maple flats
02-20-2011, 09:38 PM
After working the morning at the sugarhouse, I went back up on the hill to my sugarbush. I needed to use snowshoes for the short trek in (40') to my tank and vac pump. I soon realized they were gone. Also gone was the cellar hole they were in. I then realized that yesterday's near blizzard conditions had filled in the cellar hole all but about a 3' strip. The snow was between 6-7' deep, and it covered everything. All I could see on my 1000 gal vac tank was the top 4" of one agitator motor and the pump was down under there somewhere. I got my shovel from the truck and began shoveling snow. I dug down enough, shoveling with snowshoes on, until I had uncovered about 2' of the tank and about 1/2 of the vacuum pump. I'm thinking a roof is in order before next year if the landowner will allow. I'll likely leave most of the snow around the tank except the top and the valve end. It will keep the sap cold. The pump must be cleared all the way for me to use it. I plan to start tapping tomorrow and install 3 sap ladders, 1 about 2', and 2 in the 6-7' range. I'll have my grandson start tapping, along with mapletrader YeastPimp, who has helped me quite a lot the last few weeks. I teach him how not to do it and he helps me out, good trade.