations started shortly after that.

As the snow melted, the mystery of the missing sap jugs was solved.

Usually the feet would have been replaced with wheels weeks ago. Not this year. At the current melt rate, it was resolved that the feet should be retired for the season well before June.

A hole was bored into the lake last Friday. With 28.5 inches of ice this late in Spring, an April ice-out is becoming less likely.

On Sunday, the knottlane drone was sent up to check the ice conditions on other local, newer lakes.

Near the intersection of Potawatomi Trail and Lake Lucerne Drive, Lake Marshall is ice free. No piers yet though.

Upper and Lower Walerko are also both open.

There was some talk that the LWAA (Lake Walerko Advancement Association) was thinking of protecting the lake bottom from skiers, footers, and plow trucks, however we haven't seen any buoys yet.

Some of the trees are budding! Not the maples though and that's a good thing. Once the maples bud, the sapping season is over.

The snow is melting fast. The lake level (Lucerne's, not Marshall's or Upper/Lower Walerko's) is going up. We'll get a measurement as soon as the ice goes out. Until then, there's plenty of sap to collect and even talk of golf.<br><br><br>-Nemo's not running for a spot on the LWAA board.

2018 Archives All Archives

Classic View Original View

knottlane.com