WEATHER: “In March it can do anything,” says weatherman Tim Kelley. The first “anything” was a mighty thaw, March 4th – 12th that whirled us into the vortex of maple sugaring. The heat built with each diurnal cycle, peaking at 60 degrees in the shade on March 10th. Skiers got in their daily runs before the heat of the day, bicyclists cruised the roads once again, and folks were out raking their newly naked yards. By the afternoon of the 12th we donned hats and mittens again. How quickly the body adjusts to the warmth: ten days ago 20 degrees F. felt balmy but yesterday at that temp we shivered. A skiff of snow overnight camouflaged the snow melt debris. Phew, the heat wave is over.
This prolonged thaw was not good sugaring weather. Without a freeze the sap runs lose their vigor. The freeze/thaw cycle builds pressure in the tree which propels the sap out the taphole. https://massmaple.org/about-maple-syrup/how-sugar-maple-trees-work/
As soon as the thaw commenced we scoured the weather forecasts for hints of a freezing night. Now that temps are below freezing we’re speculating about how warm it needs to get for the maples to run again. A prolonged thaw hastens the swelling of the buds as well as the closing over of the tapholes.
HOW’S IT RUNNING? As usual after weeks of cold the sap didn’t run immediately, but when it got going it ran day and night until midday Thursday, March 12th, ebbing at night and flowing by day. Since the house is very close to the pump room I hear the pump releasing sap into the tank every few minutes all night long. I monitor the timing in my sleep. Modern sugaring is noisy!
SAP SWEETNESS: As usual this read low on the first day of the run and subsequently crept up. The range so far: 1.4% – 1.9%. the sweeter the sap the few gallons it takes to yield a gallon of syrup.
BOILING STATUS: We boiled six days in a row, March 7-12. Lots went wrong as it always does. Then at times lots went right, as it also always does.
MEANWHILE IN THE SUGARBUSH:
Into the low-angle, south-facing terrain of Keystone we walk for the PENSÉE PAUSE:
Freshet
Mountain snowmelt
Spills over dead sticks and leaves
And burbles across the threshold,
Inaugurating spring.
The Nebraska Knoll Blog 
Take a Ski break..
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lovely! I can almost hear the sound of the pump and the commotion as I read 🙂
Heres to a recharge and freezing nights!
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It’s worth returning to this post to see Lew’s video of sap vertigo I just added. AC
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