I sit here in Tanner, WV, wondering why? Why, why, why is it so cloudy? The sun was shining on the day I arrived: One of those 50-60 degree days in January that do happen upon occasion. The forecast was for highs in the upper 30s into the 40s, with lows below freezing for the next two weeks. There was supposed to be sunshine on some of the days. Freeze-Thaw events, I thought. I learned at the Southern Syrup Research Symposium last fall that January 10th is the typical tapping day in West Virginia. But the forecast was a big tease. It rarely reached the projected high temperature, and if it did, it was just for a minute.
Why didn’t I know about this?
When my parents retired and moved from Newport News Virginia to the house on Croagh Patrick (the name, I believe, was given to our hill by my grandfather, Dr. Patrick W. Gainer), I lived in Elkridge, Maryland, where I still reside most of the year. In order to get here from there, I have to cross some high mountains in Western Maryland, or some higher mountains on Route 33 in West Virginia. In Western Maryland, there are warning signs for travelers about the severe weather! There is often fog, rain, snow and wind. Intimidated, I decided that I would spend Thanksgiving with my parents, but I would spend Christmas with my husband’s family, and I would not come back to Tanner until March or April. This explains why I did not know about Januaries in Tanner. Now I feel for my poor Mom, being stuck here with no sunshine all month. I remember her mood always lightened around Groundhog Day.
I am not sure why it is so cloudy in January, but my neighbor said it is, and my research confirmed it. There is about a 70% percent chance of clouds in January, and January 11th is the cloudiest day of the year in Gilmer County. I suspect that, as with the summer-morning-fog, it has to do with the orographic lift. We are in the western foothills of the Alleghany Mountains. The cool air at the high mountains tends to push the clouds down, or something. It causes more rain and snow. Meanwhile the eastern side of the mountains is in a “rain shadow”. A man at the symposium was from Highland County, Virginia, and he likened it to a desert.
Actually, Mom never complained about the winter, that I recall. She made the best of the time by reading, writing novels and articles about classical music, and playing her flute. She curled up in a wing-back chair with a cat and was happy as she could be. So it never occurred to me that the winters were much worse than Elkridge winters. Yes, I knew there was more snow here. But one always thinks of snow on the day after, with the sun glinting on the icicles. What if the day after never comes? And the next day comes with an iron-gray sky with flurries and sleet day after day?
My parents never mentioned maple sugaring. They grew a beautiful vegetable garden, which must have cheered Mom up come spring because she dearly loved a garden. The farm was not really a farm, unless you consider the timber (which is unfortunate for me because there are fewer good-sized maple trees – enough for my needs at present though).
In January, especially, with a hill to the south across the road, the sun is barely above the hill for more than a couple hours. Now I know. I’ve been here for 10 days, and though I’ve been happy, and it is still beautiful with the snow flurries and the icicles and the cliffs and trees, I prefer more sunshine. I think the maple trees prefer more sunshine, too, to get their sap flowing. I’ve only gathered about a half cup of sap the whole time. Today may result in more, as it is SUPPOSED to get to the 40s. Tomorrow and Saturday are also possibilities for sap. Next week, there look to be 3 or 4 days that show promise in the forecast. But I see an opening to dash through the mountains to Elkridge tomorrow. I don’t trust the forecast. My neighbor has said he will collect the sap and cook it partway down and freeze it for me. There is no reason to stay and be disappointed. And with Murphy’s Law running rampant in my family, as soon as I go home, the sap will run!
I can’t say I’ve been miserable here, or just waiting around. I had fun romping with the dogs on the hills, and doing various little home improvement projects. I also did some reading, writing, drawing, and website work. I was rarely bored. But the lesson I’m taking away is, with my terrain where the hill blocks the sun in early winter, and with the constant cloud-cover, which keeps the nights slightly warmer and the days colder, January is not the time for me to tap my trees. I’ll take my chances with global warming, and tap in February (weather-permitting) from now on.
Meanwhile, happy tapping to the rest of you!
UPDATE: No sooner did I write this and make plans to travel today ( Friday, January 18), then the sap started running! In talking it over with my husband, we decided that it’d be a shame for me to leave just when things were getting good. It’s still cloudy but I did see a little sunshine and blue sky today when I went to stock up on dog food for our extended stay. On Thursday night, the temperature never dropped below freezing so I wasn’t very hopeful, but sure enough, sap ran all night and all day. I still have about 10 trees of my 30 which have not produced any syrup. Some have only produced a drop. Others have produced a full gallon between last night and today!