Aug 1st 2017 Report From The Kees and Claire Hut Site

After several hurdles this spring and a heavy snowpack, the Kees and Claire Hut is now under construction on the ridge above Russet Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The first team flew in with tools and equipment to establish a comfortable camp on July 17. Volunteers are now going in for shifts and working under the direction of the Site Supervisors, Trevor MacDonald and Reid Madiuk of Coast Essential Construction. A team of cooks are providing all the meals and managing the camp logistics.

The full camp is arranged on snow or gravel to minimize impact on the terrain. It includes sleeping tents, kitchen and mess tents, a site office tent (all on wood platforms) plus a portable toilet. All food and garbage is kept in bear-proof bins. 

Cook Susanne Larsen fires up the kitchen equipment on Day One. 

The goal for summer 2017 is to build the concrete foundations and also install a greywater dispersion field. Excavation began immediately to dig snow and test pits for the geotechnical engineer from JECTH Consultants. Tools in hand, a keen team prepares to break ground. Left to right: Misiek, Roy, Trevor, Reid, Rowan, Leif and Chris.

In early July, all the heavy lift helicopters in the Sea to Sky left the area to go fire fighting. Miraculously, we found a Bell 212 helicopter from Airspan on duty north of Pemberton and our excavator was airlifted in on July 25. North Construction reassembled their machine and began the excavation.

The initial digging by machine went well; the sub-soil was better than expected. Then the team hit bedrock. Fortunately the position of the hut could be adjusted to work around the outcrop. 

The area is very beautiful with prolific flowers and a large marmot colony nearby. A variety of techniques including silt fencing are being used to contain the work and protect the landscape. A program is underway to monitor the marmots. Andrew Foster of Triton Environmental visited on July 28 to monitor our mitigation methods. 

So what’s next? Throughout August, work is continuing to build forms and do three separate concrete pours for the foundation footings, walls, piers and slab. Lots of professionals and volunteers will be needed to make this happen, preferably with experience in carpentry, placing rebar, pouring concrete, and drainage systems. Do you have construction skills and a few days time to offer? See the volunteer schedule and sign-up.