So, who knows how maple syrup is made? I sure didn't know before I came out to Vermont- Maple Syrup Capitol USA. Prior to living in VT I had always used fake syrup on my pancakes, waffles, etc. Sometimes maybe I splurged on a $6 glass bottle of mass produced syrup made in Canada somewhere. Most syrup you buy at the store isn't even syrup, its just high fructose sugar that looks like something resembling syrup. The higher end stuff in the glass bottles is real maple syrup, but is what is considered "Fancy Grade". Over the months I have learned a bit about how maple syrup is actually made. I've also enjoyed real maple syrup, made by my fiancee's cousin Chuck. Let me say that I will NEVER use anything other than pure Vermont maple syrup anymore. Yesterday I had the chance to visit Chuck's sugar house and see the process of producing maple syrup.

Chuck's Sugar House. Notice the steam spilling out the top.

Chuck stoking the fire. Sap is boiled in a large pan above a raging fire. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. The sap is boiled for a period of time until enough of the water content is removed and the sap reaches the proper density.

Me holding maple syrup samples. Starting on the left is Fancy Grade. In the beginning of the season the syrup that is made is usually Fancy and progresses through the season to Grade B Dark. From left to right: Fancy, Light Grade A Amber, Medium Grade A Amber, Dark Grade A Amber, Grade B (cooking syrup). Most people enjoy Fancy or light Grade A. These are sweeter, grade B is darker and is an acquired taste, most Vermonters prefer Grade B.

The pan that the sap is boiled in

Syrup being poured into filters. This syrup will be filtered once more before it is bottled.

This is where all the sap lines converge. You can't tell in this photo, but sap is pouring out of the tubes and draining into a huge (500 gallon) tank. This little window is used to see at what rate the sap is flowing.

Me (looking a bit silly) drinking sap. Maple sap looks and tastes just like water. I always imagined the sap to be viscuous and amber colored, but nope.

Sap lines. The trees are tapped with a plastic spout, which is connected to a piece of tubing. This tubing then connects with larger diameter tubing which runs all the way to the sugar house. Chuck tapped about 1400 trees this year.

Another photo showing the sugar house with the sap lines connecting into the tank. The large black tube is connected to a large vacuum, which helps pull the sap to the tank. The sap is then connected to another tank (located on the right, near the building).

I found all this to be very interesting. I never really knew how maple syrup was made so it was cool to see the process first hand. This morning I went out with Chuck and we checked a bunch of the sap lines for leaks. Squirrels like to knaw on the lines and sometimes the taps crack open, which affects the pull of the vacuum. So we fixed a bunch of the lines and he taught me a lot about sugaring (the technical term for the process of making maple syrup).

Mt. Washington (New Hampshire) had been on my Northeast climbing tick list since I arrived out here in November. I finally had the oppurtunity to attempt it in late March. Usually Mt. Washington has brutal weather, with wind speeds in excess of 100mph and temperatures regularly below -30F. Fortunately I enjoyed beautiful spring conditions with temperatures in the 40's and moderate winds. My climbing partner and I hiked up the well packed trail towards Huntington Ravine, which is chock full of alpine ice gullies.



The above photo shows a few of the gullies. The gully left of center is Odell's Gully (II WI 2/3), the gully in the center is Central Gully (Easy Snow). Shooting off from Central Gully is Pinnacle Gully (which is not visible from this angle). Pinnacle Gully is the classic Northeast ice climb. Pinnacle Gully (III WI3) includes 4 pitches of awesome ice climbing with a real alpine feel.

This is me on the approach up into Huntingto Ravine. The approach follows a wide snow cat trail, and eventually leads to moderate snow slopes up to the gullies.

This is the first pitch of Pinnacle Gully. A great pitch.

Take a number...There were quite a few parties ahead of us. We waited in line for about a half an hour. I've never climbed in an alpine environment with so many people.

Leading up the first pitch (WI3)

Adam following the second pitch

Adam leading the third pitch. This pitch had some severe dinner plating

Back in Huntington Ravine. Yale Gully and Damnation Gully are visible behind me (both are in thin conditions). A great day on Mt. Washington.