Well, we lost a lot of snow this past week. Up at the sugarbush it is always deeper than at the house, but I am starting to be able to see the base of the trees just a little. I bet there is still a foot of snow, but the trees have holes around them now. Looks like there is a decent chance of a run starting tomorrow. Monday through Wednesday looks like textbook sugaring weather. It's still a week ahead of my plan, but I might just try to tap a couple hundred trees for a "shakedown cruise".
I cut a tree that was laying on the big 1.5" pump line yesterday, and got the line dug up out of the snow and ice. I used the opportunity to tighten up some saggy sections that I had been meaning to improve. I pump sap up from the low place 1500 feet to the sugarhouse, and a line that size gets pretty heavy when it is completely full of sap! It shows me exactly where I didn't tighten up the side ties well enough. When I built this line last year, the first time I pumped sap it stayed in a bunch of low places and froze. I was stuck for days before it got enough sun to thaw the line.
I lost a couple of days of work on my 3/16 tubing this week when I broke my tubing tool. I'm still hoping the folks at CDL will replace it (definitely a manufacturing flaw), but while we are waiting for word on that, my man Dave at Miles Supply were nice enough to weld on a "splint" for the broken arm to get me back to work. I could have done the same myself, but I wouldn't have been as quick. Thanks Dave!
Now I just have the eternal list of little things left to do before everything gets crazy. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done! I know, I say that a lot.
March 2020- got a Half Pint when the world ended.
12 taps and 3 gallons of syrup later, caught the bug.
July 2020- got a used Leader 3x12 raised flue- go big or go home!
2021- 350 taps on 3/16 gravity. Not much of a year, made maybe 35 gallons.
2022- 450 taps on 3/16, made about 70 gallons.
2023- Life got busy again, only 250ish taps so far.