Maple Weekend

Last weekend, my friend and I were restless.  We wanted to get out, to breath some fresh air, see something new.  We had heard about a local event going on called Maple Weekend.   We decided, therefore, that we would do Maple Weekend.  

Picturing a big event, cute road signs with arrows pointing towards the maple forests and exhibits with bright banners and hoards of people, we set off with GoogleMap directions and our phones' GPS systems.  

This got us lost in a forest, our path blocked by a wall of ice, and so far from civilization that our phones couldn't get signal!

At one point, we even had to stop for a little pair of quails to cross in front of us.  Quite cute.

But somehow, through our combined powers, we finally made it to Arnot Forest, where there were some Maple Weekend events going down.

We first came to a small cabin, known as a sugar house, where the watery sap gathered from the trees is boiled down into thick syrup.

They had sap experts there to tell you all about syrup harvesting and production.  After our adventure through the forest, however, we were starving, and so it wasn't long before we set off to find the pancakes we had heard would be there.

We traveled over the river...and through the woods.

We came to a clearing dotted with many tiny cabins.  Quite picturesque and a bit like "Moonrise Kingdom", no?

Not to mention pretty outdoorsy.

But at last, we found the main lodge where the pancakes were being served up.  They had tables perfectly lined up with large bottles of local maple syrup spaced across them.

I prepared mine with plenty of butter and even more syrup.  Delicious!

I highly suggest checking out Maple Weekend for a proper Upstate NY adventure - only make sure to get easy-to-follow directions before you set out, avoiding as many back roads and "shortcuts" as possible.