Winter in Claytville, Snow belt NH

[Clayt]

Normally with this much snow I would be riding snowmobile every available moment, but this year is different.
My riding buddies are "distracted" with other things, so my riding time has been limited. I've only been out 2X so far this season.

But......... I've been prep'n brass and planning to do some loading for when the outdoors becomes warmer.
I haven't done any serious loading in about 7 years. I've loaded what I needed for hunting only. Mostly shotshells for recreational use.

Might even have to cast something, gads!

Besides, I have to practice up so I can kick MikeinTx's butt at the target range (again!) when he comes up this summer.

What y'all been doing with your spare winter time?

[Hellrazor]

Plowing and salting or work for the 2 classes I am taking. These little chickenshit storms are annoying this year.

Plus I have class every tuesday night from 6:30-9:30. I left for work yesterday at 4am because we had to plow and got home at 10:30pm from class. Was so thrilled... then I left this morning at 5:40am to pickup the work truck and go to my wednesday class.

I leave work at 6am and get back between 5 & 6:30pm every other wednesday doing a certification. 2 more Wednesday and I am done.

[kodiak1]

You boys have been keeping that snow to your selves pretty much this winter. WE got some but not like we had last winter. The wind is what gets my dander riled up.

Ken.

[Mike in tx]

To everyone but Clayt

Clayton can not read this. This summer I will have a boomer of a rifle. Here is what I am going to do. Load a couple of light loads followed by one BIG BOOMER unknown to him and challenge Clayton to shot them. Now no one tell Clayton. LOL I will be doing a lot of shooting this summer with Cash, Clayton and Tom. See you folks then.

[versifier]

Ken, you can have all of it that you want. Fill up a line of reefer trailers and we can sell all natural Yankee deer tracking powder out of WalMart parking lots. Just spread it all around your hunting area. Apply more if it melts. Proven effective by generations of northern hunters. Special today. Tell all your friends. We'll make millions I betcha.

[Clayt]

Mike,
I'm not worried about a rusty man with a shiny gun! [smilie=l:

[kodiak1]

versifier
Pretty sound business proposition to me!!!! LOL..
No thanks we got 109" last year with wind about every third day! We run out of places to stack it all. We only got about 28" this year life is good but we are still getting to much wind.

[versifier]

I don't think we can market the wind successfully. Too damned cold. If it was hot air we could sell it to someone in politics.

[Hellrazor]

Wait for this weekend. Forecast is 2-4" of snow with 25-35 winds and gusts to 60mph. Should be fun.

[SkyKid]

I had Friday off
Thought I would have an easy day
But no the wind decided to knock over a pine tree onto the fence holding in the animals
Stupid wind sucks

[versifier]

Wind does not suck until it gets over 200mph.. Then it really sucks. Mostly it blows. ;)

[Clayt]

I had Friday off
Thought I would have an easy day
But no the wind decided to knock over a pine tree onto the fence holding in the animals
Stupid wind sucks

Snow has to be roof high at your old house, eh?

[SkyKid]

It's getting there
My daughter sent us some pictures
Glad I don't have to deal with it

[Hellrazor]

"Dad, come shovel the snow for me."

'Show me a picture of the snow.'

"Oh, here it is"

'Oh shit that is deep. Did I ever tell you that you were adopted?'

:D

[Clayt]

The melt has begun. Yesterday was the 1st day that it started at my house. Pretty soon I hope to start another kind of "melt"

[kodiak1]

Was out Ice fishing on Gull Lake in Central Alberta and be damned if we didn't hear and see GEESE!!!!! Canadian Honkers and today seen some more....... They are all still running around with their eider down coats on so I am thinking we will get one more blast of winter and then it may smarten up....

Ken.

[Hellrazor]

Spring is here. Snow geese are traveling again...

[versifier]

Still a while here before it looks much like spring. What most call "spring", we divide into three mini-seasons: "mud season", then comes "planting season", followed by and/or concurrent with black fly season. That will get us well into June.

Melt has begun here, just barely, but we have weeks more of winter sports and one major holiday (Irish New Year) before we're up to our waists in mud and everyone goes on vacation.

All of the gongs on our range are under several feet off snow still. Well, you can see the very top of the 100yd gong, but the bottom is frozen in solid and it won't ring when you hit it. It's a major snowshoe expedition to change paper or clay targets. We have clothesline targets for out to 25yds, so they will keep us busy until the gongs and long range target boards reappear from the snowbanks and we can get back to some serious practice and testing.

[Hellrazor]

Early spring in PA = it isn't snowing, things are starting to melt and mud season started wherever the grass is showing.

[Clayt]

Not much run off melting since last time I posted. I plowed again last Sunday and the weather guessers say I'll need to again this weekend.
Lost the power for 3 hours a couple of days ago because of 50mph wind gusts.

On the warmer sunny days I get both ice + mud in my driveway. I wonder how deep the frost went this year?

Locals are guessing that ice out in the big lake will be in June.

[versifier]

In the (Mt Washington) Valley - halfway between us - it went 2-4' in spots with no snow cover to the normal 2-3' where there was plenty of insulation from 3-5' of snow. Info from buddy who operates one of those giant excavators down there. You had more snow in Ossipee, higher temps, we had less snow in Gorham, colder temps. I would say frost went at least 3' deep in my back yard. Parsnips will be late digging here. But I doubt frost got much below 2' down there except under roads and parking lots.

How thick did the ice get on the lakes?

[Clayt]

My buddy buried a 36" auger an just barely hit water last weekend in Tamworth.
I've heard ~36" is on Winni, hope the salmon are hungry come ice out!

[Clayt]

5 degrees this morning!

[versifier]

It's not snowing/sleeting/raining
so I am not complaining
not a cloud in the sky today
if all goes right
I'll install a new sight
and soon will be blasting away.....

[Mike in tx]

A brisk spring morning, eh?

[Clayt]

Snow is melting a little bit. It's about 1' deep in the sunny areas of my yard.
The ice pack in the shady spots in driveway have turned to mud.
I saw on the local news that some NH towns are spending 25% of their annual budget battling the muddy roads this year.
At least I live along a tar road and my mud run is only 100 yards long.

[versifier]

My postage stamp sized driveway is paved. I can see patches of my lawn appearing, but there's still a foot or so on the garden. Here in town mud season means I can dig my parsnips, in maybe two weeks, then we can get in a week or two of frantic yard work, repairs, and spring chores, maybe three weeks if we're really lucky before the blackflies hit. It's been a late short short spring. Less than a foot left in the front yard where a month ago the snow banks were over six feet high where we carved out on both sides of the mail box so the delivery person could find it in our seasonal front wall, like the down does for the fire plug at the opposite front corner, but they have a bucket loader. I have two teens, shovels, and a snowblower. A snowblower can pitch even the heavy wet and slushy stuff over a six foot bank even if I can't. Don't blow powder into a strong wind when it's well below zero. In fact, stay the hell inside when it's below zero. Yetis have a tougher life than you know. A smart man uses a strong wind to his advantage with a snowblower when you get three or four feet if you can keep ahead of it. It helps to be upwind. Life is noticeably better when you're upwind and not stupid. And much, much more interesting. Nice to see the gongs appearing above the snow on the range again too.

[Clayt]

New record, I still had a bit of snow bank left yesterday!
First time in the 5 years I've lived here that there has been some snow left into May. Previous record was April 29.
Saw my 1st of the season blackflies yesterday too!

[Mike in tx]

Hurrah, Spring is on its way. The blackflies are announcing it. Any ice left in the big lake?

[Hellrazor]

Nice. Last snow pile here was gone April 12. You can keep the black flies...

[Clayt]

Winnie has no ice. A ham radio buddy said there's snow patches and ice on the Pittsburg lakes (North most New Hampshire)