May Morel Moments

Posted on by

It’s been a rather detail oriented month so far as spring continues to ramp up. I have been occupied with a list of items that I needed to complete before my knee scope procedure that was done last Thursday. Creating lists is easy but completing the tasks on them takes some doing quite often. I have assembled an impressive series of lists which encompass a larger vision of a 2025 summer adventure but that story will wait for the moment as the recent foraging for morel mushrooms has been my focus. It’s been quite the season!

I started looking rather early this year as I knew my window of opportunity was somewhat shorter than normal. Surgery on the 15th would basically keep me out of the woods for an undetermined period of time. Early searching for morels came up empty and I felt that it had been a little chilly overall. We had two nights of frost just ahead of May 1st and that isn’t actually the best for morels to sprout. Fortunately we have had an abundance of rain which always works out for better foraging. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the first morels would be found if I spent the time searching for them. Success would arrive small scale on May 2nd when a rather intense search yielded up a dozen small ones. They were in a location where we have been finding them for a couple years now. They were actually showing signs of age so we decided to pick some of them. I think the frosty nights had kept them a bit subdued. But we were happy to know that they were turning on! Fried up in butter and served with venison steak, they were fabulous! Not to mention that we had some fresh cowslips to eat as well, that we also foraged for that afternoon.

The first morels of the season!

We hunted again on Sunday and found a few more on that outing. Some we had left on Friday had continued to age without growing further so we added them to the count. I returned to the hunt on May 5th in the evening in a random location near the Homestead that we hadn’t visited over the weekend. I decided to check out a small elm tree surrounded by brush that had died in the last year. I struck a bonanza rather suddenly and unexpectedly! I scored a nice haul of over 60 morels scattered across a small area. They were decent sized and I left a bunch behind for seed. Or spores for morels. I checked some other locations after but that was to be my big find of the evening.

64 total from one location!

My enthusiasm for finding the abundant crop of morels was suddenly curbed when I spotted a white ash tree take appeared to be stricken with the EAB. Emerald Ash Borers. They have been active nearby for the past several years but I had never seen any indication of them on the farm property. I have yet to confirm my observations but will investigate shortly when I recuperate from my knee procedure. White ash are not a dominant species around the farm Homestead property but dot the forest here and there. One small section of pasture does contain quite a few smaller ones though. If the trees are indeed infested then they will die and add to our collection of dead trees that are a standing reserve of firewood. A reserve that is much too large to completely harvest or use in a reasonable length of time. If only dead trees could be saved longer. But I do consider myself fortunate that the red elm trees last for quite a few years before rotting away. We have targeted them quite frequently these past two winters for stove wood for the cabin. Also for Camp Edith firewood last fall. Having the white ash for firewood really wasn’t necessary. We will know more shortly.

Suspect Emerald Ash Borer damage.

The big find of morels on May 5th would supply me with more morels than I could possibly eat by myself. With my foraging partner Zane away at school this was a given. So I borrowed my sister’s dehydrator and dried a bunch out to save for Zane. They turned out great and I stored them in a small glass jar. I returned to morel hunting again the next day and got enough for my dinner that evening. I was needing to hunt hard for them and they weren’t showing up in places where I thought they should be growing. But it’s important to remember that it was still very early in the morel season. They often grow well into the month of May. My grand total numbers were growing nonetheless and I was happy to be finding them. I knew that Zane was missing our annual hunting forays as much as I missed him being there with me. But such are the responsibilities of life for a young man working towards a career. I decided that I would continue to search for morels to dehydrate even though I needed to continue to complete my projects. The draw to go to the forest was strong!

Dehydrated morels.

It’s important to note that the ticks are a continuous concern while foraging! We employ different sprays and techniques but they still manage to get on us occasionally. If found early, they can usually be detached. I have removed several this season before they deeply imbedded. Gracie has eaten her Braveto flea and tick tablet also. Too bad there wasn’t a human version! A new idea this year that I tried was white Tyvek coveralls. My first pair was cheap and was soon ripped to shreds but they did work well for spotting crawling ticks. My second pair lasted longer but still were unable to survive the thick brush of the forest. But it was money well spent each time a crawling tick was spotted and tossed before it reached my skin. Diligence is key to avoiding ticks. And necessary these days.

On May 8th I decided to go hunt morels on a friend’s property after he said I could hunt them there. We had hunted there in 2024 with a certain degree of success so I wished to return. After several hours of searching I had found 23 nice ones that I cleaned and prepared for him to try. This involves gentle washing and halving. A true morel is hollow from the stem up. Insects love to get inside sometimes so a thorough inspection is always needed. I soak the halved morels in a slightly salted water bath. Any insects will generally show themselves if the rinsing missed them. Morels can be rather fragile so a gentle touch is always recommended. After returning from my friend’s property and eating a hearty lunch, I decided to hunt for more morels. I just couldn’t get interested in doing much else actually. It was a cool,cloudy day anyway and the black flies weren’t bad. Not to mention my white Tyvek suit is easier to tolerate on a colder day. I searched for hours through familiar turf and my morel count continued to grow. My number for the day was respectable and I was really enjoying myself but beginning to tire. But stopping was difficult so I decided to continue into a final location before calling it a day. And my persistence would pay off with a mega find of 58 in one location! Big ones too! It was the perfect way to end my day of searching and my daily total was impressive. But I had spent my entire day just hunting morels. But I knew that my lists of tasks would remain long after the morel season had ended. And that is what is truly important to embrace!

Nice haul!

So as my day of intense searching ended, the work began. More morels to clean and dehydrate. I ate some for dinner and saved some for the following day. I contacted Zane and let him know that I was putting more way for us. He had hunted some for morels near Kingston but had not found any. We left for an Adirondack camping trip that Friday so morel hunting was put on hold. Zane come home briefly for Mother’s Day and managed to hunt the farm property for morels for a short time. I was happy to hear that he found some! His passion for one of his rural heritage traditions runs strong still. I am looking forward to hunting morels again with him someday. Following the camping trip, I took some time last week to hunt morels one evening after a busy day of roofing work at Camp Edith. I found a few here and there but at my last location as darkness approached, I hit a respectable patch. The tree frogs were singing all around me and I knew that this was most likely the end of morel hunting season for me with the impending surgery that Thursday. My count that evening totaled 42. Enough for dinner and some to dehydrate. And more time had been invested to my hobby with carefree regard mostly. This annual event of spring builds MOONTABS of a special nature. Each season holds promises of further connections to nature. Foraging brings one closer to the earth in the time spent afield. I have had a wonderful morel season this year! We will enjoy the dehydrated ones in a different season and the memories will remain. That’s what MOONTABS are all about. Connections to nature. It is enough!✍️

Running Out Of The Sugarbush

Posted on by

May 1st already! Wow! Things have really started to green up recently that’s for sure! There are lots of spring ephemerals all over the woods here right now. Some showed up while we were still sugaring. We call the one species,May flowers but they actually have a different name. My Picture This app called them Roundlobe Hepatica. They are beautiful whatever name they go by. Some are actually violet and there are mixed ones also. Next came the leeks with a burst of sprouting energy. We picked a few for our spaghetti sauce one day. Potent stuff! The trout lilies are in full bloom at the moment as well as Early Saxifrage. I also learned a new plant that’s always a green of early spring. It’s called Ebony Spleenwort. It grows around the sugarbush in numerous locations. The trilliums are also beginning to bloom as well. The meadows are sprouting green well ahead of the woods and pastures it’s important to note. But the marshy areas are leading the pack for greenery at the moment. And the leaves are gaining everyday now. The temperatures have been fluctuating quite a bit overall and I have been burning wood in the cabin stove quite regularly.

Mayflowers.Roundlobe Hepatica the app stated.

So since the last post the sap buckets and mini tubes have been brought in for cleaning.Zane and I washed about 260 buckets one day last week and I finished the last 184 a few days later. So basically what remains is pressure washing the sap pans and storage vat. It’s taken some time to get it done but that’s pretty normal. We were able to sell the bulk syrup a bit earlier this spring which was helpful as Zane was there to help load it. Jug syrup to sell to customers is in short supply this spring but we can fill most of the orders to date. That warm spell in March really hurt the sap quality. The tractor was finally repaired last week and fortunately it was nothing major. Getting things done around the farm is difficult without it going! I call the sugaring season successful as most everything held together especially the old evaporator. We burned up most of the firewood but there’s a little towards another season. I have really been reflecting on the best way forward into next year’s sugaring season. Much will depend on Zane’s work schedule and situation. These unpredictable weather events last year and this year really make me wonder how best to proceed. We ran a total of 647 taps at one point. That’s quite a few for the amount of sap that we harvested. I can honestly say that I did have an enjoyable season for the most part. We now have a fresh supply of syrup to get us through the upcoming months.

454 stacked buckets drying.

The big event that has taken place is Zane heading to lineman school in Kingston,N.Y. last Sunday. He was excepted during the winter for summer class. I followed him down to the school and helped him get settled. I found the semi country setting of the school reassuring as we walked around the building and grounds. The second dorm rooms are set up in 3 bedroom suites with a large open space for the kitchen and living room. The former athletic yard is dotted with the climbing poles and line equipment. They have really nice line trucks that look almost brand new. A CDL permit was required to start school. The students test out at some point for their CDL license during the 15 weeks that they are there. It’s nice that the dorms, classrooms, and training yard are all in one location. I am really happy that Zane chose this school! Things seem to be going well for him. But it’s week one and it’s a lot of climbing poles he said. Thank goodness he is fit and rather fearless. A few students dropped out this week. One of Zane’s roommates after the first day sadly. But apparently becoming a lineman is tougher than some realized. I have little clue myself. I am proud of him for taking on this training and do find myself missing him already. I am planning something very fun for us after his August “rodeo”. That’s a type of graduation they tell me. These are exciting times. And I am planning a big adventure at the moment.Time to fly! ✍️

Stepping Through The Sugarbush

Posted on by

April is upon us and this morning it was a chilly 17 degrees! We had a snow squall yesterday and it’s rather strange weather lately. We’ve run a gamut lately that’s for sure. As for the sugaring season? It would not be immune to the wild weather swings. Despite the deep snow that hindered us in early March, the season would change rapidly and with consequences far beyond our control. But that is the nature of the beast as it is called. Nature being the key word. And we have persevered doing the best that we could as we now reach the conclusion of sugaring season 2025. It has been challenging and memorable in so many ways. I suppose a continuation of my previous post from March 7th might best describe the highs and lows of it. Ironic it seems. For it would be the highs and lows of temperature that would shape our progress. One must follow them after all, as a sapsucker here on the rocky ridges of the farm Homestead. And in the end it has to be enough. But to truly understand perhaps the season just past must unwind here.

The old road has been conquered.

The weather stayed fairly stable following our first gather and we continued to set taps out. We also continued to bring in a little sap and by March 11th I was able to flood the evaporator. There was a minor leak near one of the draw off valves that I was able to seal fortunately as I fired the evaporator for the first time. The boiling sap gums up small leaks at times and allows you to keep going. Luck was on our side! I didn’t have enough sap to batch out that morning as it takes time to set up the evaporator on a first boil day. Eventually the sap in the various sections of pans has less water in it and batches will come on a regular timeline. Fresh sap is always trickling into the back pan as a float allows it depending on the depth I set up and the boil rate. I went out that afternoon after cooling the evaporator and brought in more sap so I could boil the next morning. On the second boil I made syrup finally. We were off and running!

First boil.

Zane and I continued to set buckets and our tap grew to 551 by March 13th. The weather cooperated and we brought in more sap and boiled again on the 14th. That day the temperatures jumped significantly and we had a prodigious sap run! We gathered sap until 8:30 pm as the moon rose in the east. We were exhausted! Saturday would find us in the sugar house for a long day of boiling. More sap was brought in and we had a pancake breakfast in the sugar house on Sunday morning after I made a batch of fresh syrup. There were 7 of us total enjoying eggs and pancakes while rain fell outside. Such moments are a big part of a sugar season. The temperatures had risen into the 60’s for two days and that’s never a good thing. The snow was melting fast and mud became the new thing for us. Things were changing fast.But we had secured close to 30 gallons of nice quality syrup. Things were going well!

Sugar house breakfast with hot syrup!

We got a tornado warning later that Sunday after I had finished boiling and had settled into the cabin for a rest. We didn’t get a tornado but got hit with a wild storm with high winds and soaking downpours.It was almost scary at one point with thunder and lightning! Not typical March weather. We chugged a long getting what sap came and by March 19th the temperatures hit 71 degrees. Zane and I decided to do a night boil to get as much sap boiled away as quickly as possible given the temperatures that would spoil it quickly. But the syrup turned dark and fell into commercial grade. We began filling one of our stainless steel syrup barrels. They hold 30 gallons when full. The syrup was sweet but had a slightly distinct after bite. We call this “buddy” as in tree buds. The warm weather we had been having was causing the tree buds to grow. There was nothing we could do about it except continue or quit. Barrel syrup has a market but we knew that it had come much earlier than we had expected. Several days of above normal temperatures was all it had taken. Unfortunate but very real. The weather shifted back to more normal temperatures and I decided to set more taps on the 22nd in a section of the sugarbush we call “ The Lane”. We do a mix of buckets and mini tune runs here. It’s a surviving stand of maples that was part of our former sugarbush. These big maples always produce well. The signs were obvious as some smaller maples began to stop producing sap. We hoped to see the syrup turned dark and lighter with the fresh infusion of clear sap.

Tapping on The Lane.

So we continued to chug a long making dark syrup and working to fill our barrel. The weather swings determined when we needed to gather and sap continued to flow but not everyday. On March 25 I pulled buckets off the Great Northern Loop as they stopped producing. Zane and I bounced around in the upper fallow Meadows and added about 35 taps on some miscellaneous maples there.Later that day I hit a section near the cabin at the base of the Gap Ridge and added the final 38 new taps of the season. We were chasing sap and trying to keep our sap intake coming in. It was working out for us. It turned cold over the weekend and there was a break in the action. An ice storm hit that Sunday though and we couldn’t get out for a cleanup sap gather until Monday.

Ice storm.

Monday would find us having a decent amount sap to gather and it was going well, until the tractor quit late in the afternoon. We tried to figure out the problem quickly but nothing worked so we used the side by side to gather the remaining sap. The next day I boiled and Zane gathered everything he could with side by side. Wednesday morning I tried to fix the tractor but still no luck . So it’s been side by side gathering ever since. A friend helped me tow the tractor out of the woods on Thursday after I finished boiling sap. But the weather turned super warm by Friday and I decided to have Zane make a final gather of the newest taps. Most of the trees had stopped running anyway. And so it ends just like that. And I will follow up on the conclusion of the season in my next post as I reflect on the season as we enter the next phase. It’s worthy of words I feel. Things have happened fast and it’s been a blur. But that’s how this hobby works!✍️

Getting towed.

Wading Into The Sugarbush

Posted on by

Yes it’s that time again! Sugaring season has begun! I have been preparing for a while now actually. It started with getting the sugar house plowed out after the blizzard a few weeks back. I haven’t seen snow this deep in years! It took some time and serious tractor work but I got plowed out. Trying to break out the old road that is our main sap haul road was a different matter. I got part of it passable but it was rather futile. I decided to wait and let nature melt some of the snow which happened last week fortunately. We kicked off our sugaring season by building some strings of sap tubing down on the steep ridge near Beaver Creek. I wore snowshoes the first day but it was a total pain so I just waded through the deep snow the following day. We got about 40 taps in that first location. Our next stop was on the Gap Ridge across the meadow from the cabin. It was super tough going there as well! I managed to get the tractor across the meadow after the snow started to melt. Unfortunately I got the side by side stuck! But it was easily pulled out with the tractor. We gained an additional 20 taps in the second location. Progress was slow but still progress!

Stuck!

The warm spell had settled the snow so I made another run at the old road hoping to break through which I did. I made it up onto our neighbor’s property and went down one of the sap haul roads for a short distance before deciding to turn back. Getting stuck would be no fun! The weather was turning cold so I took the weekend off spent it in Saranac Lake. I picked up some syrup supplies in Hermon to get further prepared. Every little bit of preparation helps. Zane and I had started to set up the evaporator and piping systems. That’s a necessary preparation also.The weather was promising Monday so I began putting out some mini tubing runs up on the neighbor’s property. We take them down each season and flush them out before storing them. They are numbered and named as to their locations. Mini tubes pick up several trees and flow into 15 gallon containers. What a time saver! Not to mention we build them where the trees are difficult to reach. Our father started building them quite a few years ago. We had quite a few at one time before the big sugarbush die off in 2016/2017. Most of those mini tube strings are worthless now. I have started repurposing them for parts.

Repurposing old mini tube strings.

It was so difficult getting around the woods on Monday that I decided to hang buckets beside the main sap haul road on Tuesday. Wading through the crusty, knee deep snow was exhausting and frustrating. Working beside the road was much less challenging. Zane showed up to help me and we got quite a few buckets hung before the rain drove us in for the day. We got back out on Wednesday and managed to do mini tubes and buckets in a section of woods on our neighbor’s called The Great Northern Loop. We got rained out again by lunchtime but went back out before dark and got more buckets done. The sunset was absolutely beautiful! We were pretty tired from wading through the snow but were happy with our progress.The tap count was growing!

Sunset while hanging buckets .

Thursday would see a lot of snow melted and mud was beginning to appear in spots. We had gotten a lot of rain and the trails were tough going for the tractor. We tapped the remainder of what’s known as The Southern Loop. It’s a fraction of the size of the GNL. After lunch we decided that we needed to get the trailer set up to gather some sap before the cold snap hit. The weather was changing fast and the temperatures started dropping. We worked fast and the wind was blowing pretty hard. Then a light snow started. We ended up with about 120 gallons of sap that we got unloaded at the sugar house. It had been an eventful day fighting through the snow with the tractor. And also wading through it! But we were once again happy with our progress. We finished setting up the evaporator. Our tap count was now 386. We plan to have over 500 eventually. I like to hold some of the sugarbush in reserve in case the weather turns cold for a while like it is doing this weekend. The wind really howled last night and we got a little more snow.

Gathering sap.

Today was a little more laidback. With the colder weather there’s no sap to gather. I put out 23 more buckets near the sugar house in what’s known as Zane’s Bush. It really suffered during the big die off. Many tree were lost and that’s unfortunate because it had held such great potential given the number of young maples. We harvested so much wood out of there after the event. There are more trees needing to be cut as some continue to die.Some are barely living but we have so much wood around the farm that I will leave them for now.

We may tap more trees tomorrow but haven’t decided just yet. The weather warms next week again and we expect to see some sap runs. Late in the week the temperatures approach 60 degrees. Not ideal sugaring weather but the snow will certainly disappear. Sugaring seasons can be fickle these days. They have become more compressed and unpredictable. But we have to accept that which we have no control over. What we can do is blitz the forest with taps for a big play for sap. Wading through the snow has been challenging. I am happy to once again be outside every day making a play for maple syrup. We are down to our last half gallon almost. Putting it into my coffee each morning goes through it! But I need that battery charging to keep my spirit energy surging! It’s great living here on the farm and engaging in my rural heritage hobbies! It is enough I often write. And it truly is a blessing to be living in this moment. The transition is underway now. Soon all will look different here. And we will have gone through another syrup season. We still don’t know how bad the evaporator is going to leak this year. It’s a tense moment for me that is coming soon. For now we will continue setting taps and waiting for the big sap runs. Then we can begin the next step. It’s going to be a push! But when wasn’t it? It’s in my blood this sugaring obsession. And I am a most fortunate man to have experienced this annual event. I may not get time for another post soon. But I will eventually get you caught up!✍️

The Icewalkers Return

Posted on by

February has rolled in and we are experiencing a real winter for a change. Snow continues to pile up and getting the sugaring roads broke out shortly may be challenging. But the weather can change quickly if we happen to get a thaw. Zane headed up to our maple syrup buyer to pick up our returned syrup barrel from 2024. It never comes back right away after making its way to the east coast to be processed.It was a good time to pick up a few syrup containers etc. as well.Getting prepared never hurts that’s for sure! I was hungry for an adventure though last Monday and suggested to Zane that we ice walk down to the ice falls in the Beaver Creek gorge. We would need snowshoes but that wasn’t an issue. I decided that we would use the side by side to shortcut the section of the creek where I fallen through recently. I made us a hearty lunch of pan fried walleye! Yum!We packed up our beaver stick trekking poles, a survival pack, and the dog before taking off through the deep unbroken snow of the main meadow. It was tough going and the side by side was at its limit in the snow. Fortunately we would have our trail to follow on the way back after our trek.We were excited and ready! It had warmed up and started to rain though. We decided to go anyway.

Walleye for lunch before heading out!

We dropped down over the steep ridge just off one of the meadows in a gap that breaks up the grade. I have used this gap for years to get to the creek. We took to the snow covered ice soon after and cautiously probed our way along. The weight of the snow had flooded sections of the swamp recently and it had frozen in a cold snap after. I felt pretty confident that the ice was much safer overall then it had been on my first ice walking attempt. But there were still tricky sections to negotiate. Old beaver dams and grassy bogs that don’t freeze well we’re encountered. But the main channel of the creek was good traveling for the most part. We found some otter sign here and there where they had broken through thin ice to reach the surface. Always good places to avoid! Lucky for us they were rather obvious despite the layer of snow covering the ice.

Zane probes his way forward.

Our trip was a route we had taken many times to reach the ice falls over the years. It passed landmarks that had been named for reference points. The Island, The Small Tumbled Down Rocks, The Peninsula, and others. We left the more wooded section of the marsh and picked our way down through a more open spot known as The Wide Channel. The Wide Channel is some of the deepest water you will encounter in this section of the marsh if you are in a canoe. I trapped here as a teenager and was amazed at how deep it actually was here! Fortunately The Wide Channel will usually have some of the safest ice you will travel during the winter! But I warned Zane about the section of creek below The Wide Channel where it narrows down. It has a tendency to not freeze well some years and is best avoided. The creek consists of numerous areas of questionable ice most years if you follow its entire length. Spring holes that never freeze dump into the creek in several locations as well as smaller creeks that join in. Learning these spots is important if a person plans a more lengthy trip on the ice. These days I rarely make it past the Ice Falls themselves.

Zane heads out onto The Wide Channel.

Once we reached The Wide Channel we got our first look at the northern Ice Falls on the left side of the gorge as we headed downstream. They were quite well formed and we got quite close but weren’t interesting in scrambling through the thick brush and bony rocks to reach them. We instead headed to the far side of the gorge to the first set of Ice Falls there. However they were far smaller than usual for some reason. Zane and I decided that maybe we hadn’t received enough warm days yet for them to grow to their usual proportions. Zane crawled up to them though and played around them for a few minutes. We headed down to the next set of Ice Falls. Set 2 I call them. They were quite well formed but also were a bit smaller then normal. But they are still pretty impressive!

Set 2.

We were in for a treat when we got to the third group of Ice Falls known as Set 3. They sit up near the cliff top and it’s rather difficult to reach them. We donned micro spikes for the climb as our snowshoes were not going to help at all. Once up the the Ice Falls we were able to crawl in behind the icicles in one spot. Very fun! We found some beautiful tiny ice formations under the rocky ledge. I took a rather rough ride down north ledge on the way back down and got a big bruise on my leg from hitting a tree. This was no place to be getting hurt that’s for sure! It had continued to rain and we were getting rather damp at this point. It was time to head out and we had quite a trek out still. I reminded Zane of “The Icewalker’s Motto: The distance in must be traveled out.” Always a good thing to consider especially if you take a good soaking from falling through! But we were lucky and no one broke through. Our beaver sticks probing as we walked helped us avoid the thin spots. It had been a successful outing and I was glad that we had been able to do the adventure together.

The tiny ice formations.

It’s difficult to say whether we will return to the Ice Falls this winter. We are planning another exploratory trip to search for what we believe might be an old lakebed over in Jefferson County near the town of Oxbow. I made an attempt two years but never made it to the right location before I ran out of time and energy. One thing is for certain when it comes to the Ice Falls! They never disappoint! Nor does the trek through the marsh where we encounter active beaver colonies and their dams. It’s always a treat to see the otter sign also. They enjoy a rather safe life in this frozen sanctuary. I find the ice walk down through the gorge to be a great battery charging event for my spirit energy. There’s always something to see and always something to observe. I have ventured here many times over the years and I never tire of it. The remote location of the Ice Falls makes them special and we never see other people when we trek there. Snowmobilers used to visit them back in the 1970’s but they have gone from the creek now. The gorge belongs mostly to the birds and other wildlife who call it home. I too call it home after decades of adventures here. A true set of MOONTABS exists for me in the gorge. And a connection to nature that is never broken. It is enough!✍️

Cool formation!
Set 3.

IPW 2025: Ice Palace MOONTABS

Posted on by

February is moving forward and winter is holding fast to the north country. It’s a welcome change after last winter’s up and down weather. We did hit 37 degrees last week for one day but the warm spell was brief and temperatures dropped down again shortly after. I am presently here in Saranac Lake for another day or so. There’s an appreciation dinner tomorrow night at a local restaurant for the volunteers who worked on the Ice Palace. This was year five for me volunteering and I put in my biggest group of work days ever since starting in 2021. Being as my GF (Amy) lives in Saranac Lake, I didn’t need to rent places to stay this year and that was a huge part of spending more time here in the first place. Saranac Lake has gotten to be like a home away from home here in the Adirondacks and I have spent a considerable amount of time here in the past several years. As December of 2024 drew to a close, I watched my emails closely for word of the date that the Ice Palace work would begin. The first start day was targeted for January 22nd as crews stayed busy clearing the ice cutting field clear of snow to help it grow. This was accomplished with shovels at first until the ice was able to support a 4 wheeler with a plow. We needed about 10” of ice typically to begin the build. The time was rapidly approaching!

The ice field in Pontiac Bay, Lake Flower.

Things got a little spun up for me when I received an email that the start date to begin the Ice Palace had Ben moved to January 17th. I was still finishing up the second ice saw that I would be bringing with me. It had been given to me in 2021 by a lady who volunteered at the ice palace build. It needed sharpening and a new handle. My chainsaw shop friend took care of the sharpening and my Amish friend Levi built a handle from a sturdy piece of ironwood. It was then up to me to wire brush the rusty saw clean and spray paint it black. I also stencil painted “JGO” onto it. Short for the Facebook group “Just Go Outside”, it was a surprise for my friend Patrick Bourcy who created and manages the group. I also spray painted my ice saw with MOONTABS so we would have a tandem pair of tricked out ice saws! I got the ice saws ready just in time and got my car packed to travel up that Friday morning for day one. It was on!

The pair of ice saws.

I met Patrick at the project site where other volunteers were already busy getting things ready for day 1. It takes some time the first day to open up the ice field and the float channel that leads to the cherry picker that lifts the blocks from the lake. We waited patiently for our chance to saw once the grid was scored by the gas powered ice saw. We cut the remaining several inches of ice by hand to create blocks that make 3 separate pieces once they are spud free by the 4 person spud crew. Each block weighs close to 600 lbs average. The blocks the first day were about 10” thick. Later in the build they were over 13” thick. Some say they even made it to 16”! We cut about 400 blocks that first day give or take. 10 rows of 40 pieces. We got plenty of sawing in on day 1 as we had to saw the length of the ice field to free the first row of blocks properly. It get easier after day 1 once the channel has been opened. A certain amount of overnight freeze will leave a thin section to open each morning next to what becomes the new first row. It’s rarely more than 1” of fresh ice.

Patrick with the MOONTABS ice saw.

Once the ice was cut for the day, Patrick and I needed new jobs to keep us busy. We helped fetch and pile fresh snow for the slush makers. The slush makers mix water and snow which is placed into buckets and sledded up to where the blocks are being placed for the walls. Day 1 gets a basic footprint established based on a blueprint design created months ago. Slushing is important as it helps hold the blocks together. As it freezes the palace walls get super strong. It takes a lot of snow to make all the slush that is required during the build. I ended up helping with slushing ice blocks before the day was done. Day 1 went smoothly and the Ice Palace had begun to rise! And I was just beginning! My volunteering run was to last for 6 days!

Hauling snow for the slush pit.

Day 2 was pretty much a repeat of Day 1. Cut ice in the morning. Take coffee break thanks to the ladies who bring it each morning! Then haul snow and slush up to the wall builders until lunchtime when a local caterer brings us “Roll and Bowl”. Hot soup and a nice big roll with butter.Yum! It’s always so yummy! Afternoon was spent with more slushing of blocks. Patrick had returned and worked with the slush makers. It was another busy day for everyone. I left early to spend time snowshoeing with Amy up Baker Mountain in the village. Things had continued to take shape and the walls were growing!

Goofing around with the JGO ice saw!

And that’s pretty much how things went for the next several days. I cut ice each morning then found new tasks to stay busy. I got to do some chainsaw work installing a conduit for the hidden electrical wires for the ice palace lighting. I also helped cut two large arches through the front walls next to the street. That was really fun and made for a bunch of scrap ice to clean up after. A local photographer caught me on film in action!

Getting after it!

Zane came up to help on for a couple days this year and stayed with us for two nights. Out on the ice field he rejoined the spud crew like he had in years past. He never cared much for cutting ice so usually sticks with that. We split early for snowboarding on nearby Mt. Pisgah. It was a lot of fun but the conditions were a little bumpy overall. I didn’t fall all that much despite that but did take one rather tough tumble onto my side. Dinner was at the Rivertrail Beer Works right near the Rail Trail in the village. Walking distance for the three of us. We walk most of the time actually when we do things around town. It’s great exercise! Things were great and it was nice volunteering with Zane again! Just like old times! He returned to the ice with me the next morning and it was very cold! And another morning was spent engaged in various tasks. Zane left early to return home and I ended up staying all day until 3:30pm. I got drafted to work with another individual setting ice blocks up on a 10’ section of walls. It was tricky work and required micro spikes to maintain traction on the walls. Tractors were lifting the blocks up to us and we maneuvered them into position with ice tongs and shavers. Shavers are like ice spuds with thin pointed bottoms. They are great for prying stubborn blocks into place or shaving off rough edges. Guess we know how they got their name! I found working the wall fun but very tiring. I left the project sore and tired that afternoon.

Spud-man Zane in the muskrat hat.2nd from the left.

And that’s pretty much the story really. Daily ice cutting then working at other tasks. I had to leave after my 6th day of volunteering and return to the valley for two full days. But I returned on a Saturday morning to cut ice and stayed until I had put in 9 days of volunteering. That Sunday I got to cut 8’ blocks and work with others as the crane lifted them from the lake. Very fun! They were placed to span some structural places were tunnels were being created. Very neat! I worked with the ice carvers a little that weekend as well. Helped them move blocks around and cleaning up their work areas. They make a lot of noise carving with their chainsaws but I don’t mind that. Patrick returned on Monday which was to be my final day of volunteering. I nearly took a swim that morning in the float channel right on a corner of it! I caught myself on the far side of the channel and crawled to safety without even losing my shaver! One leg got a little soaked! A true Icewalker type of thing! The day passed quickly and I worked with the ice carvers again. But it was time to get back to necessary tasks in the valley. I left the project sore and tired but with a great feeling of accomplishment. It had been yet another great experience! A time to volunteer with people I knew and with people that I just met. Everyone works well together and the Ice Palace always gets built! I was sad that I couldn’t stay and help to the very end but it just wasn’t possible. The final Ice Palace is incredible! And just like that it was time to move onto something new. It’s truly MOONTABS In Motion!✍️

8’ block hefted by the crane.

Why Have I Stayed?Part 2

Posted on by

It’s now February 1st and I have decided to resume my story into the reasons I continue to live in a four season climate. Each season truly has something different to offer and I suppose each brings certain challenges. But every season gifts far more than any hardship it creates. And what is that hardship anyway? Something that nature brought that we find unacceptable because it hinders our human condition in some manner? To better connect to nature might occur when we better accept the weather itself. I try to work my plans around the weather as much as possible. Being retired helps as commuting to work is no longer a weekly requirement. Winter always brought challenges to my commuting but my career choice was my choice just as living here became my choice. These days my choices are driven by different things.

Its funny to me the avenues that I allow myself to travel at times when considering writing projects. Any number of things can prompt a deep dive into some particular subject. I call these events or thoughts “triggers”. Driving home the other day really pulled a trigger on my observations of winter. Needing to plow snow the next day really pulled the triggers! Like holding a double barreled shotgun with two triggers and pulling them both at once! What a recoil! Things really took a dive after that as I more closely examined my relationship with winter. And when I realized that sometimes over the years that I had sometimes been ultra critical of winter, when the actual burdens were mine to bear by my choices. Is all this too obvious perhaps? And not worthy of a closer examination?At this moment I am not even sure that I can tell this story in any logical manner. Let me take a stab at it regardless.

Ice formations coming off the cabin roof.

How best to tell a tale of winter than starting at its conclusion? We rarely think about winter during the warmer months. It might come up in conversation at times though but never dominates any given moment. As spring arrives winter begins to fade and the long stretch of milder weather coming fills us our hearts with happy possibilities! With spring arriving in March, we are usually well into maple syrup season. I never think of syrup season as winter although the first weeks typically and technically are still. As winter departs we pack away the heavy coats, gloves, and all the many pieces of attire that were necessary for several months. Mine go into big plastic totes that are quite rodent proof. I place them out of the way and forget about them. Things like snowshoes, micro spikes, and all the accessories of winter hobbies also get stashed away. It always amazes me the amount of things that I own just for my winter pursuits! I will get into this subject a little further into this post. I think it’s the winter hobbies that have really prompted my interest in writing about all this to some degree. Call it an attempt at positivity!

If we fast forward past the warm days of spring,summer, and early autumn we will ultimately arrive at a some random day in October or November when the temperatures will reinforce that winter is approaching. There may be a heavy morning frost where the mud stiffens up a bit. Or maybe some stinging snowflakes driven by a brisk wind from the north. But often it’s a trigger of one type or another that really makes us think. There’s nothing like digging out those carefully stored totes with our winter gear to get us thinking. The lessening daylight also jogs our memories at times. I think that’s an important reason why the prospect of winter can make us question our decisions. A quick look at a calendar reminds us that outdoor projects and things that require warmer weather aren’t going to be feasible much longer. There is a ticking time clock in motion. And possibly imagined alarms sounding if we are way behind schedule with something. Winter can cripple a construction project with frosty precision. Everything slows down then.Everything takes longer. This was my reality many times over the years if I was on outside projects. No wonder I became conditioned! But even at home we may feel a sense of some sort of impending doom. Sure it sounds a little over the top and overly dramatic! But if you burn firewood and don’t have it all ready? Not good! Haven’t sawed that pile of logs into lumber? Haven’t started that cabin addition yet? These were some of my concerns last fall as I continued to work at the Methane project into November a little. Winter was coming! So I believe that many of us here in the north country twinge a little at the prospect of it all.

Staging for the addition in December.

And then just like that we arrive at winter solstice on the calendar. But this time we will have taken care of many necessary tasks at the last minute. We took advantage of mild days and gambled on getting things done. Xmas is close and we use the darker days to slow down some hopefully. Our gear is ready and sometimes new items are purchased. Snow brushes find their way into the vehicles. Snow shovels come out of storage and find their way next to porch doors.Snow comes at times but often leaves just as quickly. We ease in with practiced hands.Things change then in some strange fashion. I view the coming season with an almost calm demeanor. What didn’t get done may need to wait until spring. Or maybe even summer. What’s the use of being negative about it now? Winter has sealed the deal after all. Why fight it?

The decision has been made to stay. And the reasons are many and rather familiar. I had often thought that someday I would follow the geese south and escape some of the cold season. But years pass and I have not. Why do I stay? I have stayed because my son is still here for one reason. And since I have decided to stay I build a schedule around winter. And here the answers to the question begin to add up. Hobbies take center stage suddenly and it becomes obvious why I stay.Let’s showcase a few of my activities these days. Out come the cross country skis and boots. It’s time for a glide along a groomed Adirondack trail perhaps. Not a big activity of mine but one I enjoy some. Out come the snowshoes! These get some serious use the past several winters. Excursions will be in the Adirondacks, near the farm, and down into the frozen Beaver Creek gorge.Snowshoes take me into some rugged places and I enjoy them immensely! Out came my snowboard,helmet, and boots recently for a late day assault on tiny Mt. Pisgah in Saranac Lake with Zane. The first time in two years but as fun as always. All this after volunteering at the Ice Palace build for Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake. I showed up with two ice saws for cutting blocks free. Year five for me volunteering and more fun then ever! A true winter event like no other.And there’s also been a little ice walking this season but it’s been rather tricky so far. Winter has brought the birds to my feeder and I love to watch for them each day. It’s also brought squirrels and possums to the feeder! They don’t bother me so I leave them alone. Rodents continue to plague us here and I stop their tiny tracks near the Airstream. Bad news when they get in but I am ready for them. The snow is the ultimate canvas for nature to paint upon. Enter the hobby of track identification!

We have gotten some decent snow accumulations now. Lots of fresh snow and I have been fortunate to have spotted a good selection of animal tracks. There have been fisher tracks near the barn twice now. Recently a weasel visited the sugar house. On a nature trek yesterday near Alexandria Bay, New York, we spotted the tracks of a mink, otter, and a weasel. Deer sign was plentiful in the snow. Reading tracks in the snow is like reading a book and trying in interpret the story. And speaking of ice, yesterday we had a wonderful moment standing high above the frozen expanse of Eel Bay in the St. Lawrence River. The mass of the ice that extended to the far horizons was something to behold. All that water frozen into a large mass. Covered with drifted snow below us as a north breeze nipped at our faces despite the warmth of the sun. Nightfall was coming and our shelter awaited us nearby. A room with a large tub to fill with hot water to bask away the winter chill before having a hot dinner after. This is a gift of winter. Hot water to soak a cold body. A hot drink with a hot meal. Not things we desire in summer. They come with winter and things make sense in those moments. The simple pleasures that satisfy our fragile bodies. Only winter can bring these things. Piercing chills and numbing stings to our faces. Frosty breath from exertion and exercise. The need to take shelter from the cold,dark nights where the mercury drops below zero. The warmth of another’s body close to you under heavy covers and the blissful passage into sleep in a warm room. All this does winter bring. And my sporadic ramblings weave and twist in all directions. For all I may question about why I stay? There are so many reasons why I do. And even if I dream of warmer days without the weight of heavy clothing upon me, I revel in the magic that appears as we truly embrace the winter days. Yes it will still challenge us. Yes we will feel cold and miserable at times perhaps after a hard day in the woods. Or curse the plowing of snow with our tired iron protesting it’s mechanical issues. Or find ourselves stuck behind slow traffic and snowplows as we speed about our winter business with our vehicles covered with salt and sand. And memories come from the recesses of my mind of much harder times then these. They were real and not figments of my imagination. Subzero times and record breaking snowfalls live there in my memories. I have not forgotten. For I was once a snowmobiler. And an avid ice fisherman. A winter trapper of furs. I learned to drive on a frozen lake. Winter has shaped my life here in the St. Law. Valley. And I know now more than ever why I stay. It would be hard to leave this behind forever. A piece of me would be lost. And I must ask what if? What if we were to take a short break from winter and then return? Could we still manage to find enough days for all we wish to do before the ice and snow disappeared? Today is February 2nd and winter is well underway now. There has been no ice fishing yet and little ice walking. But time remains. Isn’t it funny that when winter hits a certain point I begin to worry about what I might not do? A contradiction of sorts. And the origins of my Spin. For contradictions live in all seasons of nature. A great subject to ponder next to the wood stove on a cloudy, cold day. It is enough.✍️

Why Have I Stayed?

Posted on by

January has moved right along but that’s understandable as I have maintained a rather full schedule. I just worked my final day on the Ice Palace project in the Village Of Saranac Lake, New York yesterday. I was able to spend more days volunteering there this year but I will follow up with a featured story of my time there in the future. It’s worthy of one. Another post worthy topic is the work I did logging with my former neighbor on January 15th and 16th. It’s a story best suited to compliment my Run Of The Mill series at some point. Today I am rather entranced by some muses on winter so I think this post will be justified highlighting some of those thoughts! It all started on the way home late yesterday afternoon. Two hours of driving home from Saranac Lake gives a person plenty of time to think!

I left the village around 3pm yesterday and headed down Route 3 like usual on bare,salted roads. Somehow a car had plowed into some guard rails several miles before the Village Of Tupper Lake. Strange as the road was completely bare! Much later on during my drive I left Route 3 in the Town of Fine to head west on Route 58. This takes me to Gouverneur where I take a series of roads that lead me to the Homestead. Route 58 has many open sections where farm meadows come down to meet the road. The wind had picked up and snow was blowing into the road in places. I remained vigilant as the bare road was deceiving at times. Snowy patches would suddenly appear and I would inherently slow down to navigate across them. My 4 studded tires give me excellent traction but there is a limit to any set of tires with the right conditions. Near the Village Of Edwards a car had slid off a snowy corner in an open spot. Good fortune for the driver as he hit nothing expect the ditch full of snow. He was about to be towed out as I went past. The wind was intense as I neared Gouverneur. After a quick stop for groceries, I continued on to the Homestead on increasingly snowy patches of road. Zane was there and had the wood stove going which was a welcome sight to me! The wind was howling across the main meadow and hitting the cabin full force. It was great to be off the roads! We had plenty of food and firewood! We were set for whatever happened you hoped! But before I could settle in I had to disassemble the Chop Shop tent that covers the outside tools. It had blown loose from its corner posts and was in the process of destroying itself. Luckily my tie down anchors were frozen into the ground and my ropes were strong nylon material. After some cursing and wrestling the tent was safely flat and secured. The tools themselves were now exposed but I didn’t bother trying to cover them in the gale force winds. I grabbed some extra firewood from the cabin’s front lean to woodshed and headed into the warm, inviting interior. Life was good!

Sometime after dark it began to snow while the wind continued to whip against the cabin walls. We enjoyed a simple dinner of hot turkey sandwiches with gravy that I was able to quickly prepare in our temporary makeshift kitchen. This is the second winter of having a makeshift kitchen and this one is slightly different then last year’s. The new addition is now open to the original cabin and heated. It’s full of stored construction things at the moment. Tools and screws mostly. All work has been sidelined lately given all the other volunteering. I have a cot set up for sleeping downstairs when Zane is home. He occupies the loft for hanging out and sleeping. It’s very warm up there! I passed the evening watching a movie on my tablet. I don’t have a tv in the downstairs of the cabin. It’s not necessary really and I often read. A quick look out the window as the wind continued its onslaught showed a decent snowstorm in progress. It was a good night to be hunkered down! We could stay warm even if the power failed. That’s something I had wanted in my cabin plan.

I went to bed fairly early but got up around 12:30 am to put more firewood in the stove. Outside it was still blowing and snowing hard. The snow looked like it was accumulating but it was difficult to tell as it was really swirling around out there! By morning I had put wood into the stove two more times. It was 9 degrees with a rather brisk breeze giving a minus 2 degree windchill according to my phone’s weather app. The sky was dawning clear and bright though. Outside the expanses of untouched snow resembled a giant art canvas. Nothing stirred except for a few birds visiting the feeder behind the new addition. Zane needed to leave and but needed me to plow the driveway first. We had gotten around 10” of new powder snow and there were scattered drifts around the vehicles and in front of the cabin. Zane plugged in the tractor’s block heater for me. Without it , the chances of it starting were questionable. The tractor is kept in the bottom of the Big Red barn out of the weather. During the colder months I keep anti fuel gel additive in its diesel tank at all times. All important steps that help us deter the winter problems that might arise. Keeping the tractor functioning is key to surviving winter.

The Main Meadow. Post snow storm this morning.

I plowed snow for a long time before I finally got everything cleared. I did a thorough job on the driveway and parking areas. This was only the second time that I had needed to plow this winter! I can’t complain about that! I also plowed up to the warehouse and made a large parking area there as well. I also plowed behind the cabin by the woodshed as we will be in need of firewood soon. The supply of hardwood slabs stored in the upper woodshed continue to disappear. given the rate that we burn them.It’s time to get to the forest for some winter wood firewood cutting. I plan to skid trees log length right to the woodshed to save time. We did it last winter and it worked well. I broke out the tractor road to the upper meadows beyond the gap ridge and skidded down a log that I had left behind last winter. It’s red elm and should dry quickly once cut and split. We have plenty of snow for skidding logs but not so much to cripple moving around with the tractor. I need to install it’s front tire chains though. That really helps its traction.During sugaring having the tire chains on is usually a necessity.

Plowing out.

It was truly a beautiful January day with blue skies and a warm sun when I was out of the wind. Icicles were melting off the cabin as I worked to bank it with snow to help keep the floors warmer. There’s more of that to do depending on the weather forecast. I decided I had enough firewood for another night and mentally dedicated Wednesday for a firewood day. It looks like we might get more snow tonight. Did I make a good decision? Time will tell. I love being outdoors but had spent enough time out I decided by 1:30 pm. Tomorrow was another day and I was happy with my accomplishments. While I was out and about on the tractor I noticed very few signs of life on the surface of the new snow. I spotted a few squirrel tracks in the sugarbush and those of a weasel. The weasel had come from the sugarbush over to the big slab wood pile next to the sugar house. It had gone into the sugar house and then out the far side.No doubt hunting mice for dinner. I could visualize it’s tiny white form hopping through the fresh snow. The winter white ermine that is brown in the other seasons is a lethal hunter! I wondered if it had caught its dinner? It moved on at any rate heading through the woods to somewhere. It’s tiny form edible to an owl or hawk if caught in the open. Not even hunters are invincible when larger predators occupy the same territory. These are hungry time I suspect. A time of great energy expenditure in the snowy,frigid conditions of deep winter. But rodents are plentiful it seemed last fall at least. And good hunters probably manage just fine. All this as darkest comes again and suddenly cloudy skies where the wind has picked up again. Inside the tiny cabin the hungry wood stove demands constant fuel. But we have it ready and inside for the night. My own body will demand fuel later. A hot dinner from the makeshift kitchen will take some time to prepare but will be satisfying next to the wood stove. And an interesting pattern of thoughts had presented themselves to me today as I took what winter had brought us into stride. And a most intriguing question. Why do we stay here in this cold,frozen place?

The hunter left it’s sign. A weasel ( ermine) leaves a most obvious set of tracks.

I first asked the question this morning as I put on layers of heavy winter clothing before plowing snow. Wool socks over regular socks into gripping rubber boots well suited for snow. High and flexible they are a winter stable. I wear my rabbit fur Bomber hat for working typically reserving my muskrat hat for more leisurely type activities although I usually wore it working on the Ice Palace. Heavy gloves are a must for my hands. All this gear takes up space in a house and takes time to don! This morning inside the super frigid, unheated barn I had stepped onto a very cold tractor that started with a whiny protest. Why do we stay when it’s so much more difficult to do even simple things? Why do we stay needing to move mountains of snow each winter? Why do we stay when it takes extra energy for everything? Fuel for snow removal equipment for our homes and highways. Fuel for our bodies for shoveling snow and wading through it. Winter exacts a higher cost in all types of energy. Fuel to heat our homes and businesses most certainly . It’s all rather perplexing when you really consider it. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave with the summer birds and head south? So I asked myself again: why do we stay? I think I know why I have stayed.

The tiny snow sculptures.

Thinking back it’s rather obvious really. I stayed as a child because home was where my parents chose to live. Home was here in this four season part of the world.It’s what I knew and I never thought or needed to question it. I was taken care of and taught how to dress for winter. Fortunately I had a family who could afford me all the attire I needed for winter. Winters came and went as I grew up. I never thought about leaving. My family never traveled to faraway tropical settings. We stayed here and tackled each winter like icy warriors going into battle with the elements. Things weren’t always easy and things sometimes went wrong. Frozen pipes and frozen equipment that refused to work would impend winter tasks severely. We endured some very cold weather. Minus 20 below and sometimes colder. Why did we stay? We stayed because our jobs and schools were here. Our families were here often as not. Grandparents and siblings. Our homes were here. Our farms and property. Perhaps our livestock as well. That’s why we stayed.But this story must return to a more personal journey for me to tell it properly. For I assume many things about other people. This is my story and maybe some of yours.

Why did I stay? The childhood part is pretty self explanatory don’t you think?But when offered a chance to head off to distant colleges in warmer states after high school? What was the answer to that. And after college? Why did I want to find employment here and make a home here? Why did I seek out like minded women and desire to share time with them here? That’s a complicated story line for me and one that will need to remain somewhat hazy for the moment. For it is a lengthy tale with many turns and twists. Difficult to fathom at times even for myself. Perhaps I avoid some truths there that I might rather not face. They aren’t dark or filled with shame deeds. They simply deal with large passages of time that has gone by now. Time. That subject that I promised by written intention to visit differently on this page in 2025. Many of my stories are from the past but when told properly won’t revolve around time as a central topic. And I have strayed from my subject as I am prone to do at times. Let’s cut to the chase.

I suppose that I could write a very lengthy manuscript on this subject as I examine it further. But a summary might be best for the moment. A glimpse through a window that might be a door. I can easily tell you more reasons why I chose to stay in this frozen winter landscape hen ones why I shouldn’t. It’s really quite simple actually. This area has always been my home. I never lived anywhere else. Sure I have traveled south in the winter and spent Easter breaks there. Many times over the years. And I suddenly realize that there’s a much larger story within this story. To truly answer my own questions I must ask more of them to deliver the answers. So consider this part one of a two part story. I have presented a case against winter here at times. Given it an almost criminal element. But winter is innocent until proven guilty. And with Mother Nature defending her seasons there will be no winning this case. After all ,we humans have chosen to live here and face winter each season. I think I am spinning in circles here. Time to rest and deliberate. It is enough. ✍️

The Icewalker’s Plunge

Posted on by

Mid January finds with a small amount of snow on the ground but nothing major. 6”-8” of powder snow isn’t much for this time of year really. Last year on this very day we had a snow storm that dropped several inches on us after a warm spell had left us with mostly bare ground. I was recovering from my artery incident then and wasn’t pushing myself too hard. Walking mostly but we managed a few other tasks around the cabin. It was a new chapter for me then.

I have been balancing my time between the valley and the Adirondacks since the end of fall to now as I mentioned recently in my last post. The biggest news recently is that with the help of the Amish carpenters we finally finished the siding on the cabin last week. Some soffit work remains but the weatherbeaten tarpaper is now all covered. Zane and I had sawn plenty of siding fortunately so there was no danger running out. We also removed some old rusty roofing from my Uncles barn up the road at the property where I had my first house in 1983. We repaired the lean to roofing boards and some structural damage before adding 4 sheets of new metal. The old metal matches some that my Dad had repurposed from the old garage that used to be here before the 2012 house fire. He used it on the sugar house here and I may need it also for the cabin. I started out just wanting some old metal to put on the wall behind the new wood stove in the cabin above the Drury brick hearth. But then I decided that I want old metal on the ceiling in the new addition of the cabin. It remains to be seen if we will have enough to do all our work. It’s stashed outside and needs a very thorough cleaning. Maybe I will flip it upside down and show the underside which has no rust. The design on the metal is what makes it special. A wave type pattern repeats itself a long the length of the 2’ wide siding. It’s very unique! We had a couple of rather cold days last week while doing our outdoor work but we soldiered through despite!

The repairs after the removal of the old roofing

By last Thursday I decided that I needed a day to just catch up on a few things around the cabin. The carpenters had finished their work here that they had time for by Wednesday afternoon. So I hauled some firewood and stocked up the cabin woodshed. Keeping firewood stocked for the cabin keeps me rather busy actually especially on cold days like we had last week. It’s noteworthy that I had just installed a ventilation fan in the loft floor of the cabin and ducted it into the new addition. With more insulation in place it has been heating well since. The loft is much cooler as a result. Before it was way too hot up there most nights while the back portion of the cabin stayed rather cool. I think things will balance out well now. As for the firewood, I have been hauling it down from the old granary up behind the barn where it was stored last spring. Super dry hardwood slab wood from the sawmill project at my friend Gregger’s last spring. It just needs a bit of splitting here and there. The mixed cherry and yellow birch make a super hot fire. Before too long we will need to cut and haul in some dry red elm that’s burn ready. Our current supply of firewood won’t last until spring.

The siding progresses.

By Thursday afternoon I was ready for an outdoor outing so I decided to snowshoe down Beaver Creek if the ice was ok. There barely enough snow to need snowshoes but I wore them anyway.Upon reaching the edge of the marsh where the grass is thick, I quickly realized that the ice wasn’t all that great. I struggled out through the bogs breaking through in several shallow spots before reaching the bare open sections. But even here the ice was very thin and weak! It wasn’t looking good but I didn’t want to backtrack across the crappy bog part so I pressed on. Slowly and cautiously, I might add! The ice was fickle and unpredictable. Some spots were ok but my tapping beaver sticks would detect hollow sounding spots below the snow covered surface. Death traps I call them. I managed to skirt several tricky spots and reached a deeper wider section of the main channel. After one rather close call I chose a shortcut on a smaller side channel that held me up rather well. I soon reached the area we call “The Deep Hole”. It seemed like decent ice but was slushy on top. A sure sign of thin ice being pushed down by the weight of the snow. I became even more cautious and my forward progress became even slower. I noticed an active beaver lodge and was happy to see them occupying the area. They come and go from this spot on occasion but continue to occupy it mostly. I knew that I could never hope to get across the main beaver dam that spans the creek here. It’s a challenge at times even with much better ice. I approached the dam and laughed when the dog almost broke through where she was walking next to it. I was trying to get close enough to what we call the “Big Cliff” to get photos of some large icicles hanging from a section of it. Without warning I suddenly plunged through the ice with both snowshoes! There was no cracking first or anything suspicious! Just a death trap breakthrough! I was held up by beaver stick walking sticks fortunately and for a second was expecting the shock of cold water filling my boots! But I lunged up onto my knees and somehow avoided getting wet! My nylon hiking pants were so tight around my boots that no water got in! My knees got a little wet but that was nothing. Snow on ice is the great insulator and the death traps are invisible from above. Even the tapping and probing of the beaver sticks fails me at times. Just one of my many plunges over the years I suppose.

The plunge hole!

At this point I lost my desire to ice walk any further! I cautiously and nervously backtracked my way to a channel that got me safely ashore in the stand of white cedars known as “ The Cedars”. This tiny grove has been here my entire life. Never really getting any larger or much smaller. Sometimes the beaver cut a few and years ago we cut out some big dead ones for salvage. The Cedars seems ageless although I didn’t see any of the tamaracks that once lived alongside the cedars. Perhaps they are all gone. The cedars contains a couple of boggy spring holes that never freeze. I used to trap here as a young boy for raccoon. In winter I trapped ermine under the shelter of the cedars in small cubby sets. I used wax paper to keep my traps from freezing. I once caught a red fox here also. My ermine traps were empty most of the time but I didn’t care. I became familiar with the area and loved its remote feeling of winter beauty out of sight of the road and the farm buildings. I was destined to desire to explore this area and all that lay beyond it was I grew a bit older. The marsh was my classroom and I was an interested student who showed up frequently. And the spirit of the Icewalker was forged here. Not of molten metal but of ice and snow. Adversity would thrill me here. Wet feet and cold hands. Frosty cheeks and nose at times. Those were cold winters. Some nights my Father would not let me run my small trap line because of the cold and approaching darkness. But I would return soon and resume my frosty activities. There are many memories here in the marsh of the big gorge. Perhaps that’s why I return each winter.

After a rest and the reminiscing, I tackled the cut up the side of steep ravine that would take me towards the Homestead cabin where the warm wood stove awaited. I stopped at one point and gazed back at the marsh. I was disappointed that the ice had not been better for traveling. And I pondered several things then. How many times had I stood in this exact spot over the years? How different the winters are now. How much older I had become. And how the draw to run the ice and call myself the Icewalker had never diminished. How long would I try? How many winters would gift me the opportunity? Such thoughts became too much then so I chose something far different to break the serious moment. I spoke with my best Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation downhill towards the marsh: “I’ll Be Back!”. But no one heard me but the dog and a few disinterested winter birds. But that was fine. I know that I will be back if good fortune and good health continue to favor me. And I will play the game of staying on top of the ice as I move forward to explore the further reaches of the gorge of the big creek called Beaver. I have no fear there. Just respect for this beautiful and enchanting place. I have traveled the ice here more times than I can remember now. What adventures I have had! I will be watching and waiting for signs of better ice. Then I will set out once again! And not forgetting the Icewalker’s motto: The distance in must be traveled out!” It is enough! ✍️

The Wind Down

Posted on by

I have recently been writing a daily post on Facebook to highlight the past 12 months. This 12 day writing exercise has been fun but people have gotten bored with it I believe. Good thing I am into the final 4 months of 2024! I found it beneficial for myself to reflect upon the year and wanted to share my thoughts in a hindsight type series of posts. It’s sometimes difficult to gauge peoples interest. That is an aspiring writer’s challenge I suppose. For this post I am focused on facts and recent events that make up a timeline of living.

The past few weeks have been rather busy running back and forth to the Adirondacks. Usually once a week on the weekends. We try to get outdoors for some sort of activity that gets us engaged with nature.We have visited some beautiful places recently to commune with nature! I will showcase some of them sometime. The day after my last post we traveled back to Adirondacks post Xmas party morning. We headed to the Vermontville area near Saranac Lake to cut a Christmas tree. It was a place my companion knew well and I liked it immediately! There was quite a bit of snow on the ground and the trees had a light covering but not so much that we couldn’t look for one properly. We walked uphill to the furthest reaches of the tree farm. I remarked that this a requirement and a sure sign that TCCS was about to afflict me. Remember TCCS? It was featured in a blog in December 2020. TCCS or tree cutting conundrum syndrome is very common when searching for a Christmas tree! Finding a perfect tree can be maddening! There’s a Goldilocks parallel attached to it quite often. Feeling confused? Not too worry! Sufferers of TCCS are totally confused in their search for the perfect tree! It’s always the same problem: this one is too big. That one is too small. Too bare and spindly. That one is the wrong species. That one is crooked… the list goes on and on! But we were fortunate! We were searching for a balsam and found a few possibilities fairly quickly actually. And then suddenly there it was! A balsam standing out in the open in the distance. It seemed too good to be true! How could such a tree have escaped the eyes of so many tree searchers?We closed in on the tree after wading through the snow. It didn’t take long to reach an agreement. This tree was fine! Not perfect but beautiful and totally worthy of gracing the house! So it was soon on our sled and on its way to the truck. Mission accomplished and with no noticeable TCCS! Later after the tree had thawed out and the snow had melted from it, we got it into its stand. It smelled wonderful! There’s nothing like Adirondack balsam scent! Now 3 weeks later the tree still stands proud and green. And for me who had not cut a tree in a couple years , the moments had been secured. MOONTABS! It was so special to share that experience with someone special!

Back in the valley the wood stove project nears completion. The stove pipe parts I ordered showed up and I got everything together finally. But the wood stove couldn’t be used until I installed a brace on the roof to support the outer double walled exterior stove pipe. This project was a little tricky and involved a few tricks. A rope and a ladder over the peak to give me a safe place to stand after getting up the roof on another ladder. The side by side provided a safe footing for the longer ladder and a solid tie off anchor for the rope. Inside I kindled the first fire once the bracing was complete and burned off the stinky oils that coated the wood stove. Things went well and we are very happy with it! It requires firewood in the 10” range and doesn’t hold a lot but it’s really an efficient unit. We think it will perform very well overall. It’s a Dwarf 5K unit manufactured by the Tiny Wood Stove Company located in Idaho. Go online and check out their cool lineup of tiny stoves!

A big part of the wood stove project was the repurposed brick extension that got the wood stove 14” higher above the cabin floor. It’s so much easier to tend the fire that way! Understand there’s even some room to store some wood. The old antique Drury brick is very classy I think and fits the cabin theme nicely. I didn’t mortar any of it and chose a stacked dry fit construction for the base support structure. Sand fills the cracks between the base bricks which are setting on Durarock cement board material. Fireproof and safe. The back wall behind the stove features Drury brick on edge glued with construction adhesive to Durarock backer. The overall amount of brick makes a thermal mass to some degree and should hold heat longer.

What is Drury brick you may be wondering? It’s antique brick that I was given last spring in Saranac Lake for free while helping with a tree removal. I Goggled it recently and discovered that it was made in Vermont from the 1880’s through 1972. I believe mine to be very old. Possibly 1900 era. It is beautiful at any rate and exceeds my expectations for the hearth I had envisioned. I have several different styles of Drury brick all mixed together and it’s a nice look!

I don’t believe that I ever followed up with the progression of the muskrat pelts we collected last winter. Zane and I received our muskrat hats just before Xmas Eve! The pelts had been sent to Minnesota in August and we weren’t sure that the finished hats would arrive in time. I am wearing mine since Monday and love the warm addition to my winter attire! Zane seems happy with his also. It was a good choice and a wonderful example of our rural heritage here. Trapping the muskrats then preparing the furs to ship and then wearing our hats to stay warm as winter continues to progress. There’s nothing like natural fur for warmth! Some people do not approve and that is their prerogative. We respect their position and simply ask that they respect ours. Wearing fur is a choice not a necessity. But trapping is part of our tradition here where I grew up. I no longer trap fur to sell but will continue to add fur garments to my collection as time passes. Gloves and a vest may be my next investment. The beaver population continues to grow in this area as no one traps them much anymore. Harvesting a few won’t even make a dent in the population. For now we don’t require any additional muskrats but these prolific breeders of the wetlands are there if necessary. Nature keeps them thinned out by some rather harsh diseases at times. Winter mortality of muskrat populations in any given marsh is a scientifically proven fact. Nature will keep a balance regardless of any trapping we might do. That goes for most of the species here. My position on hunting, trapping, and fishing is rather clear on these pages and within my posts. It will remain so.Much of my love of nature stems from my time afield engaged in numerous types of harvesting that spans decades. Plants,birds, fish,and animals. These days I rarely hunt or trap though. I prefer a different interface with nature. One of observation mainly. Call it a winding down of sorts. The nature of my sport pursuits has modified itself. Teaching Zane the rural heritage traditions has been important though. Even said perhaps as this topic has been mentioned here before. Given that there will be some upcoming changes to the blog site posts that have continued to accumulate for 4 years now, I feel the obligation to refresh certain topics.

It’s great to have a functional wood stove again after using just the electric heater for all the cabin heating since we moved in. Now we have both. We have plenty of dry firewood at the moment but will need to get more ahead eventually. That’s always a great winter activity!

At this point I wish to mention my recent Christmas gift from Amy! She is rarely mentioned here as her privacy remains important. But I would be remiss not to acknowledge the work she put into something to give me on Christmas day! She painstakingly edited the entirety of my blogs and printed them into a spiral notebook that is arranged like a book! Not to mention imprinting them onto a thumb drive. I had expressed concern to her about archiving my work as blog posting moves forward. Gerry my administrator,friend, and cousin keeps all this saved, running, and functional for me! And hosts a safe site for you to visit!So many continued thanks to him! Keeping dozens of blog posts and photos up online takes up a lot of space. I came to the realization that I might need to retire older posts to make way for the new. The thoughts of deleting work gave me a strange feeling however. No doubt connected to losing my journals in the house fire of 2012 somehow. Better exam that under a psychological microscope sometime. Amy did something that I know took her hours by creating a “clean” blog post book of sorts. Something real and tangible that I can hold in my hands. Hours of my own creativity in black and white. To see it moved me. Perhaps this is the feeling that a writer gets when they see their first book in print? I openly thank her here for caring enough to do it! And for her overall support of my creative endeavors. It has prompted me to reconsider my writing hobby.And my future in general. So I began a list of intentions. Those that I list in two different categories. The two categories are “main” and “cloud”. What are cloud intentions? Lofty goals and dreams that I desire but may not accomplish in the short term. To keep it real the main intentions were kept short and sweet. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. But a different mindset begins to show itself. And I strive for change. Wait. Have I said this before? Maybe. Time has been a reoccurring theme in my writing. Change is a reoccurring reality in my life. Nature is the central theme here. Look for some new ideas and new directions here as 2025 arrives. I am busy reflecting as 2024 winds down. It’s a journey. And an adventure. MOONTABS in motion.✍️