03/17/2022
Today was our first day of sugar maple tapping. This morning started off with a light drizzle of rain, which was calming and not too cold. A sugarbush has always looked serene in the mist and I enjoyed it greatly. The deep, heavy snow (no more light sugar-snow with the rising temps, rain, and melting conditions) kept us plenty warm while getting wet, enough to take the rain jackets off. Eventually, the drizzle stopped and the wind picked up, just enough to dry us out, but not make us cold. Later yet, pockets of blue sky appeared and the sun peeked through the clouds, making for a lovely ending to a very satisfying day. We got over 700 taps placed with the help of 4 tappers: ourselves (Jason and Cree) along with friends John Bonde and Nikki Dotson. We will stick with it through this weekend, hopefully getting all 2,500 trees tapped within 4-5 days. Tapping brings out the best in me, and the best in life. It is this big, monumental, and exhausting task we do annually, but it is also a right of passage, a seasonal transition, and pure satisfaction. I don't know precisely why the act of tapping sugar maples feels like such a sacred act, though I can venture to guess many of the reasons, but it really does feel that way, at least to the Cree's and Jason's of the world. 🍁
