Too Much Snow,,,,,GGRRR

[TerryEspo]

Well, go figure.
All excited that the forecast says above freezing tomorrow, sap may run.
My son and I went for a walk today to maybe throw up some pails and spiles,,,NOT !!

If I walk off our snowmachine trails I sink up to my butt and fill my boots with snow. I wanted to run tubing to some trees, but walking through this amount of snow is nuts. More than half my trees are not beside the packed trails.

I think snowshoes are now part of my maple syrup tools.
What I thought was going to take 5-6 hrs is now going to take days I feel.

Anyone else ever been shut down by too much snow before ???

Happy though the temps are getting better.

[Run Forest Run!]

I had to use snowshoes today and yesterday to get to my trees. Without them, I'm sunk. Literally and figuratively. :lol:

[DonMcJr]

I'm not doing my 31 bucket taps this year due to 3 feet of snow! I have my 15 tap gravity tube up and don't expect much til after next weekend...and this snow can melt some any day now!

[Bentley Wood Maple]

Best yr we ever had I fought through waist deep snow putting in 300 taps. Made the most syrup that year. Couple yrs ago had ankle deep snow and had short season. Put the last 75 taps in this afternoon (375 this yr) 18 inches hard pack in the woods and another storm coming later this week. All tapped in,l will take all the snow I can get

[5050racing]

Snowshoes here In nj,still a good foot even after this warm up good to keek the sap cool though!

[Ausable]

LOL - Terry - I did my "Easy" trees and not so easy this year. A few years back - I started using drop tubes to buckets and was fairly simple to do. Not this year with the deep snow. Some of the "Easy" Trees have 3 foot of snow around them and have been kicking the grainy snow away to find Mother Earth so I can set the buckets somewhere near the ground to insure my drop tubes are long enough. My concern now - The Snow finally melts and my tubes and lids are suspended in the air with the bucket on the ground about a foot lower and the sap going everywhere but in the pails. Yep! Too Much Snow,,,,,,,GGRRR

[maplestudent]

I think a lot of us were in the same boat at some point or another this year. Several weeks ago I as setting up some tubing, and even with snowshoes I was sinking up to my knees. Biggest problem was there was a 2" layer of crusty snow that was about 6" below the surface. If I didn't lift the snowshoe up through the same hole on the crusty layer, I'd end up on either my face or my butt. Got a great workout though and justified skipping my morning exercises the next day.

For me, it just fell into the "you gotta do what you gotta do" category.

[VT_K9]

I remember a few years ago tapping in hiking boots and gaiters wishing we has snow. Laughing about the old days when I would try to pack trails with a snowmobile and get stuck on nearly level ground in the woods trying to weave between trees. This year I have tracks on a 4 wheeler. I found only a few spots where it was difficult to travel (steep hills). I have a lot of good frequent trails packed, but tapping takes me off those....without snowshoes it varies from knee deep to thigh deep. I run a shorter pair of snowshoes which are not the best for deep snow, but great for moving around the trees. More snow to come this week.

Mike

[Bruce L]

My biggest worry with all of this snow is when we eventually get all tapped, the sap will freeze in the mainlines that are 3-5 feet under the snow. Last big bunch of snow,2007 ? maybe, my wife and I spent days and days shoveling out the mainlines so we could get sap, sometimes I was over my shoulders shoveling. I don't remember how the yield was, nothing spectacular, but I know another producer 30 miles from here didn't bother shoveling and only made 9 gallons on a 4 x 12 rig!!!!!!

[Z/MAN]

LOL - Terry - I did my "Easy" trees and not so easy this year. A few years back - I started using drop tubes to buckets and was fairly simple to do. Not this year with the deep snow. Some of the "Easy" Trees have 3 foot of snow around them and have been kicking the grainy snow away to find Mother Earth so I can set the buckets somewhere near the ground to insure my drop tubes are long enough. My concern now - The Snow finally melts and my tubes and lids are suspended in the air with the bucket on the ground about a foot lower and the sap going everywhere but in the pails. Yep! Too Much Snow,,,,,,,GGRRR
Found one of my buckets hanging from the tubing today!

[theguywiththename]

Complain all you want I had 8' of ditch snow to compete with

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

I actually had to purchase last minute a used snowmobile to get back there to work. Now building a sleigh. Worst Winter they say in 25 years. Now today another storm moving in with high winds and 25 cm of snow......wish I could convert that to inches but been awhile. Anyway, lots of snow. Still won't give up.

[Run Forest Run!]

While I wait for the snow to stop and the sap the start, I think I'll spend a bit of time reviewing groundhog recipes.

[fishman]

Had to pre-pack trails on snowshoes last week so the snowmobile wouldn't get stuck. Gotta get a long track someday. Snow has finally settled to about 3'. Gotta start packing trails to each tree and stomping a hole at each one for my buckets (on tubing) to sit.

[TerryEspo]

Oh Karen,lol,,,,,That is funny,,, "Groundhog Recipe"