[Traildad]

Wonder how long it would take to get something really complex with meaningful potential environmental impacts decided upon?

[zephyr]

It looks like there will be a moving project of the Chalet next month. The Oregonian reported it yesterday. I see an article in the Seattle Times, but haven't read it yet. ~z Quote from first two paragraphs: A contract to temporarily relocate the Enchanted Valley Chalet has been awarded to Monroe House Moving, Inc. of Sequim, Wash. It's not quite like any move the company has ever done, because the chalet is 13 miles from the nearest road. The award amount is $124,000, according to an Olympic National Park news release. The move is tentatively set to occur during the first two weeks of September, as long as weather, visibility and trail conditions allow. Once all materials and personnel are onsite, moving the building will take about one week to complete.

[Ski]

Thursday, August 28, 2014 4:23 PM Olympic National Park News Release Enchanted Valley Chalet in Olympic National Park to be Relocated to Protect Quinault River: Enchanted Valley closed to camping September 1-14 Work to temporarily relocate the Enchanted Valley Chalet in Olympic National Park to protect the East Fork Quinault River is scheduled to begin Monday, September 1. Monroe House Moving, Inc. of Sequim, Washington has been awarded the contract to move the building. The contractor plans to complete the relocation operation by mid-September, weather permitting. To protect contractor and visitor safety, Enchanted Valley will be closed to all public camping for the duration of the project, September 1 through 14. Hikers and stock users may continue to travel through the valley, but between September 1 and September 14, must be escorted by park staff. The camping closure and escort-only hiking restriction extends from the steel bridge at the downstream end of Enchanted Valley (mile 13 on the East Fork Quinault River Trail) to one mile upriver of the chalet. The Graves Creek Stock Camp (located near the Graves Creek trailhead) will also be closed between September 1 and 14 to accommodate stock animals and handlers involved in transporting supplies and equipment during the project. “Visitor, employee and contractor safety is our top priority,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “Moving a two-story structure is inherently risky. We appreciate the public’s patience and cooperation during the process of relocating the chalet.” Using industry standard house-moving techniques, the contractor will move the Enchanted Valley Chalet a distance of 50 to 100 feet from its current location where it is undercut and in danger of collapsing into the East Fork Quinault River. The threats to natural and wilderness resources posed by the structure collapsing into the river warrant temporary relocation of the building. Additionally, preventing the chalet from imminent collapse will allow time to examine and plan for the long-term future of the structure. The chalet relocation project was examined in the “Emergency Action to Temporarily Relocate the Enchanted Valley Chalet for the Protection of the East Fork Quinault River Environmental Assessment” (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued on July 25. The National Park Service is charged with protecting all of Olympic National Park’s priceless resources, from historic structures to fish, to the unique and irreplaceable character of the Olympic Wilderness. The Enchanted Valley Chalet is located 13 miles from the nearest road, deep within the Olympic Wilderness. The chalet was constructed by Quinault Valley residents in the early 1930s, prior to establishment of Olympic National Park. The chalet served for several decades as a backcountry lodge and more recently, as a wilderness ranger station and emergency shelter. The chalet was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Photos shared by park visitors in early January showed that the main channel of the East Fork Quinault River had migrated to within 18 inches of the 1930s-era chalet. Last winter’s storms and high flows resulted in the Quinault’s main channel continuing to shift by at least 15 feet. Recent photographs show that the river has undercut the building by approximately eight feet. Migration of the East Fork Quinault’s channel is common in the loose, unconsolidated soils of Enchanted Valley. Storms, fallen trees, rockslides and simply the constant process of erosion can all cause the river to shift and carve a new channel. The EA and the FONSI, along with other supporting documents, are available for review at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/EVCEA. -NPS-

[Ski]

Thursday, August 28, 2014 4:23 PM Olympic National Park MEDIA ADVISORY Media Tour to be Offered During Relocation of Enchanted Valley Chalet in Olympic National Park Work to temporarily relocate the Enchanted Valley Chalet in Olympic National Park to protect the East Fork Quinault River is scheduled to begin Monday, September 1 and continue through September 14. Enchanted Valley will be closed to all public camping and restricted to escorted hiking from the steel bridge (mile 13 on the East Fork Quinault River Trail) at the downstream end of Enchanted Valley to one mile upriver of the chalet during relocation operations, from September 1 through 14. Park staff will offer a one-day media tour of the project site on Monday, September 8. What: Media tour and photo op of Enchanted Valley Chalet relocation. Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling the Olympic National Park Public Affairs Office at 360-565-2985. Wilderness Camping Permits are required for all overnight stays in the Olympic National Park wilderness. Participants must secure a camping permit from the Wilderness Information Center (WIC) located at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles. To arrange a permit ahead of time, contact the WIC at 360-565-3100. Camping will be restricted to outside of the closed area. Participants will be responsible for their own meals and camping equipment. When: Monday, September 8 Where: Enchanted Valley, located 13 miles from the Graves Creek Trailhead. Media need to hike to the Enchanted Valley on their own and will be met at the steel bridge at the downstream end of Enchanted Valley and escorted to the project site. More information about hiking the East Fork Quinault River Trail is available on the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/east-fork-quinault-river-trail.htm Media are advised to use extreme caution if flying in the vicinity of Enchanted Valley as aircraft will be working in the area. The National Park Service has contracted helicopter support to move equipment and materials that cannot be transported using pack stock. The Federal Aviation Administration recommends a 2,000’ above ground level flight restriction within national parks. Landing aircraft within designated wilderness is a prohibited activity, except as required as the minimum tool to meet administrative requirements. Launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and within the boundaries of Olympic National Park is prohibited except as approved in writing by the superintendent. Photos and video will be posted on the Olympic Public Affairs Office Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/126487419@N04/sets/72157646479528869/. All images should be credited “NPS Photo.” --NPS--

[Chico]

[Jeff's House]

Getting ready, lots to do.

[Chico]

Do not envy you. Not one teeny tiny little bit.

[Jeff's House]

Almost ready, final preparations and loading trucks for the trip.

[RodF]

"How do you save a wilderness chalet? Start with mules to pack in gear" - article in Peninsula Daily News today. "Because the chalet is in a part of the park that is off limits to motorized vehicles, supplies must be packed in for the workers, who will hike 13 miles up the river valley to the remote chalet Monday [Update: Tuesday]. The mules and the workers will bring in with them some of the smaller pieces of hardware needed for the move, and larger pieces will be brought in by helicopter Thursday and Friday, Monroe said. In a telephone interview Friday, Monroe said his crew will band the building to keep it together as they lift it off its current foundation with hydraulic jacks. "Monroe was speaking from Tacoma Steel, where he was picking up specially fabricated steel slide beams, which a helicopter will fly into the job site. "Once the chalet is jacked up, the steel beams will be placed underneath the structure and soaped, Monroe said. Hydraulic cylinders will then push the building along the beams, where it will stay until the Park Service completes an environmental analysis to find the best site to build a new foundation for the chalet. Monroe said his company used the same technique as part of efforts to preserve the Yeomalt Cabin, a historic Boy Scout camp site on Bainbridge Island, in 2008." [Update two 12-hour days later: Steel I-beams have been cut to length and drilled for extensions to be bolted on. Custom slide plates have been fabricated. Eight hydraulic jacks and powerpack have been rebuilt and tested, with all new hydraulic lines. Cribbing, wedges, and shims has been prepared. Moving rails and extension plates have been fabricated. 4x4's for falsework walls are ready. Many small tasks to complete tomorrow, then load three trucks and drive to Quinault. Packers are also making first mule pack trip up to EV tomorrow.]

[Chico]

Hope the weather is cooperative! At this time the forecast doesn't look too bad.

[puzzlr]

Please keep posting updates -- this is a very interesting event. In the very long run it doesn't matter if the Chalet survives or not (probably not - fire or something will get it), but I'm in favor of trying to do something for now.

[Jeff's House]

All loaded up, leaving today for Quinault. Hiking in Wednesday, lifting on Saturday and should start moving late Saturday or first thing Sunday. Helicopter flys on Thursday and Friday weather permitting.

[RodF]

Departing Carlsborg for Quinault at 4 pm today...

Jeff Monroe, mascot Lucy, and Chalet moving steel

hydraulic powerpack, hoses and hydraulic jacks to lift Chalet

[Chico]

Chalet has been moved! KOMO4 68 feet so far with 90 being the plan.

[reststep]

The Peninsula Daily News has a couple of pictures.