Progress on Building

On Sunday, Aug. 21  Broome Hut volunteer Toni Leuthold took these pictures of progress to date on framing the treated wood foundation.

The large plastic pipe was "planted" that day to provide one more way to move water away from the foundation. It may have been the largest load hauled so far by the Broome Hut "Trucking" Company - approximately 120 pounds.

Helicopter Transports Concrete & Building Materials

Tuesday, Aug 9, 2011 was our big day for flying in and pouring concrete for the Broome Hut foundation, also materials to build up to our subfloor.

After months (actually years) of preparation, final coordination with USFS and CDOT, and obligatory safety meetings, dawn broke cool and clear and we began hauling concrete with a Vietnam-era 1967 Bell 205 helicopter, as strong as ever, flying out of the Corona Parking Lot (thank you Winter Park Resort)… and up to the hut site.

Safety is king in these operations so we had well organized teams top and bottom keeping an eye on operations.

With the chopper flying in 10-minute loops, a small revegetation team led by Reveg Boss Paisley were able to continue work on the south face of our absorption field.

Many thanks to USFS Zach Humbles and Rampart Helicopter Services for the excellent coordination.

Except for the helicopter haul, the concrete process is similar to any foundation with the “mud” poured into forms (rebar in place – thank you Grand County Building Department) then worked and smoothed by a team. Slow but sure is what it takes for any strong foundation.

After flying 45 loads of concrete, we switched to hauling wood, insulation, and the critical toilet tanks (blue boxes) for a total of 77 helicopter loads.  

From here, our construction team will build up and insulate our foundation up to the subfloor. Excellent day, great job Andy and the Team!

Foundation Forms are Going In

Geoff Elliott visited the site on Tuesday, August 2.  The excavator and loader are gone.  Excavation is complete and foundation forms are going in (Trent and Kip in photo).  Adjustments have been made to grade to improve drainage - had one good thundershower and the drain wes working well.  Concrete work starts this next Tuesday.  Concrete and materials will be hauled from Winter Park Resort, Corona Lot (note change of loading location).

Geoff helped organize revegetation work with Paisley and was told that went well.  We are aiming for rock-veg mix with 75% coverage to mimic adjacent areas.  Best Management Practices (BMPs) are in place and need some maintenance which will be added to the to-do list for volunteers. 

Old A-Frame is now demolished and ready for hauling out by chopper, sad to see it go but so pleased with our upcoming replacement hut!

Visitors and crew should be aware of several moose in the area.  Take photos from a respectful distance and keep a close eye on kids and animals!

Broome Hut Construction Begins

 
We have officially started our replacement of the aging Second Creek Hut with the new state-of-the-art backcountry Broome Hut!  Project Manager Andy Miller picked up our Building Permit from Grand County Building Department, then our approved Special Use Permit from US Forest Service, and promptly mobilized our excavation team to “walk” the track-mounted mini-excavator and skidsteer up to site.  Well planned and nice job minimizing impacts to trail and vegetation, will be easy to primp the trail and replace a few steps after the equipment returns to the trailhead in early August. 

Team broke ground on 20July11 in coordination with USFS Recreation/Special Uses Manager Mike Rickets, Botanist Steven Popovitch, and Civil Engineer Zach Humbles.  By the time I came on site the next day 21July we were down to a rough excavation depth, now approximately 2 feet lower than original planning grade in order to reduce profile and properly balance fill needs.  (Photos) Backfill will be done completely by hand, shovel, and wheelbarrow so we must get this right the first time!  Excavated material is sandier than surface clay loam, which is great, with outcrops of highly fractured granitic bedrock, and now utilized for grey water adsorption field.  Geologic Engineer Jed Dindinger joined the team Saturday 23July11 to confirm excavation conditions and plumb absorption field. 

Lower project perimeter secure with sediment fence and wattles, then willow slash and willow clumps then topsoil grading up to cabin infrastructure.  Fingers crossed for good survival there.  Reveg nursery growing significantly and looking great in the shade with plenty of rain.  Good high diversity grass clumps (photos). 

Will need lots of help in early August filling, shaping, and revegetating Hut area.

Cheers Team!  Good to be digging.

…geoff