Since my last syrup season update, the weather has posed the most significant challenge. In the past ten days, we have received three spring snowstorms, the latest gifted us with 18 inches of heavy wet snow. On top of that, it rained late yesterday. This morning the weatherman predicted 4 to 6 inches of snow to arrive this evening and overnight.

I find that shovelling out the entrances to the building, the bulk tanks, and the woodpile is one of the first chores to be tackled upon hiking out to the sugarhouse. Dealing with this much snow this late in April has to be a first in the 10 plus years that we have been involved in this venture. I am sure there have been years when the head of the field and the road into the sugarhouse were free of snow and dry enough that we were driving to the sugarhouse at this time. Being able to haul stuff out and in, rather than carrying stuff out and in, is greatly appreciated this far into the season, when all the tasks involved begin to wear on one.

I hiked out yesterday to check on things and to pack up the syrup that was finished and packed on Thursday. We finished 21 1/2 gallons of syrup on Thursday, which brings our yearly total to date to 45 1/4 gallons. There was some 24 to 30 inches of heavy wet snow in the woods. It is of a consistency that snowshoes don't provide much, if any advantage. I spent a couple of hours shovelling out and straightening up inside the sugarhouse, in preparation for the upcoming week.

There was some sap flow yesterday, but, as so typical this year, it was very inconsistent. Some trees had produced almost half a bag--approaching 2 gallons; others appeared to not have produced any at all since our last collection on Thursday, the 16th. We will be gathering sap later today. I am not looking forward to that chore and the effort that it will take because of the snow conditions. It will be better to tackle that task today rather than to wait until after tonight's additional snowfall. The forecast for the week would seem to support the notion that there will be syrup making for at least the next several days. I am looking forward to the warm temperatures and the absence of snow in the forecast for late in the week. I trust these conditions will make our getting around a whole lot easier. I am sure we won't be driving, but only walking a whole lot easier.