Peak Sugar

Last week had all the classic signs of a Winter hangover. We had cold, dense fog, below average temperatures, and groaning lake ice especially during Friday's morning low of 8°F. That changed for the better on the weekend.

And we had a little noise. Tuesday night's thunderstorm knocked the snow down a little and lit the night sky a lot.

The snow may have gone down some, but looking out the bar's windows still showed more snow than is normal.

The roads got better fast. Then the extreme cold made them dangerous fast. They de-iced nicely on the weekend.

Even during last week's celebrated cold period, the birds seemed to be more active.

During the summer, seeing wild turkeys is rare. Currently, we are seeing them all the time.

The squirrels in the northeastern corner of the lake can empty a bird feeder in less than a day.

After they finish the feeder, they rub their evil little hands together and demand more.

The maples ran pretty well at the start of the week. The midweek cold stopped the dripping and allowed us to catch up. The weekend warm had the taps running again.

In the end, they were running hard enough to fill many buckets.

With over a yard of snow in some spots, snowshoes are still recommended for collecting all those buckets.

Transporting hundreds of gallons of sap to the cookers on Knott Lane was a daily thing.

After running out of jugs, 55 gallon barrels were used to hold the overflow.

The super cold part of the week froze the snow base enough to allow wheeled vehicles into the woods. The weekend warmth abruptly ended that.

The fires in the cookers burned well into most nights.

This year's sap has had a very high sugar content. The resulting syrup has been very lightly colored.

On Sunday, the top of the lake ice began to deeply puddle. Not wanting to get a super soaker, we did not get an ice thickness check. I'd guess it's around a foot and a half thick. It's unlikely to go out in the next week, but with the forecasted June like temperatures coming and then some rain, we'll keep a close eye on it. If you have yet to enter this year's Ice-out contest, now's the time. With the tapping season coming to an end and Summer getting closer, now is the time to begin Summer fun stretching and warm-ups. The best form of stretching can be done by washing sapping buckets. We have some extra room, rags, and bleach waiting for you if you want to warm-up them muscles for Summer adventure!

-Nemo welcomes the warmer weather and far less snow.

Peak Sugar

April 3rd through 9th, 2023