Mud Season
The Mud
New England’s mud season lasts from about mid-March to May as the ground begins to thaw in the early Spring months. Roads can become severely damaged from simple daily use, and dirt roads can become impassable. As the land wakes up, water pools in road beds creating bogs until the frost recedes and releases it into the waterways. Every year is different, and for those of us who live on dirt roads, the conditions are a daily topic of conversation.
“I hear you can’t get through that way today. That road has come undone,” is the common chorus in neighborhood texting networks and on the town social media channels. In rural areas, muddy roads are accepted as the final gauntlet of passing from Winter to Spring.
Walking home as the roads worsen, some towns have temporary park and rides so the nice cars don’t get destroyed in the daily commute. People might walk a mile or so to get home.
The Headache
For those involved in the building industry, road postings often impact the launch of construction projects during the Spring thaw. As designs are finalized, projects are priced, and contractors are ramping up their crews, we all champ at the bit to get to groundbreaking day.
Each town, city, and state has their own guidelines and criteria for weight limits on roads during mud season. These limits are designed to minimize the amount of wear and tear on vulnerable dirt roads. It’s important to consider these limits when starting to schedule work that will require medium- to large-scale construction equipment. Most road postings have a limit of 6 tons. Some postings also consider the number of axles on a vehicle. Whichever method your location uses, make sure you take a few minutes to consider the impact these will have on your scheduling process!
The Prize
The bright side of mud season is in the flow of sap. Sugaring is a time of friends gathering at the end of a long winter to share stories and savor the flavor of Spring! This silver lining in the mess we all endure as the mud glacier passes by is pure maple syrup—enjoyed locally, prized nationwide, and marketed globally.
2022 harvest of prime Vermont maple syrup - Grade Dark
In Vermont, where the agrarian economy is highly valued, road postings will often make exceptions for sap collection activities—the hauling of sap tanks from forest to sugar house. The craft of maple syrup production in Vermont and New Hampshire is imbued with the heritage of the land, love of the forest, and the hard labor of the family. Hanging around the sugar shack on blustery March days while the sap is boiling is one of those uniquely New England experiences. As we gather, eating and talking around a roaring fire, the quiet of Winter melts away like the frost in the road.
Drinking syrup “off the arch” can only be done in the sugar house when the syrup is collected off the boil and filtered. The sugar sand left in the filter bag is full of minerals that travel from earth through the sugar maple tree and into the boiler.
