Tag 11 Sugar Shack of the Mountain

While we sit here waiting for the taxi that is supposed to take us to the next car rental, I will take the opportunity to share a few details about our accommodation; by now, I know: it’s a real gem!

As I hinted at yesterday, we are currently on the grounds of an old, traditional craft business - here, maple syrup is still produced by hand. The owner has about 2000 maple trees that supply the famous sap. And as we've learned: Not every maple tree does that! The trees here apparently have particularly good conditions – tall, with a wonderfully fresh green crown and beautiful maple leaves.

During the main season – roughly from February to April – the trees are tapped: A small hole is drilled, a container is hung underneath, and then the sap flows in. But this only works under certain conditions: at night, it must be below 0 °C, and just above it during the day. Only then does the sap flow. And if these conditions are met, it’s indeed possible to tap daily without harming the tree. It simply continues to produce.

The sap is then boiled – and for a long time until it turns into syrup. Without any additives, pure as can be. The sweetness comes solely from the tree. (Of course, this is only if you don’t end up with store-bought, watered-down syrup.)

By the way, it takes 40 liters of sap to make 1 liter of maple syrup. A container holds 4 liters – meaning you need 10 buckets for just one liter of syrup. Everything here is done by hand. The holes in the tree? They simply grow back.

Everyone here is very proud of their work – and I think they have every right to be.

During the high season, that is, in the middle of winter, up to 1000 people come here each day to celebrate the harvest with a traditional meal. It's hard to imagine right now, as we are currently sharing the place with just one other family. But the photos show the huge halls, of which there are several – they are packed throughout the day.

In winter, there is meter-high snow here. Temperatures of up to -40 °C are not uncommon. Hard to believe. But I can only imagine how breathtaking the autumn must be here.

Of course, we also tasted maple syrup. And I must say: It was really delicious! I even ate it – although I don’t consume sugar. It’s not sugar anyway. It’s just... tree sap. 😉

More on that later – now let’s keep our fingers crossed that everything works out with the rental car.

Evening mood and conclusion

Now it's evening, and our last day at the sugar shack is coming to an end.

Fortunately, everything with the car has finally worked out.

2 hours and 41 minutes of phone calls, telling the same story about 12 times, phone and taxi costs of 350 euros – but: We have a car! And we are very happy. I am reconciled with the adventure again, and tomorrow we will continue.

Today we made a little trip to a nature reserve and plan a small hike tomorrow. We saw foxes at the animal park – and even a bear from afar! In the evening, we had a delicious meal at our accommodation – a nice, fitting conclusion.

Insight of the day:

I feel so well looked after.

I have received such lovely feedback and good wishes – it has been really nice. ♥️ Thank you for that!