12 miles NNW of Antigo

[wilfredjr]

12) 7/16 taps on bags (all new gear); only 6 running
can't find last years gear (we built a new house and moved here for good)
41° the high @ 3pm; 23 the low @ 6am
first day over 40; last year began 4/10 (driving up weekends)
1' of snow remains from last Wednesday's blizzard
gear conceivably buried under snow/tarp behind former shed/bunkhouse
lots of maples left to choose from, but arch needs work first
Buster & Lucky totally bored with Doggy Daddy
Taps 1-5
5600

[wilfredjr]

5 taps, hangers & bags from last year found around noon under tarp & snow as described; 20 taps now contemplated
But not today: never got below 40 overnight; 45 daytime high; rain/fog began around 4
With 60+° not far south of here, wonder if season will be curtailed

Yesterday, of 12, taps 1,4,5,6,7,10,11 modest drip to maybe 1" in the bag after noon
Today, all quit but 10 & 11 (neighbors); 10 bag most prolific: 4" in bag
Did pre-select 8 more sugars to tap: wondering if upslope trees same as downslope for sap (all south facing above lake; 25' difference)
No doubt easier to haul from

[wilfredjr]

Knock it off, Buster, I'm busy!
6:30am cloudy 23° all 8 active taps stopped & bags frozen; tap 2,3,8,9 remain inactive; waiting for more flow to tap final 8, upslope trees selected
noon full sun 30° taps 4,5,10,11 wake very slowly; the rest still stuck
3pm full sun 35° 4,5,10,11 decent rate; 1,6,7,12 slow drip; 2,3,8,9 dead since tapping
5pm full sun 34° 1,4,5,6,7 slow drip; 10,11,12 still decent; 2,3,8,9 remain inactive
block arch would now support 2 pans; needs a few more blocks to do the 3 we want but may not need

Tap 10,11,12 along treeline; 6,7,8,9 center clump with hemlocks; 1-5 off camera left; old abode at rear; lake below

5599

[wilfredjr]

6am 14° Sunny with flurries! All stop
Noon 30° Sunny only Tap 12 nice drip ending by 1:30
3pm 30° Sunny All stop

[wilfredjr]

Wake up time
sun all day
6:30 23° all stop
11am 39° 8 still stuck 2,3 & 9 finally stir to life; 1,4,5,12 quite slow; 6,7 steady drip; 10,11 ripping
1pm 49° 8 still stuck; 1,2,3,6,7,9 steady drip; 4,5,10,11,12 ripping
5pm 47° 1,2,3,7,9,stopped; 4,5,6,11 slow; 10,12 steady; 8 (quite shaded, bag on north side) no action
7pm 37° ditto
perhaps 4 gallons in bags; ice chests cleaned & ready; block arch almost there
tomorrow's question: tap 8 more trees or wait out warm spell?

[wilfredjr]

Daylight Savings Begins
Sunny; record heat (all temps in shade); dumped 5 gallons to ice chest @ 2% Brix per ATC refractometer
7:30 41° tap 2,8,stopped; 1,3,9 slow; 6,7,12 steady; 4,5,10,11 swift
9:30 54° tap 8 stopped; 1,2,3,9 slow; 4,5,6,7,10,11 steady; 12 swift
11:30 59° tap 8 stopped; 2,3,9 slow; 1,6,7 steady; 4,5,10,11,12 swift
1:30 59° tap 2,8 stopped; 1,2,7,9 slow; 4,5 steady; 10,11,12 swift
3:30 57° tap 2,8 stopped; 1,3,7,9,11 slow; 6,10,12 steady; 4,5 swift
5:30 55° tap 2,3,8,11 stopped; 1,7,9 slow; 3,6,12 steady; 4,5,10 swift
completed arch
5622

[wilfredjr]

rain sun rain sun 43°-45°
snow cover cut to 6"
all stop, all day
1 gallon plus gathered from overnight; moved to ice chest around 11:30 am
Lucky recovering mobility very slowly after getting quilled on Saturday night liberty brawl
Buster bummed out at being staked up

[GramaCindy]

so enjoying your thread Wilfredjr! Waiting on the ground thaw here. At least I HOPE that is what's holding up the sap flow

[wilfredjr]

Thanks. I would not even been able to attempt this enterprise without the contributors to this website.
Since this whole thing is still pretty much a mystery to me, the only possible value I can add are observations.
I'm glad somebody got something out of it.
The significance of all the tap to tap variation eludes me, but I'll keep at it a while.
Pounding in Buster's stake today, I must say the ground is pretty frozen here, too.
Snow will probably be gone Wednesday if the predictions hold
Can the season really end after a week of 60°+ weather?
I would have thought a return to 20°-40° for a couple of weeks was a sure thing, but there seems to be a lot of doom & gloom around.
My notion is to put in the last 8 taps if/when that happens.

[wilfredjr]

Sunny all day, but with the snow clinging to life the temperature swing was only moderate, and some taps stayed active.
7:30 37° all taps stopped
9:30 45° all stopped
11:30 gone to vet with Lucky to have a quill removed from well beneath the skin
1:30 55° 2,3,8,9 stopped; 1,6,12 slow; 4,5,7,10,11 steady; none swift
3:30 53° 2,3,8 stopped; 6,9,10,11 slow; 1,4,5,7,12 steady; none swift
5:30 49° 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10,11 stopped; 4,5,12 slow; none steady; none swift
Snow will not be gone tomorrow

[wilfredjr]

Sunny warm; Snow hangs on - maybe 4 inches
7:30 43° all stop
9:30 65° 1-11 stop; 12 slow
11:30 64° 1,2,3,8,9 stop; 4,5,6,7,10,11,12 slow
1:30 65° 2,3,9 stop; 1,6,8 slow; 4,5,7,10,11 steady; 12 swift
3:30 68° 2,3 stop; 9 slow; 1,8,10,11 steady; 4,5,6,7,12 swift
5:30 65° 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 stop; 1,4,5,12 slow
Gathered 2 gallons to 1st ice chest (now full); still reads 2%; boil planned for Saturday or Sunday with visiting friends
Dogs in open rebellion at being grounded from thinning lake ice
56645665

[wilfredjr]

Buggy bags; no sap
alternating sun & clouds
7:30 45° all stop
9:30 53° all stop
11:30 58° all stop
1:30 63° all stop
3:30 64° 2,3 stop; 1,8,9,10,11,12 slow; 4,5,6,7 steady
more bugs

[wilfredjr]

Snow gone by day's end; Sunny warm all day
7:30 41° all stop
9:30 60° 7 & 10 slow; all the rest stopped
11:30 61° 1,2,3,8,9,11 stop; 4,5,6,7,10,12 slow; none; none
1:30 64° 2,3 stop; 1,6,8,9,11 slow; 7,10 steady; 4,5,12 swift
3:30 63° 2,3,9 stop; 1,6,7,8,11 slow; 10,12 steady; 4,5 swift
5:30 59° 2,3,6,7,8,9 stop 1,10,11,12 slow; 2,4 steady
Guests arrive, 4 dogs rampant; post delayed

[GramaCindy]

Just picked off my first tick. LOVELY!

[wilfredjr]

Lucky already has Lymes, and as the lake shore ice has receded, we just got back from a good snoop through the underbrush. I was hoping we might be spared a week or so yet from those little terrorists. Thanks for the heads up.

[wilfredjr]

Saturday Review: Rain early; sun; then some clouds
7:30 46° all stop
9:30 71° 2,3 stop; 1,8,9 slow; 6,7,10,11,12 steady; 4,5 swift
11:30 71° 2,3 stop; 1,8,9 steady; 4,5,6,7,10,11,12 swift
1:30 73° 2,3 stop; 1,6,7,8 steady; 4,5,9,1,11,12 swift
3:30 71° 2,3 stop; 1,8,9 slow; 6,7,10,11 steady; 4,5,12 swift
5:30 61° 2,3 stop; 1,6,7,8,9,11 slow;4,5,10,12 steady
no boil occurred, as we were walking dogs, drinking beer and playing cards all afternoon instead
shore ice retreated enough to let dogs play off-leash, and play they did
2 gallons removed to separate ice chest, as sap is starting to appear a bit off-color.
red maples on different part of property show red bud this morning;none over here yet, but any minute now...

[wilfredjr]

Mixed Sun; Ice out almost complete; last snow behind garage holds ice chests; yard-work commences
7:30 59° all stop; 2 gallons to reserve ice chest
9:30 66° 2,3 stop; 1,6,7,8,9,10 slow; 4,5,11,12 steady; swift none
11:30 75° 2,3 stop; 1,10 slow; 6,7,8,9,11 steady; 4,5,12 swift
1:30 74° 2,3 stop; 1,6,7,8,10 slow; 9,11 steady; 4,5,12 swift
3:30 74° 2,3 stop; 1,6,7,8,10,11 slow; 4,5,9,12 steady; none swift
5:30 72° 1,2,3,6,7 stop; 4,5,8,9,10,11 slow; 12 steady; none swift
Tap #2 buds out red this noon; sugars still dormant; fruit trees popping; hazelnuts bud as well
5686

[wilfredjr]

Ending Experiment "Inconsistent Sap Data Over Time", as time is quite short.
I pulled #2 tap early, as the red buds overhead weren't getting smaller. I had already put out 5) 5/16 taps with bags in a new, more cloistered area, and started pulling slow or stopped taps everywhere. Only 4,5 & 12 stay steady. I now have all taps on swift flowing big Sugars that show no sign of leaf-out yet. Many of the new picks really got running, and by 3:30 pm I had gathered a nice pail full: darker but perfectly suitable to brew with.
Lucky awoke today to another quill resurfacing through her neck fur, left front shoulder, where most quills went in. I got it, but she may have another one in there for all anyone can tell.
5688

[wilfredjr]

Boiled maybe 15 gallons of sap, not counting the spillage on the new arch (the block moved, I didn't).
Jill finished it inside on the stove in short order.
Looks like the same two Imperial pints!
Gathered another couple gallons of dark.
Sugars still active out of the sun.

[wilfredjr]

Pulled 3 more taps for inactivity or possible buds high over-head; drilled 3 new ones farther away; 12 left in field.
Gathered a gallon since yesterday; now @ 4 - almost enough for brewing!
Soaking pans: may just move indoors to brew.

[wilfredjr]

all taps pulled: inaction; tree buds no longer ignorable
pans, taps and holders cleaned and packed
4-5 gallons of sap ready for brew boil during March Madness
http://hopville.com/recipe/1096485/specialty-beer-recipes/buster-brown-maple-ale
The year is just gettin' started
5690