January like weather on Thursday. Early morning temps in the low single digits and not getting much above 20. Today we did a little roll packing, mainly to pack out Suicide Hill and prepare for snows to come. Later afternoon we were out checking the trails and skiing was not bad on Suicide. Definitely some rough and thin spots getting out there but a beautiful day in the woods and great to be gliding through the woods and enjoying the crisp temps.
The snow covering the trails is a great start as this snow should stick with cooler temps forecasted and a nice little base for the next snowfalls. Once we receive 2-3″ of dense snow, we will resume packing and grooming the trails.
A typical Spring week with warm May like temps to start followed by cold February like temps the end of the week and 4″ of snow Friday night! With last nights snow, the total for the season is at 98″!! This does not include the 6″ we had in October.
This week we had a tracking conference and the weather was perfect for them…dry! The group was training for tracking footsteps through the woods. The snow is gone from the woods after one last ski on Suicide Hill Tuesday morning on the last remaining bit. It froze hard enough Thursday morning to provide a small window for mountain biking on the trails. However, we are at least 2 weeks away from the mountain bike trails being open, provided mostly dry weather. The ice on the lake is always a good indicator and Little Sugarbush is still locked in with just a couple feet of open water from the edges. There has been a lot of waterfowl on the move but no signs or sounds of any loons.The woods are alive with the sounds and a few sights of Spring. Lot of wood ducks enjoying the excess water in the woods.
April 16th: Top of Suicide Hill fully covered from last nights snowfall of 4-5"April 16th: Yet another April ski!
Riding on the mountain bike course Thursday morning. Made possible by mid 20's freezing down the trail. The trails are not dry enough for riding yet. High water in Bullhead bay. Record levels.
Maplelag creek running steady from the Spring melt.
Despite the warm weather this week, the woods and most of the trails still holding on to some snow. The skiing is starting to wind down for sure but still enough coverage here and there for us diehards to get out in the woods. Monday was an amazing day for skiing in April. The weather has been good for the sap to run from the maple trees. We no longer collect sap but many of the locals in the area collect sap to boil down for syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup!! The lake is still thick with ice and we will be lucky to have ice out by the end of this month. Last year the ice was off on April 2nd! It is great to see the signs of spring. The waterfowl is on the move looking for open water (no sounds of loons yet) and the long days and intense sunshine on the clear days is heartening.
Total snowfall this past season was 94″. We are closed for the season. Thanks to everyone who came to Maplelag this season making it another great year. The trails will open for mountain biking once the
End of Skaters Waltz Friday morning, April 8th, 2001. Still mostly covered with snow despite warm temps this week.
