Tag Archives: trees

Maple Syrup 2024: Pre-Launch

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It’s funny how things that might have been the focus of my recent anxiety can quickly disappear.When I last posted I was preparing to hike St.Regis Mountain with a couple friends but was a little hung up on the upcoming syrup season. The hike and the good company of my friends would shake off the ghosts that day! We had an excellent time and the rain would hold off until we had finished our trek! It was super windy at the top and scary up in the fire tower! It’s a hike worthy of its own post really!

Power trio!

As for the remainder of my time in Saranac Lake it too is worthy of its own post sometime! Certain things were happening in a strange twist of fate and my response to the moment and the energy would place me in a flow that was totally unexpected. I spent a cold Thursday at an event at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. I truly enjoyed my company and walking around touring the facility. At the trout tank I had an interesting photo moment! There is a story coming that I will title: What The Fish Told Me.”I left for the valley on Friday March 1st with fully recharged mental batteries.Ready to tackle my problems and my hesitation about sugaring . March 1st is a tapping day typically but conditions were less then favorable. I wiped out miscellaneous details and got settled back into the cabin. Saturday was spent troubleshooting the tractor coolant issue. I found the problem quickly! A burst bypass hose on the new water pump. We had suspected it was pretty worn but the blowout confirmed it. I got online and ordered one. To date it still hasn’t arrived! Regardless I decided to set taps on Sunday and began hanging out buckets alone. I was using the Honda side by side in place of the down tractor and it worked out well. It was pretty warm which made for comfortable tapping but didn’t thrill me with the fact that there were several super warm days coming. By days end I was way up to my neighbor’s property and had hung 150 buckets by myself! A start and a commitment.

This trout had advice for me!

Monday would find me tapping more with my friend Gary helping out. Tapping trees and sugaring in general was all new to him but he was totally enjoying himself! He’s very in tune with nature and finds the landscapes of Macomb fascinating. The two of us did well setting in buckets and mini tube runs up across the neighbor’s property on a string we call the “Great Northern Loop”. It’s a productive string typically and we had invested some time into building the tubing runs last year. Less buckets means easier gathers. The mini tube runs are removed after the season ends,labeled,washed, and stored away.We did a few buckets also close to the trail. We stopped for a hearty lunch of venison stew that I made with meat Gary had given me. Yum!.Afternoon would find us setting buckets and mini tube runs on the “Southern Loop” on my neighbor’s property. We had a decent day and got out 94 taps bringing the count to 244.Zane helped me get the storage tank in place in the sugar house that evening. We also had to get the evaporator pans in place plus the various pipes for the flow systems. Progress was being made and quickly!

The crude map of the different strings.

Tuesday would Gary and I tapping on a section of my farm called the land. Buckets and mini tube runs on some big maples that survived the 2016/2017 tent worm/drought events. We also hung more buckets in miscellaneous locations along the string. The buckets that I had set Sunday had begun to fill with sap even though I considered the weather against it flowing. We used the side by side and plastic totes to do a sap gather that brought in over 100 gallons of clear sap! Not a bad start really as it was very warm! On Wednesday I went for groceries and fuel plus miscellaneous items needed for the week. I had contacted my tractor dealer Monday and had the hose I needed for the tractor expedited to their location where I picked it up. I tapped two big maples behind the barn that run mega amounts of sap most years. So with those 8 taps the count was at 358. A good number but the sap was not moving much still. I went under the lights and replaced the bad water pump bypass hose. I then proceeded to flush the coolant system with vinegar per Mike The Mechanics recommendation. It appeared that my tractor repair was successful! I went to bed rather beat but feeling like things were coming together.

Gary with a nice haul Tuesday!

Thursday would see my good friend Patrick Bourcy helping me set more taps! Remember him? He’s the creator of the Facebook group Just Go Outside and shows up in many of my blog posts. We did a variety of buckets on the growing string and mini tube taps on the ridge called Green Mountain. Our count for the day was 146 bringing our grand total to 504 taps. We were in a good place and as I stood on the top of Green Mountain a stiff cool breeze from the north would boost my spirits even further. A frost was coming that night and with all the good fresh taps we had a shot at a decent sap run! The work might just pay off!

On Green Mountain setting mini tubes.

And just like things began to change for me! Gone was the decision whether we should tap at all! We had! Gone was the anxiety about the tractor issues. It was fixed! Sure it had other issues but it was useable! I felt a rising energy within myself. Sure there was still plenty that could go wrong but we were trying to have a sugaring season and that meant everything! It didn’t matter now how things turned out. The weather was out of our control but the long range forecast was somewhat encouraging.Things were beginning to ramp up and what I was feeling was nothing new. Pre-launch is a “sit on the edge of your seat moment” like no other. A time when you question why you weren’t better prepared and ready. But such thoughts don’t help out at all. It’s best to just keep moving forward! So we will!And we do! Each and every year as our annual hobby arrives on the tail end of winter. Albeit a strange winter this year but there’s no changing that. We will make the best of everything and do our best. It’s a simple place of stubborn perseverance and resolve. The MOONTABS will tally up and we no doubt experience a most unique sugaring season. But it will not have been missed or canceled. That would be somehow wrong to me. After all someone once said: there are but a finite number of syrup seasons in a person’s lifetime. Who would write such a serious but truthful quote? Someone who values life and rural heritage perhaps. Someone who loves their hobby with a passion that borders on madness. Someone who loves to create things. Someone who knows that sugaring drives the hands and engages all 5 senses and the 6th as well. I think you know who wrote the quote. The inner voices whisper at times and fuel the inner spirit. The farm property is a place of grounding and connection. The world begs explorations and adventures but I will always be drawn back to the dripping sap drops that follow frosty nights. There is a place of blissful happiness there. But first we must launch! Things are headed in that direction. More so each day now. It is enough.✍️

Upgrades And Migrations

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I can’t believe it’s getting close to the middle of December! The weather has remained rather mild for the most part but we are getting a lot of rain! We’ve had a couple cold nights but it’s never dropped below 15 degrees yet. I am still living in the Airstream here at the farm property but I winterized it some time ago. That means no water although I cook and sleep in here. I use a small electric heater to help keep the humidity under control and provide heat but the propane furnace does the majority of the heating. In the cabin the bathroom is nearly finished now I am excited to say! My plumbing project was a success and everything came on line fairly smoothly. The tiny utility room is packed but it’s working out good so far!

Repurposed dresser turned vanity.

I have been heating the cabin with wood for several weeks now. Fortunately I had some stored dry firewood up in the old granary building that we cut last spring. We also had some “devil’s rejects” as we call them. Low grade chunks of wood that we kick out when doing wood for a customer of ours. They work well in mild weather but burn fast. Despite the fact the the old wood stove in the cabin is being replaced I changed out the outer sections of stovepipe on it. It was in horrible shape after 11 years of use. Good thing I did as I had a chimney fire first thing yesterday morning when I stoked up the fire. It really got going for a few minutes and I was preparing to water it down if necessary. We’ve had a down draft problem lately and creosote has been a problem around the outer stovepipe. Now I am super nervous and ready to get the new wood stove and roof stovepipe system in place!There is always the potential for a fire when burning wood. The new set up will be much safer and efficient.

Changing out the stovepipe.

Overall we have made pretty good progress on the cabin. We now have the beginnings of our natural white cedar deck at the main entrance. I really had to scour my inventory to get enough cedar to build what I did. I had some I stored away years ago. You guessed it! Held in trust! I sawed it into the dimensional lumber I needed on the bandsaw sawmill. I also recently added an attached wood storage shelf to the sheltered back of the cabin facing the road. I used some old blue flooring I had salvaged from an old house years ago up in the Spragueville area. My Uncle who owned it called it the Clarke house. I got a nice farm sink and primitive cabinet from there also.The wood storage shelf will hold over a face cord of wood so it’s a nice addition to the cabin. I used some old metal roofing I had but it may get replaced eventually. It doesn’t look exactly like I wanted it too but will work for now. How many times over the years have I said that?🤔

The wood shelf.

Zane and I did a bit more siding on the cabin after we found some additional inventory. But we have run totally run out of hemlock so we will need to wait until we can get some more sawn out in 2024. I spent a couple hours one day last week getting out a little bit of burn ready firewood. The ground was frozen and we had a tiny bit of snow so it was a primo day for skidding! It seems like everything is always a big hurry and I can’t ever get enough done. I try to keep going forward and follow the weather forecast for planning work days. Awhile back we spent 2 days hauling salvage logs from up by our camp on Black Lake. Our neighbors had 3 big pine trees taken down and gave us the logs. I had to haul the tractor up to be able to get them pulled out and loaded. We made 3 trips to get all the logs out before it was done. We have a nice collection of pine to saw provided there’s no hardware in the logs. That’s a potential risk with trees near buildings.It was amazing watching the tree trimmers at work! They really know their business!

The topper.

Things have been really centered around the cabin project and that’s where most of my time is spent every week.The saws need to be kept outside as they won’t fit inside to do any practical work. I call the outside saw area the “Chop Shop”. We just moved it into a tent since it rains so much lately and the snow is coming. Running in and out of the cabin making cuts is time consuming but necessary. Plus the barn wood that is being using for the walls and trims is super dirty. All that dirt and sawdust stays right outside where it belongs. We have managed nicely so far but the weather continues to slowly head towards winter. Sometimes I work “under the lights” into the evening when I am pushing a part of the project. It gets dark around 4:30pm these days so that’s always a factor.

The latest chop shop.

Using barn wood for interiors is very labor intensive but it’s truly a nice look! We used both silver gray and faded red for two of the walls so far. The bathroom is a mix of drywall,birch wainscoting, and a barn wood chair rail. There’s a lot left to do but things are getting better each week. I am anxious to move out of the Airstream and get into the cabin but as long as it stays mild it’s fine in here. Besides there’s still way too many tools and building materials in the cabin. The temporary kitchen sink where I do dishes for the moment is working out well. Having the stacked washer and dryer unit saves a lot of time. Well worth the space it takes up.

The Red Room.

One nice thing about being outside cutting is seeing all the geese flying over each day. They have really been migrating recently in nonstop groups. I was finally able to spot a couple flocks of snow geese yesterday just before dark. They make a distinctive sound that’s different then the Canadian geese. It’s a sure sign of approaching winter and I know this mild weather can’t last forever. I have spent almost no time in the woods and I am missing my adventures there. But without the cabin I will be struggling to make it through the winter here. So it remains my focus for the moment. Not terribly exciting but you have to remember that we haven’t had running water and a toilet here on the farm property since May of 2012. All this is a milestone of accomplishment and a solid beginning of a new life journey here at the farm. I really enjoy living here again and cherish my freedom of the wide open spaces. Life will settle into some new routine again at some point and the farm cabin/campsite will serve as a valuable base of operations. Some day I may follow those geese south but not this winter.There’s still too many things left to do here! One thing remains certain: the walls of the cabin cannot hold me bound forever. I will need to get out and explore. And the adventures you have grown accustomed to will resume! We all must have shelter from the elements as the dark nights of December take us into winter. The tiny cabin project has challenged me greatly these past few months. But I have learned so much in the process. Never fear the unknown. Ponder and question your decisions but push yourself forward with no hesitation. That is how I see things with clarity and certainty. The energy and determination of the migratory birds humbles me. My project seems insignificant in the face of such an annual event. And there lies the resolve to drive the hands to achieve my goals. The dividends are many in their simplicity. And within I find an even greater connection to nature. And you thought it was just a project? Never. It’s much more then that.✍️

Under the lights.

Jumping Ahead:The Catch 22

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I have decided tonight to jump way head on my recent timeline and share my most recent adventure. At some point I will return to part 2 of the Mow Dawg story and finish the Quebec bush series in time. But since I returned to life on the Adirondack clock late last Sunday there’s a lot of current life to share! Not to worry as each story needs it’s time to be properly told!

Settled in at Birch’s Lakeside Sunday night.

Back during the summer I booked a 15 day campground stay in Cranberry Lake, New York at Birch’s Lakeside Campground. I got a good daily rate and the store out front is a nice perk! I pulled it together quickly and prepared the travel trailer to leave last weekend. It’s not a super long drive to Cranberry Lake and I got here fairly quickly. I even got parked and set up rather quickly. I had to run to go buy some firewood however and barely missed hitting a deer in the process!A campfire was in order and I enjoyed a late evening with no bugs!

Nice and toasty!

Monday would find me fine tuning my campsite and organizing for adventures. It was a calm and beautiful day here on the lake! I decided an afternoon hike was in order so Stella the dog and I headed right up the road to the Brandy Brook trailhead. It’s a lovely hike through the forest and at 3.4 miles in you find yourself at Brandy Brook Flow where the creek runs into the lake. The trail was littered with layers of freshly fallen leaves but many more still clung to the trees above. It was a very warm day and there’s been no rain in sometime so things are pretty dry. No mud on this trail! I took quite a few pictures as we leisurely did the 6.8 mile in/out trek. We only saw 2 other hikers. One fellow had set out to do the Cranberry Lake 50. A local hiking challenge that he planned to do in 3 days while camping each night. We had hiked enough by 5pm and returned to the campsite where I enjoyed and evening reading.

Floating leaves in a small creek bed.

Tuesday morning was spent writing a rhyming tribute to an elderly friend’s family. He had passed away late Monday evening and I was very saddened by the news as I had just seen him Sunday morning. I titled my story “The Falling Leaves” and it will be given to the family soon. Tuesday afternoon would find me unexpectedly teaming up with Patrick Bourcy ( the creator of the Facebook group Just Go Outside) for a late day assault on Ampersand Mountain near Saranac Lake. It was another warm day and we were both challenged to make the 5.4 mile round trip. But the views and our conversations catching up would lift me up to a better place. It’s hard to be sad when standing on the summit of Ampersand’s bare rock with beautiful fall foliage surrounding you on all the horizons. We didn’t make it out until after dark however as the descent was difficult for me. But a successful day had been lived.

From Ampersand looking towards Middle Saranac Lake.

Patrick and I teamed up again on Wednesday to see about getting some good content for our social media activities. It was another super warm day that we started with a couple waterfalls near here. We visited Twin Falls and Rainbow Falls for some great autumn shots. But more importantly we enjoyed the moment itself. Water, colored leaves, and the local historical ruins that nature is reclaiming. What’s not to like?

Twin Falls.
Rainbow Falls.

Our next stop would be a just past Tupper Lake to the Buck Mountain fire tower trailhead. It’s a short but ascending 1.2 mile trek up to the top where the 60’ steel fire tower steps await you. The 360 degree views are outstanding! We were still going strong but were getting pretty warm as it was close to 80 degrees after lunch.

Little Tupper Lake from the fire tower.

Just a short distance away Patrick and I tackled the Coney Mountain trailhead. Also short and sweet at about a mile plus with a circular ascending trail. Pretty rocky in spots but a great trail overall. Bone dry from the absence of any recent rainfall.From Coney you can look across and see nearby Goodman Mountain. Also a nice hike but we were out of time as we had an evening destination.

From Coney Mountain.

Our final trek took us just past the village of Tupper Lake to the Mt.Arab trailhead. Our plan was to stay until dark to maximize possible photo opportunities. Not to mention enjoy ourselves! But both of us were getting tapped out and the short but uphill hike really slowed us down! Even Stella the dog was beat! We made it in plenty of time to watch the sunset and meet up with a friend of Patrick’s Jessica. We all watched the sunset from our breezy perch in the top of the fire tower. I was entranced by the lights appearing down in the village where life was happening below us some distance away. The high peaks grew shadowy in the distance as the light departed and it was truly amazing! The hike out in the dark was ok but we were all pretty whipped!

Tupper Lake as night approached.

Thursday was a paddle day with good friend Jennifer up to Axton’s Landing above Tupper Lake along the Raquette River. The river was the lowest I had seen it in the several times that I have been there. We paddled upstream to the point that Stony Brook flows into the river. Our goal was to reach the Stony Brook Ponds to explore a section we had been unable to visit on a previous trip years ago. High winds had made it impossible to cross the ponds. We were lucky Thursday though although the current was rather swift in the winding twists of the upstream paddle to the first pond. Coupled with the shallow water and weeds it kept us paddling! Stella the dog was enjoying the ride which was great as she had really hiked the other 3 days of the week so far. We had no problem crossing the first pond then under a bridge to the next. We found a lovely sandy beach to relax from some snacks while Stella played in the shallows. It was so warm and pleasant considering it was October! We hadn’t realized it until we reached the shore but we were on a state owned primitive campsites with a fire pit,table, and throne privy up in the woods beyond the tent pad. We were at number 6 and later we identified most of the 5 others. We had a easier paddle back downstream in the current of the creek and river. Off to dinner at Amado’s in the village of Tupper Lake. Great place with great selections that you won’t find anywhere else!

Stony Brook Pond campsite view.

So here we are finally! Today! The wind was blowing hard all night and was still going strong this morning. Dark clouds were competing with a small sliver of sunshine that greeted me from my beach chair at the campground while having coffee. I took several photos and just relaxed into the morning. I had a plan though. A short drive to a local ghost town which I won’t name. I found it just as the locals had told me it would be. Several old buildings in different states of decay and neglect. The flat grounds were not mowed and were being overtaken by small emerging pine trees. It was once a busy place but now deserted.One that was reaching the point of no return. I felt a good energy there though. Not the creepy energy that can sometimes chill me in places similar to this. I didn’t try to enter any of the buildings and soon left for my next stop.

The ghost town of cabins.

The final stop of the day was just outside the hamlet of Wanakena a short distance from my campsite in Cranberry Lake. Wanakena is an interesting place with history and is known for the forest ranger school that is located nearby. My trek would take me onto lands managed by the school. My goal was a fire tower that was on a ridge somewhere there. I hadn’t bothered to do any prior research but a local at the store said I would easily find it. I parked along Route 3 and starting following a well maintained gravel road. Good so far! However the road suddenly forked and there were no signs pointing anywhere. I chose to go left as the lay of the land seemed more inclined for a fire tower. I went a short distance and discovered a trail marked ESF trail 22. It seemed to head slightly upwards so I figured I was headed in the right direction. But it soon began zigging and zagging without heading uphill so I returned to the road. I went a short distance but changed my mind and headed back to the fork. I took off in the new direction and shortly after ran into 3 women who had come from the fire tower. I asked a couple questions but didn’t ask about distance. One helpful lady said: “go until you see a yellow marker that is marked FT.”(FT for fire tower I assumed). So with a quick thanks I continued on. The road was smooth and the forest along it was vibrantly fragrant with balsams almost hanging into the road. This is great I thought! I stopped to admire some tamaracks that were just beginning to turn yellow. They will turn a beautiful golden color later in the fall before dropping their needles. They shed them each year much like a deciduous tree sheds it’s leaves.

Tamaracks or larch as some call them.

I soon reached another fork in the road. Once again no signs or markers. It headed uphill and I should have given it more thought but hadn’t the lady said go until you see the FT marker? So I continued to follow the mostly flat road which eventually turned a corner around the end of a large ridge. Another ridge appeared to the right so I guessed it was probably where the fire tower could be. More walking and still no marker. I got a photo of a red squirrel carrying a large mushroom which I guessed to be non poisonous but who knows? A jumped a couple ruffed grouse back in the thick cover near the road. Chickadees suddenly filled the trees next to me and I got a nice video of them. They always seem so glad to see invaders to their woods! The road kept going and so did I. I spotted a snowmobile trail marker that led to a pond off in the low lands in the distance so I drifted off the main road to check it out. By now I realized that there was no way the fire tower was anywhere close by. This land was too flat! I had been hearing chainsaws and soon got close to a group of ranger student workers busy with logs and firewood. They didn’t see me so I decided to turn back as I wasn’t sure exactly where I was headed and didn’t want to ask directions! I returned the way I had come and when I reached the next fork I took it! It was headed uphill after all! I kept on hiking uphill for quite awhile and it seemed promising! Still no FT markers though. I was about to reconsider my options when I spotted yet another fork. This one had an FT marker! Yes success! I continued to go uphill and after passing several more markers I was rewarded with my first glimpse of the fire tower!

Cathedral Rock fire tower.

I checked out a picnic area and kiosk type display board before ascending the tower. Once there I stayed quite awhile as no one else was around. Beautiful views in all directions and I could even see Route 3 where I had left the truck. From my high perch it was easy to see the lay of the land that I had walked. I think had I approached the workers there would have been a trail near them as one leaves the mountain and heads off to where I could still hear their chainsaws. I decided to leave as I could see rain clouds off in the distance heading closer. At the base of the tower I noticed a trail marker. ESF trail 22. Hey wasn’t that the one I had started out on once? Maybe it’s the same one and a shortcut I thought! So off I went following a well defined and marked trail. But suddenly the markers were no longer there but no matter I could still see a faint trail in the leaves. I would see an occasional marker ribbon and sawn off stumps along the trail. But headed off into some old log skidder ruts the trail suddenly stopped. Blocked by fallen trees and no sign of anything. I backtracked a bit but found nothing. I could hear traffic from over where I knew the road should be so decided to bushwhack my way out. I wasn’t too keen of backtracking as I had already done enough of that for one day! To my credit the route I chose actually put me back onto the trail. Eventually the markers returned and I reached the spot where I had first ventured up ESF trail 22.

ESF 22.

In conclusion I recommend hiking to the Cathedral Rock fire tower. Stick to the road though it’s easier. As for ESF trail 22? It’s a real “catch 22”. If it was dark and there was no traffic sound a person could get lost I suppose. But not long rest assured! The gravel fire roads cross and intersect the property. You’d probably find your way out. There’s no phone service there btw! So use a map or a gps type positioning device. Or just go in blind like I did! Ask for directions that you don’t exactly get correct. Or just wander away from people who would have gladly steered me in the right direction! Stubbornness is a fault sometimes but I had a fun and meaningful experience! As I got to the truck the rain got heavier. Now well after dark it’s pounding on the metal roof of the Airstream like a group of drummers! And tomorrow is another day with new destinations to reach! MOONTABS to all!✍️

More Milestones

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It’s just two days after Zane’s graduation and I have gotten used to the new reality.In the weeks leading up to it however I was subject to periods of intense reflection. Always the question of the passage of time and where it has gone. When Zane was born I had done the math to that the far off year of his graduation and what my own age would be then. It seemed like such a long time away! I rarely thought much about it as the busy days of work and endless details occupied my time. Zane and I had talked quite a bit about graduation the past few weeks honestly and all that was coming next for him. I likened high school graduation to yet another milestone in life. One right up there with getting a driver’s learning permit, taking a road test, and ultimately getting a driver’s license. I hadn’t really considered it but his graduation was also a milestone for me. My son is fast becoming an adult with adult decisions to consider.My thoughts were a mix of memories and plans for this new future reality. But like many events graduation will soon be far behind us as the days of summer truly begin post solstice.

Zane and I have been fortunate to be able to spend more time together as the final days of school wound down. We threw ourselves into the woodshed project getting the skids secured to the upper wall sections. We started putting the floor boards down as well. I moved it one Saturday recently without really planning that as the project of the day. I had gotten curious as to the best way to hitch to it so I backed up to the middle oversized timber and chained it to the lowered tractor drawbar. I was thrilled when the tractor’s hydraulics easily lifted the end of the building clear off the ground! It rested on the back sections of the skids and I realized that I could probably easily pull it! So off I went with it with no hesitation! It dragged well but I stopped to take a photo and check things out.

The skidding process.

Turning suddenly became my new big obstacle. I was hitched very close to the building so short turns were going to be impossible. I adjusted my hitch and was able to get the woodshed close to where I wanted it but not exactly. After a series of maneuvers and hitch adjustments I got it to what I thought was the right spot. We had cleared a section of the sugarbush very close to where the sawmill is located. Unfortunately I had to cut a small maple to get the best location cleared and scraped. There’s a nice vein of bedrock that comes to the surface along the edge of the meadow. The bedrock would make an excellent foundation point so the shed would never settle. I unhitched the tractor and began to jack up the woodshed to begin the leveling part of the project. I got nicely started but soon realized that the front of the woodshed would be far too high once leveled. So the only thing to do was drag it forward where the grade was less. This involved additional hitching and dragging but I got it in place finally. Now I could get back to the jacking.

Collateral damage was minor during the move. Rocks were a problem.

The 8000 lb rated Bulldog jack works well for this type of project. I got a nice start on the support piers but a sudden rain storm suddenly cut my work short. I stuck it out as long as I could but eventually had to quit for the day. The dry spell is over for the time being and we have gotten some decent rainfall. The wildfires in Canada are still raging though but the smoke is gone so nobody thinks too much about them really. My email was never answered about volunteering to help out so I have given up on the subject. After a day of intense clearing and burning next to the woodshed site I seriously began to doubt my abilities to handle the volume of smoke it would entail. Call it a lesson of sorts I suppose.

A hot sweaty day of eating smoke prior to the woodshed move.

Last week we went downstate to do a drywall project for a friend of ours.It ran Tuesday till Friday and tied up most of our week. Our friend Vern went downstate with us to drywall so we were a three man team mostly.We had to spend three nights in a motel way too close to the interstate. But fatigue has its benefits and I actually slept rather well after the first night. The weekend was dedicated to a party and graduation itself on Sunday. Just like that a week had passed!

One room of several we worked to drywall.

Sunday evening I found myself alone post graduation ceremony. I decided to break out the tandem Old Town kayak for a paddle back at Camp Edith. The skies were cloudy and distant thunder would rumble from time to time but I wasn’t too concerned. After sitting in the steamy Hammond Central School for the ceremony I needed some proximity to the water. Gracie rides well in the front of the kayak and is a super chill watercraft dog until you get close to shore. She always wants to jump out first.It was nice out on the lake and an approaching storm sent most of the fishing boats scrambling for home. Soon Gracie and I had the lake to ourselves! Rain began to fall slightly but it wasn’t bad so we continued our paddle out onto the big section of water the locals call Broad Lake. It can be a tricky place to be on Black Lake sometimes as it’s susceptible to wind and produces some very large waves! I go there on purpose sometimes to test my kayak skills in the whitecaps.Gracie and I had just reached Broad Lake when it began to pour! We headed back but the heavy rain continued and we were soon totally soaked! It felt great actually! The two of us alone on the big water on a water logged adventure! Dry space awaited us back at camp and we arrived happy and refreshed!

Recent fishing excursion. Gracie is not going to lose her spot!

The adventures this summer have been a bit different then the past few years. Much more work oriented. It’s time to transform the farm into something more. The progress has been rewarding and I suppose the successful moving of the woodshed was a milestone of sorts. Things are falling into place slowly but surely. Time continues to speed past. Today saw us completing the jacking and support piers of the moved woodshed. We finished just before a huge rainstorm once again saturated the farm. More rain continues to fall tonight and the humidity follows each storm. July looms just around the corner now. There’s much to be accomplished before the end of summer. More milestones await us. Our end goal is simple: turn the farm into a sanctuary where spirit energy waits to be renewed. A place where we dream big and create lasting memories. MOONTABS we call them!

Goofing in the rain! School is over!

Wildfires,Woods,And Wondering.

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Another cool June morning here at Camp Edith but comfortable with no need for the wood stove. I let it go out yesterday after needing it for several days recently. The weather has been strange! The prevailing wind has been out of the north almost every day. So it was back to burning some wood here which is never a problem as we always have so much of it.Wondering about my strange title today? Read on! It’s a current events kind of thing.

Dry conditions hinder the hay growth in the main meadow of the farm property.

The big news here this week that attracted international attention was the wildfires in Canada. Just across the border from here as it’s a mere 70 miles or so to Ottawa. Canada currently has hundreds of wildfires across the country. Many listed as out of control. What’s that got to do with life here in Macomb? Everything! Earlier last week a weather phenomenon pushed smoke from the wildfires in Quebec and Ontario down into the northeast of the United States. I stepped out of camp one morning and caught a whiff of smoke in the air. From someone’s camp wood stove I figured. I had been called into work at Fort Drum and on my early morning commute to work I noticed that the sun wasn’t visible. Strange as it wasn’t calling for rain. There was a heavy mist hanging over the ponds and wetlands that seemed out of place. The sky had an out of place look about it also. Shortly after arriving at work the sun appeared in a hazy sky. Bright red and beautiful actually. My coworkers then mentioned that it was due to the wildfires in Canada. All day the red sun crossed the sky hidden in the smoke that was blanketing the entire sky. I hadn’t watched the news or listened to the radio so I had totally been oblivious to all that was occurring!

At the job site.

After work I began to research the wildfires online. What I read was shocking and disturbing! Areas I knew from traveling the bush country were burning! One spot in particular caught my attention when I saw mention of the town of Clova, Quebec. I had history there having actually stayed overnight there. Clova was in danger of burning and no relief was possible according to what the news was saying. This tiny town is but a spot on a map. Only several dozen residents live there. But it’s a way station of sorts. A destination of hunters and fishermen headed further into the bush by floatplane in warmer months. A destination for snowmobilers in the winter. In 2013 my friend and I had spent the night in Clova so we could catch a floatplane out early the next morning to get to our fishing base camp on Lac Hebert. We had traveled over 100 miles on dusty,dirt logging roads to get there late in the afternoon. The bush country we traveled through was dotted with lakes from time to time but mostly just miles and miles of thick boreal forest. Meeting a vehicle was spooky as people drove way too fast. A flying rock chipped my windshield at one point as an impatient driver passed us on the narrow road. We learned to look off into the distance when we crested a hill to search for the dust clouds of approaching vehicles. Meeting a log truck was rather interesting! We stopped in the tiny crossroads of Parent for gas and bait before taking back off for Clova.In Clova we had booked a room in the old schoolhouse turned hotel so getting there was our main objective. Once we arrived in Clova we had to ask directions to the motel at the gas station. We were informed of its unmarked location nearby and that we could pay after we moved into our room right there. It seems it’s all part of the same enterprise. We were also informed there is only one restaurant in town.We were standing in it asking directions! It was a hub of activity also serving as a bar and small general store. The French people were mostly friendly and spoke English but communication lacked at times. The pace of life there was very laidback. Best not be in a hurry as seems to be our fashion down in the states. I envied their carefree, nonchalant mannerisms. So leg one of our journey was completed! After a few beers and dinner we retired to our room for the night. There was the constant rumble of the large town diesel generator that ran 24/7 to power the small community. I will leave this story here and return to it in the future as it’s a worthy MOONTABS tale of adventure. But now you know of my connection to Clova! And the reason for my concern. The fate of the town and our bush plane outfitter Air Tamarac remains unknown at the moment.

This area is/was in danger of burning from a nearby wildfire.

By Tuesday the smoke in our area was obviously noticeable and the air quality index reported unhealthy conditions. Everything had an eerie light about it with a thick haze of smoke very noticeable over the trees. The sunset was a brilliant red ball on the horizon. Wednesday returned with the same conditions as Tuesday. Everyone was talking about the smoke and the news here was dominated with reports. I continued to research the fires in Canada and studied the fire maps. A furtive plan began to percolate in my mind after reading about citizen volunteers being asked to assist with the wildfires that were plaguing Alberta. Could I become a volunteer? I began to search for an avenue to inquire. Thursday found our skies clearing although the cool weather remained similar to the preceding days. I made my first call that morning to an agency in Manitoba, Canada to offer my assistance. Things went as I expected. The gentleman I spoke with was polite in his response that volunteers were not a consideration due to liability. Ah the modern society of lawsuits and liabilities while thousands of Canadian hectares burned out of control. Surely a person could help in some safe capacity?

My first point of inquiry. Epic fail.

I had a busy day Thursday of annual blood tests,X-rays, and an ultrasound as has been the case since my cancer situation in 2009. Yet another story of my journey through life. A life changing event as I have posted about before.I didn’t get back to my quest for wildfire volunteering until Friday morning. I sent an email to Natural Resources Canada and got an auto generated response but hadn’t gotten any other information. Meanwhile the wildfire situation hasn’t improved to any degree. International firefighting professionals have been dispatched from several nations including the United States. That’s encouraging since Canada’s firefighter response teams are deployed at full capacity nationwide.With other countries experiencing wildfires it’s a taxing situation from what I’m reading. Isn’t there a less liability position that I assist with I keep asking myself? I wasn’t planning on jumping out of a helicopter like a Smokejumper professional. I have zero firefighting skills. But I can cook,drive,run a chainsaw,camp out in the forest,etc. Oh yeah! Running a chainsaw is a liability in the wrong hands when I think about it. I’ll sign a waiver then. A wildfire volunteer Hold Harmless Agreement. Do my part from a distance from the front lines (where I know I could endanger the professionals.) Please don’t take my frustration as negative or sarcastic! It’s painful watching all that forest burn! But there’s another consideration to be examined in that comment!

Research has taught me that wildfires have occurred for thousands of years across most of North America and much of the world. Often the result of lightning strikes coupled with super dry conditions they are a natural albeit destructive part of nature. But enter in the human factor which at the moment in Canada is responsible for about 50% of the current wildfire crisis ( fact check please!) a new twist enters the equation. Some scientists will quickly blame climate change for the hot,dry conditions in North America. No comment on that subject without further exhaustive research. I do know that a certain wood beetle that is killing boreal forest is contributing to the problem. I have seen it first hand in South Dakota as far back as 2012. The mountain pine beetle and related species have added fuel to the fires literally from their destructive life cycles. Perhaps wildfires might bring about the demise of their spread? The threads of research and opinions fan out in many different directions. Fire has been a constant in nature and as such must be a consideration in the natural cycles of the earth. It’s human habitation that often falls in the path of wildfires so the situation takes on something far more complicated then I can even fathom.Regardless of anything that’s a legitimate part of my concern. The places I know.The people we’ve met who live and make their living in the bush country. And the beautiful locations themselves. Birds and wildlife displaced. The clean waters that will be affected by post fire runoff. Nature is a mystery most certainly.

Smoky haze last Wednesday morning from Camp Edith. Black Lake,New York.

So that’s the latest on that situation. As for the rest of my current events? Busy at the farm with the old woodshed renovation. We have finished the demolition and cleanup after jacking it up onto 5 support piers. Zane and I got the new skid timbers into place yesterday. Things are moving along. We pulled some 2x material out of the haymow storage for the new floor that needs to go down. Three years since it was sawn and stickered up. There’s plenty of work remaining before the woodshed gets moved to its new location.

New skids in place.

So there’s lots going on at the farm property these days. I have been bush hogging select locations on the farm in our ongoing efforts to maintain and reclaim the upper land of the hill. It’s been productive and the trail system just beyond the gap is taking shape. The amount of post die off blowdown materials slow down the process however. But things are moving forward and the cooler weather has been good for working.

Opening up a small clearing on the hill. 3 years since that last occurred and it was very overdue.

I will follow up on the wildfire situation and my ongoing attempts to assist there. I did manage to get some volunteer time in Friday night at the TILT annual Zenda Farms Summer Picnic in Clayton,New York where I flipped hamburgers and hotdogs by the dozens alongside other volunteer grillers! If that didn’t earn me firefighter skills then it should have in my humble opinion! Lots of smoke and flame! Like I said I would gladly cook for all the hardworking firefighter professionals risking their lives in the wilds of Canada! I applaud their dedication! I wish them safety and success as this crisis continues on. The air is clear and fresh here today but I know it’s not the case above us! ✍️

Catching Up

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Spring is quickly beginning to feel more like summer recently! Last weeks hot spell was a little much as temperatures hit very close to 90 degrees! The two hottest days just happened to coincide with the two I was working on a construction project at Fort Drum. Brutal and energy sapping is a pretty good description!

Old school mercury thermometer.

There’s been quite a bit of work done around the farm recently. I finished the neighbor’s logs and the rest of my own salvage logs. The timbers that will be used for moving the wood shed are done and waiting to be installed. I got my neighbor’s 3400 Ford tractor started finally and used the wood splitter up on the warehouse landing to split up some of the stack of blocks leftover from last winter. There’s still a lot of work to be done to ever clear the landing. It probably won’t happen until fall now. It’s getting late to be messing around with firewood.

The foxes on Knowlton Farm Road.

Living at Camp Edith is handy given the short drive to the farm. Returning one evening I got to see one fox kit out hunting with one of its parents! Fun to watch before they disappeared into the tall grass. I wrote a funny Facebook post about the foxes allegedly getting my sister’s chickens last summer. I imagined a criminal case where I represented the foxes as their attorney and even a courtroom scene! I should try and copy it and get it onto this page! People found it entertaining and I had a lot of fun writing it!

I spent one Sunday burning a brush pile and cleaning up a huge dead maple across the main meadow next to the Long Narrow meadow. I worked for hours trying to get everything burned up. I also cleaned up a couple of fallen trees that were sticking into the meadows. I hope to connect the two meadows together in time for ease of maintenance and actual haying. There’s quite a few rocks to remove and some rather labor intensive grading to do as well. Getting rid of the big tree was a big improvement to my view as I constantly noticed it and considered it an eyesore. The wood wasn’t worth salvaging so burning was a great alternative. The remains of my fire smoldered for several days but there was no danger of it spreading anywhere.

Cleaning up with fire.

I spent some time later that week ripping up some invasive wild honeysuckle and clearing the trails along the high ground above the gap. The trails had become impassable.Blocked by fallen trees of all sizes it took me awhile to get them open again. I salvaged a porcupine damaged pine tree into a 26 foot long log that I skidded to the landing. I needed it for a project that I planned to do with Zane that Saturday.It was time to further his farm education in a real time practical sense. It involved me teaching him to run the sawmill to create lumber we would need for our project. It doesn’t get anymore practical then that!

Zane learns the basics of sawing.

If you’ve followed my Run Of The Mill posts then you already know much of my history of being an amateur sawyer and woodman. I felt it was time for Zane to become a fourth generation Washburn sawyer. With our new gravity log loader frame and sawmill in place there would never be a better time. We cut the 26 foot pine log into 3 pieces to maximize yield. The taper of a long log can really hurt your yield overall. We settled for a stocky 8 footer,a slim 10 footer, and a very crooked 8 footer from the top of the tree. The goal was simple: fill our small lumber order that we needed for our build that day. We needed 8 foot boards and a few 2×4’s. I helped Zane develop the “cants” that would make that happen. He caught on quickly and learned the saw scale that’s attached to the mill on craft his lumber.He was very proud of his accomplishments and said he truly enjoyed sawing lumber! It was a proud and happy moment for me! After log 3 we were finally caught up with all our saw logs! There was nothing left on the landing.

Focused on log one.

The project where we would use the lumber was behind the sugar house. Years ago we had built a lean-to there to hold 275 gallon bulk storage sap containers. We used them for a few years but once I retired I was always able to keep up with the boiling so we never needed them anymore. Zane and I decided to turn the lean-to into a storage area for all our sap buckets and misc. Once completed with walls and a door we could lock it up. So after framing in the door opening with 2×4’s we had just sawn, we sided it with the boards we had also just sawn. It was a good lesson for Zane and he was thrilled that we had made the lumber we needed to get our small job done!

Framing in the storage lean-to.

The final thing we needed was a door. I had told Zane that we would repurpose the single door that was on my Father’s old woodshed when we were building our rough opening for the lean-to door. We would also salvage its roller track runner. No hinges would be needed. The upcoming woodshed improvements phase out the old single door so it would live on in a new location. Everything went well and we closed out the day at that point.All we needed was a hasp and lock to finish the job.

The rustic looking repurposed door.

While we were at the sugar house I could hear the phoebes in the trees nearby. I went inside to check on the nest and there were 4 baby birds inside.The phoebe nests in this spot every spring.Pretty neat to know that the sugar house provides a safe nesting location for the birds!

Phoebe babes.

Since then it’s been all about doing some work for our friend as a side project and getting back onto the commercial job site at Fort Drum last week. Zane and I cut up all the slab wood from the saw logs Saturday. It’s now inside drying out for next sugaring season. Along with some odds and ends I managed to get done. Little by little it will add up although we will probably end up needed to cut more next fall. This is going to be a busy summer. We started our next project late Saturday afternoon. It’s a challenging one! The moving of the old woodshed to a new location in the sugarbush. It all started with cleanup of old bark that covered a big section of its floor. Shoveled into the tractor’s loader bucket it was easy to dump onto a future burn pile. Sections of the floor were rotted so they were added to the burn pile as well. Next we began jacking up the structure and blocking it in place. That’s where we left off by Saturday night. Much more to do!

It’s not as bad as it looks!

Saving the woodshed is not a new idea for me. Three summers ago I brought power to it as well as our recovered underground water line that goes out to the old spring. I had planned to convert the building into a combination bath house,laundry, and kitchen area. But the feasibility of the build was not really sensible.But I had no desire to tear down the woodshed as it was basically sound except for the floor aand foundation.Not to mention my Father had built it so I wanted to preserve it. Having a woodshed is handy and functional at the farm property. We use the old granary for a woodshed at the moment. The bath house project will be revealed once we begin on it.For now we will focus on getting the woodshed moved. Watch for it!

Jacking it up with a “Bulldog” farm Jack. 8000 lb capacity.

So this sort of catches you up to our recent activities! There’s no exciting adventures or mountain hikes. No camping or fishing. Just hours of tedious manual labor that will eventually usher in a new chapter of farm living. It will see the completion of the camper hookup site. Winter bathroom facilities and much more. But we’ve taken time to enjoy morel hunting. Cooking meals and desserts at Camp Edith. Day to day details of the sort that most of us engage in. I have been reading more and have watched no Tv here at camp. I took the time to do a little maintenance mowing with the bush hog at the farm as well. There’s always something to and something to fix. That’s the price of owning buildings and property. But Zane’s excited at our new progress and where it’s all headed. Follow our projects and don’t worry! There’s plenty of upcoming adventures planned. Upgrading the farm property is long overdue so it’s time!

Mowing on the hill.

The Thrill Of The Mill

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We are just warming up again today after a cold snap of several days where the wind stayed in the north. I had to bring additional firewood from the farm twice to make Camp Edith warm enough to stay here. Wednesday night the temperatures dropped to 30 degrees! Pretty chilly for mid May.Fortunately we always seem to have an abundance of firewood to choose from at the farm. Up on the warehouse landing there was a nice selection of split mixed lengths and sizes. It was a good time to use up some of that mixed collection as I am hoping to clean up the landing later this year. It’s gotten rather messy. So I brought back smalls,weirds,and low grade pieces we call devil’s rejects. Weirds are quite simply odd shaped chunks that don’t stack well. Smalls are short chunks. Funny how we have our own lingo for firewood!

The warehouse landing last fall.

I recently got back to work on a project that Zane and I started almost two years ago. The side hill just below the log landing was a perfect location to build a gravity log loading platform for the sawmill. First I brought in some sandy roadside dirt the town had given me to level the sawmill site. Then I dragged up an old power pole that the power company had abandoned behind the barn to construct the main runner of the log loader system. I attached one end to a huge hickory tree as an anchor point and built piers out of cement blocks for the other supports. I even utilized a tree stump that I had saved for one of the supports. It should last for quite a few years hopefully.

The main runner.

I then backed the sawmill up parallel to the main runner and lifted it to remove the wheels that make it portable. I got it all leveled into place eventually and stationary on its six posts. This is tricky when working alone but I used the tractor’s loader for the heavy work. A small hydraulic bottle jack works well for fine tuning and leveling. I was making progress and quit for the day after spending several hours to reach that point.

The power of hydraulics and rigging.

The next step involved skidding in another salvaged power pole that would be sawn into planks for the perpendicular runners.Shorter five feet long 3×4’s would be sawn for the removal planks that enable the logs to be rolled onto the mill. I modeled my design after the one my father and I had built years ago at another property. In time we had added a building over top of the sawmill there and it was a nice set up to work under rain or shine! Not to mention a nice place to store the mill under cover. But before I could saw I needed to get the mill running as it has sat idle since last summer. I had bought a new sale priced battery so that was a plus. While connecting the battery I noticed that the squirrels had been chewing on some of the wiring and had chewed a small hole in the gas tank! Damn rodents and their destructive habit of chewing everything. I taped up the damaged wires as best I could. I then choked the engine and turned the key. The mill started almost immediately! I warmed it up some before ramping it up to full throttle. What a sweet noise and things were going well! I did notice some organic debris flying out of the engine compartment and fished a few pieces out but saw nothing to concern me. I managed to get all the planks sawed out from the salvaged power poles before stopping again for the day.

Sawing the planks.

The next time I was at the farm I got the planks in place but lacked the 6” nails I needed to secure them. Not concerned I rolled a log onto the mill and got started with the making of my neighbor’s lumber. I did a second log but started being harassed by a bumblebee who seemed intent on getting inside the engine compartment. I soon learned that there was a nest inside and although only one bee was after me I could hear others inside buzzing away. The engine smelled a little hot also. It was time to rethink the whole situation. I built a crib to stack the lumber on to get it “stickered” up so it would dry properly. Lumber stacked on lumber will mold and a stain known as gray rot will discolor the lumber. Ants also love to occupy us stickered lumber piles. The crib took a little time to build but not knowing when my neighbor was planning on using the lumber it drove my decision to build it.

The cribbed lumber on 1×1 stickers.This was day two of sawing lumber.

The cool morning Thursday prompted me to dissemble the sawmill engine compartment. Easy with a socket set as there were only 8 bolts to remove. The bumblebees were silent so that was a plus. Upon removing the engine compartment shroud I discovered a large bees nest! I pulled most of it out in one piece and the bees began to buzz in earnest! I tossed it onto the ground and gave it a good stomping. Next I lit it on fire with my blowtorch. Mission accomplished! I finished cleaning out the remainder of the nest being sure to burn it as well. I also found a separate mouse nest that I removed and added to the smoldering honeycomb from the bees nest. Inside the engine compartment I found more chewed wires that I taped up. I reassembled the engine compartment after doing a thorough cleaning and inspection. Now I could actually start sawing again. Delays like this are quite often a daily occurrence around the farm so it’s best to just shrug it off and move forward. Nature sure does challenge all we create!

Bumblebee invasion!
Mouse invasion!

I quickly settled into sawing logs after that. I had fastened the planks down on Wednesday having purchased some 6” spikes from a local lumber yard. The gravity log loader system was a success and I used the tractor to set up the row of logs that would be rolled forward onto the mill. I was feeling pretty good at this point and glad that things were going smoothly. The mill was running smoothly and I lost myself to the task at hand to the roar of the 25 horsepower Robins Subaru engine. My hearing protection is a necessity as is eye protection. The slab wood was tossed over onto the tractor loader forks so it could easily be transported to outside the sugar house a short distance away. The plan had finally come together! Everything was in place to work quickly and efficiently. I lacked but one thing: a tailer. A tailer handles the slab wood and the finished lumber so the sawyer can keep the mill cranked up and making lumber. Zane will soon be working as my tailer and as my apprentice sawyer. He wants to learn the craft of making lumber. I often think of sawing lumber as creating and I will explain shortly.

Slab wood headed to the sugar house pile to be cut up later.

By late afternoon I was beginning to feel glimmers of fatigue. Our saw mill is very manual. It uses hydraulics for the blade tensioner only. Everything else gets done by hand. Rolling the logs on is done manually. Rotating the logs also manual. Manual raising and lowering head blocks. Head blocks hold the logs in place and must be adjusted several times while sawing a log. The log leveler rollers are also manual. As are the “dogs”. The dogs hold the log or cant firmly so it can’t move around. The high speed blade can easily break if a log gets loose. As for the “head” itself it consists of a frame, the engine, belts, pulleys,debark wheel, and the measurement gauge. Our mill uses a wheel and track head system to feed the blade into the log. The operator manually controls the feed rate by pushing the head assembly forward. It’s a very effective way to control cuts and minimize making poor lumber. There’s all sorts of further information about the mill itself but I feel that readers might find it boring. Suffice it to say that the Brubacher saw mill designers really put some thought into this small, portable band saw mill! Perhaps a instructional video some day might be in order!

A small white pine cant that just made 10 2×6’s. Note the track system that the head assembly rides along.

Making lumber is a wonderful workout for the upper body! The legs get some walking in but the upper body really does the most work. I like the bullish nature of such things and my mind will detour from worrisome meandering as I focus on the task at hand. There’s plenty of opportunities for injury so focus is a good word truly.As for the logs themselves they are truly unique. Tapered and sometimes crooked. The sawyer must read the log to make the most lumber from it. Mistakes are final in regards to dimensions as well after a cut is made. I was a little rusty at first but my mind soon entered the zone of kerfs and scales. The bandsaw blade makes an 1/8th inch cut each time. Kerf it’s called. The scale rule on the head allows for that kerf automatically as it’s built into the scale. Random cuts though involve adding the kerf to each measurement. Forget the kerf and the sawyer makes inferior non dimensional lumber. It’s easy once you train your mind to the process.Working in 1/8th increments isn’t too difficult after all.

The logs headed towards the mill on the gravity log loader. The short planks span the final 5 feet. Removed once a log is rolled onto the mill.

Getting set up finally on the farm for log sawing is a great accomplishment for me! Our location should provide years of efficient and save sawing. Of course I now have been thinking about a saw mill building to cover the location similar to the one we once had at our former home several miles away. Oh what a location that was! Acres upon acres of white pine to cull and utilize. But life happened and we moved to the farm property after our father’s unexpected death. We couldn’t hold all the property. Simple finances ruled the moment. That story is blended into these blog pages here and there. Perhaps redundant but redundancy can represent the importance of certain things I feel provided it’s not over done. It’s all connected this journey of mine regardless of where you jump into the stories. Backwards,forwards, and in the present. One event linked to another in a chain of events. Nature always near the forefront. Rural heritage learned and shared as it should be. It is a story of blood,sweat, and tears. Ordinary that sometimes becomes extraordinary. I don’t always know where the journey leads or what exactly comes next. I do know that when I embrace the push bar of the sawmill and crack the throttle I will be rewarded with fragrant sawdust in tune with a racing saw blade while the engine roars with powerful purpose. I’ve spent hours locked in these moments and the memories play like movies from the past. It’s never just sawing lumber. It is something far greater. For what limits what could be built or created with such a useful piece of machinery? What might rise on the farm property that could insure its legacy and that of mere individuals? As too why are we even sawing logs for our neighbor? That’s entirely another story. Yet to be told as it’s not finished. And time passes with every season and a sense of urgency sometimes stirs up the spirit energy. Not going there tonight.✍️

The Mysterious Morels

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It’s a chilly May morning here at Camp Edith and the first thing I did this morning was light the wood stove! I just moved in full time on Thursday but hadn’t needed any heat. But the wind shifted to the north yesterday and despite the sunny skies the temperature began to drop. I piled on extra blankets last night and it paid off as it was 57 degrees inside this morning.

Spring is moving right along and we’re as busy as ever post sugaring season. We still have some clean up to do and lots of sugar wood to cut for next season. I don’t always get as much done as I want sometimes when I get caught up in the myriad of life’s small details. Perhaps I dwell too much on forward progress. But the seasons pass quickly and a comfortable balance must be struck. We manage to spend plenty of time outdoors and that’s never considered anything but positive. Zane will soon graduate high school and his future plans suddenly enter the mix in a newer sense of reality. But that’s another story for another day. It’s a story tied to my future and my own plans ultimately connected to nature. Almost intimidating at times. A journey of unknowns and possibilities. Time will sort it out. One day at a time.

Grass Lake outing recently.

What’s all this got to do with morels? Plenty! The hunt for them began last Saturday in earnest.Too early people were saying but we had scored big time May 4th 2021 so I decided that May 6th was worth a try. So off we went after changing the oil in the Honda side by side. A post sugaring task that was overdue. We headed to our usual spots and the search was on! We brought a shovel and a bucket to dig leeks as well. Also a paper sack for chives. Time for some of Zane’s chive/leek dip again! Forager pizza also but we needed some mushrooms! The search was slow at first but I finally spotted 2 in an old favorite spot!

Well hidden!

We picked the two small morels for our pizza that we would make later regardless of our success. We checked out a new spot and were rewarded with 5 more small morels. Not a huge collection but enough for our pizza. We left several other small ones to grow and continued our search. Despite covering a large area we found no others. We collected a nice bunch of chives and leeks before heading to Camp Edith for the night. I got the water turned on there fairly quickly so it was easy to prep dinner. We had washed the leeks at the farm spring to get rid of most of the dirt so that proved helpful.

Quick wash at the old spring!

Dinner was a success! The dip was superb as was the forager pizza! So morel season had truly begun! If you want a better understanding of morels check out the blog post: Bugs,Brush,and Brown Gold that I wrote a couple years ago. It provides some insight into our foraging hobby.

I worked at Fort Drum Monday and Tuesday so it was Wednesday before I returned to search for more morels. Zane was in school and had piano lessons that evening so I headed out alone. I went to what I suspected might be this years hotspot and was rewarded with a nice collection of smaller morels. A few big ones but overall they were running a little small. A close examination of their bases revealed that they were fully rip and needed to be harvested.The morel’s stem will turn a dark brown when fully ripe. A sign that it’s about to tip over. Some morels are a darker species anyway and grow somewhat smaller. The tan ones can get rather large under the right conditions. I was on a roll and a second nearby new location yielded more! I left a number of small ones to pick the next time Zane would be with me.

Decent picking!

I spend the rest of the afternoon searching for more morels in a variety of places but only found 7 more total. But it’s still early in the season so I wasn’t disappointed at all. I had sprayed my clothes and boots with tick repellent prior to entering the woods. I flicked a few off my pants but managed to escape any attaching themselves to me. They are the scourge of foraging and cling to the low brush everywhere. Not using repellent is a bad idea! I like a brand called Ben’s and find it very effective!

Good repellent for ticks.

Wednesday evening found me cleaning the morels. It involves halfing them and soaking the pieces in cold water with salt. Halving and washing them will reveal any ants or other insects that might have burrowed inside the morel. It’s fairly common to find insects inside a morel. No big deal really. After cleaning my prizes I stored some of them in layers in a plastic container. Layered in moist paper towels they will last a few days in the refrigerator. The rest I pan fried with butter and a little olive oil. I add plenty of salt and pepper as well. I had a plan for them! Mushroom and Muenster cheese burgers! Yum! Of course I ate a few hot ones right out of the pan!Wow! What a treat!

This is the best!

So Friday came and Zane was eager to hunt mushrooms after school. We hit the new hotspot and the haul was significant! He’s great at spotting them. He uses the “drop down” technique we’ve learned works the best for finding them hidden under the ground cover of leaves and small trees. At risk for ticks but with treated pants and boots it’s fairly safe. We both had containers that filled quickly at the hotspot before we headed off to other locations. Our harvest was small at the other spots however. But we knew that the early season could change that so any location where a couple were found will be revisited again. The two spots that were last year’s hotspots have only yielded a few so far.It’s a fickle business of searching this hobby of ours! Always checking new locations and hoping for the mother lode! We cover a big expanse of ground to get a decent collection most days. The side by side speeds up the process of getting around though and helps with the tick avoidance situation.

Nice sized collection!

Back at Camp Edith it was cleaning time. Zane cut one open that was full of ants! I quickly took it outside to dispose of them. No harm done and the morel was added to the salt water bath. They were pretty much insect free after that. We stored some away and cooked up the rest. Zane was eager to try my mushroom and cheese burgers! A hit so sure!

Charcoal grilled to perfection!

So that’s the story here as morel season begins once again. We’ll continue our searching and dodging the nasty disease carrying ticks. Last season we had our first success around May 10th. Our final harvest was May 20th. But we didn’t spend the time hunting last year that we intend to do this year. I was living in the Adks in the camper for part of May and missed some of the short morel season. I think I will head out today and search some new places.Why not? It’s sunny and cool so maybe the black flies won’t bother so much.There’s a blissful contentment in the search for the brown gold. A sudden rush when you spot one hiding in the leaves. A wonderful smell when your container gets full. A sense of connection as you clean them and add them to your dinner menu. And of course the taste bud explosion when you eat them! As I like write here these simple words: to have never known certain things is to have missed something extraordinary. The morel mushroom provides a powerful connection to nature. One of season and one of purpose. A place where spirit energy surges with new growth and something much more profound. The hunter gatherer relationship with the forest and waterways. Never to destroy or deplete the source but to enjoy a little of it. It’s truly something amazing to me. A place where bonding and teaching others builds long lasting traditions and memories. We call those memories MOONTABS !!

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The group of seven!

Coming Out Of Orbit

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Sugaring season finally ended this week as temperatures hit the high seventies. Unseasonably warm for April. The time has passed in a blur since my last post but that’s just the norm for syrup season.Call it the daily grind of dedication where writing doesn’t occur.The comfortable orbit of routine held steady while things continued to slowly warm up after the third week of March. The snow steadily disappeared especially after a big rain storm one night.Things were transforming quickly!

The haul roads move from snow to mud.

It’s been a good season overall. The weather cooperated well with cool nights and days that rarely passed the mid forties initially. There was a persistent breeze from the north that held temperatures down and quite a few cloudy periods.Rather perfect for decent sap flow and our gathers remained fairly steady. The evaporator repairs held together and our syrup count increased with each boil. Things were getting done and we established an effective gathering strategy of our string that eventually reached 530 taps. We added several new mini-tubing runs on some hard to reach ridge lines and they produced well late into the season.Good sap runs would yield about 400 gallons of sap. We had a mixed crew to help with the gathering with people assisting as their schedules allowed.Patrick Bourcy creator of the Facebook group Just Go Outside brought his daughter Lilly over to help one Saturday and she had a blast! We had the gathering string figured out and always managed to get the work done. Feeling tired by the end of the day was to be expected but it was a good type of exhaustion! Some aspects of our seasonal hobby never change.

Girl power! Jen,Rebecca,and Lilly.

As the snow melted away it became very muddy and the sap haul roads were a mess! Pretty typical. We had to abandon our snowy shortcuts across the meadow and take the longer road route to avoid the mud. Things were beginning to look much different throughout the sugarbush with pockets of snow remaining in certain sections. Some of the trees began to run less sap and I decided that we would need to add some additional taps to keep the intake consistent. I chose some reserve trees in the two meadows on “the hill” as we call it. We would end up using the side by side to gather them to avoid meadow damage from the much heavier tractor. It worked out well.We chased the last of the snow into the sheltered pines where the sap ran clear and plentiful. Call it a boost into a new orbit of routine.

Chasing the snow to reach the reserve trees.

The signs began to show themselves as the season progressed. Yellow sap from the smaller maples and trees that shut down entirely. The larger maples of the string began to truly release their sap and held the sap quota fairly consistent. We began to start pulling a few nonproductive buckets along the string and Jen nicknamed them “ kicked buckets”. A name that stuck. Zane and I would sometimes work alone on the late gather after his school day had ended. I would yell “kick it” whenever I decided to pull a bucket. It’s a favorite beginning to several songs I like so that’s why I was doing it. He quickly tired of it even if I didn’t. Levity is an important part of making tedious work less boring I feel. A strategy I have used for years on the construction sites to survive the long days of often menial task. Zane and I would talk about all sorts of things while we worked. I enjoyed this part of my days. He’s my apprentice of all things rural heritage. He’s still young and has lots to learn but that’s the way of things.

Lids dropped in by gatherers. Sign for a kicked bucket.

I watched the weather forecasts closely and tried to gauge whether we would meet our goal of 100 gallons of syrup. 530 taps should have been plenty to accomplish that but the weather was changing quickly and sugaring is a fickle business at times. Years ago it was very different and the seasons seemed to last longer. The old timers rule of one quart of syrup per tap for the season no longer applies these days. 400 good taps can produce 100 gallons of syrup with an ideal season. We tap more these days to compensate for a much more compressed season. The quality of the syrup has been superb! Amber Rich grade held for much of the season but eventually the Dark Robust grade was reached towards the end. Very normal and we began filling the 30 gallon stainless steel commercial barrel to sell on the open syrup market. The commercial grade syrup will usually generate enough cash to cover our operating expenses. As I watched the forecast I realized that we might not hit 100 gallons of syrup. Time was short now. But one small window of opportunity was coming before the season reached its conclusion. 4 frosty nights and sunny warm days. I knew our old string would continue to produce sap but not enough. Kicked buckets were continuing to be brought in. We would need to call in further reserve trees for a few days.They would be scattered and few but they were available in the area we call “behind the barn”.

A huge reserve tree on the Tail End String.

I set out on a Thursday morning and pulled in 50 plus kicked buckets from the original string. The reserve tree string on the hill had been a good decision and they had ran well. They were time consuming to gather but kept a nice flow coming in. I knew it was a lot of work to tap more trees for just a few days of sap flow but was gambling for a payoff. I suppose part of me wasn’t ready for the season to end. That stubborn side that likes to achieve goals. Bullish and foolish at times. Prone to impulsive decisions that add more work to an already busy routine. I had considered the options carefully I felt so I set the plan into motion. Using the pulled kicked buckets I set tapped 54 new taps on some nice big survivor maples that had beat the 2016/2017 die off.They had once been part of a couple different strings that we had ran years ago. So spread out though that it wouldn’t make sense to tap them under normal circumstances. These were not normal circumstances. I called them the Tail End String.

Bringing in the kicked buckets to redeploy.

It was a very warm day for tapping and the sap burst from the fresh taps like it was under pressure. Very encouraging and I was fueled by the possibilities. 54 were added before Zane showed up to help gather the old string. We pulled in a bunch of kicked buckets and about all that remained were our mini-tubes. We left scattered buckets along the string that were still producing but our number of old taps was greatly diminished. The new plan was in place and the sun set on another day.

Until tomorrow.

The weather cooperated and we were able to continue to bring in additional sap due to the new taps. Last Monday we brought in everything that had been our original string gathering sap along the way. The new taps were kept in until Tuesday for one final gather. The Tail End String was a success. Tuesday’s boil yielded a few gallons of super dark syrup that I plan to use in crafting our Moonbeams hard cider that we are working to create. Wednesday found me working late getting set up for the final boil where water is ran through the evaporator to push the final gallons of syrup sap through. The final boil yielded an additional 4 gallons of syrup by 10:30 pm before I literally tapped out and had to quit for the day. It was over! At least the tapping,gathering,and boiling part of sugaring. Next was the cleanup. Just another part of our labor intensive hobby!

Headed to the conclusion.

In reflection I realize that this brief post doesn’t even cover the reality that was the syrup season of 2023. It doesn’t accurately describe the true emotions,the routine,or the mind numbing fatigue that ensued. But those things exist in other posts written in different times and under different circumstances. The true connections of this season still haven’t had time to completely catch up to me I feel. The magic happened and it exists in the numerous jugs of carefully crafted product that brings smiles to our customers faces. It lives in their comments to me. It lives in our hearts,photos, and in our memories. For in the midst of the conclusion of this sugaring season something more was thrown into our schedule by some sudden decisions. It’s destined for an upcoming post. It was a push but also successful in its purpose. Some things in life can not wait forever nor should the voice of spirit energy be ignored. The forward momentum begs its place in schedules.

The sugar house woodshed is almost empty! A sign of a successful season.

I dedicate this post to the members of the newly formed Macomb Sapsuckers Local 1545. A joke of sorts but one of recognition. Without the efforts of our volunteer gathering crew none of this would be possible. I thank Zane for stepping up and partnering with me. I thank Jen for pitching in for her fifth season of tireless assistance. They are the big two workers of our tiny operation. I also thank Rebecca and Randy Reynolds,Gail Gardner,Patrick and Lilly Bourcy,and Scott Force for helping us achieve our goals. I also thank our neighbor Tom whose woods produce a good portion of our sap. I cherish my unwritten agreement with him that we honor each season now. Fairness and honesty bring favorable outcomes. We truly shared some memorable moments together! As for me I am stronger and more fit then I was on February 27th. The first day. Proud of what we accomplished. Tired and ready for a break from the routine. And as securely grounded in my rural heritage as ever.We made things happen! Our tired iron held together once again. Who knows what comes next. But spring will come again next year and the sap will rise again. And I hope to be able to begin the whole process again.I leave you with my personal quote. “For each person there will be but a finite number of syrup seasons to enjoy ”.Best not miss them in my humble opinion.✍️

Launched!

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Today is the first day of spring and sugaring is moving along nicely. We had some evaporator issues the first time we boiled when my repairs to the back flue pan failed to hold. We lost some sap but I was able to fire down with no further damage luckily. The good folks at Mud Lake Stalls in Hammond were able to weld it back into service luckily. It was an anxious moment for me and our entire season was on the line! It was a chore to get it over to them and involved disassembling the front pan before we remove the back pan. Needless to say we got back online with no time to spare.

4×10 evaporator.

Prior to the evaporator issues we had continued to set taps and had reached a count of 400 plus. Mostly buckets but a few mini-tubes as well. Mini-tubes pick up trees on the steeper ridges where gathering buckets would be difficult. They are removed post season and then washed. They are time consuming to build but save time gathering.

Mini-tube collection containers.

We had collected about 400 gallons of sap before my first failed boiling attempt on March 8th. On Friday March 10th we launched our first successful boil after reinstalling the repaired flue pan in the late afternoon. Everything went smoothly after that and we were able to get 2 gallons of syrup before we ran out of sap. The first boil rarely yields much syrup as the entire evaporator has all fresh sap. One it’s “set up” it will yield about 2 gallons of syrup every hour.

The first boil.

We needed to use the truck’s inverter to power the sugar house lights once darkness hit. Zane and I enjoyed the moment and our season that truly launched! We took numerous photos and videos throughout the evening. It had been quite a busy week! The continued setting of taps. One very cold gathering night where we had difficulty getting the sap out of the buckets that lasted until 8pm followed by the breached flue pan that had to be repaired. But that Friday night found us entering the comfortable orbit where routine would be securely established. The weather was cooperating with cold nights and warm days. The snow was holding and there had been no wild temperature spikes. For the first time since starting sugaring I began to relax a bit.

The night boil.

It looks like it’s going to warm up quite a bit this week and we expect most of the snow to melt. We have already been into some mud but it’s going to get much worse! We are producing some good quality maple syrup and have been able to keep up with the sap flow. The season is progressing and it’s anybody’s guess when it’s going to end. We are still building more mini-tube runs and our tap count is around 550. We could find ourselves buried in sap shortly. But our little team of workers pulls together and so far we have been able to keep up. It’s time to get moving and check on the taps. Maybe the gather can wait until tomorrow. I won’t know until I get there. It’s always a gamble!

The gathering crew hard at work.