OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The Enchanted Valley chalet has been moved away from the eroding edge of the Quinault River.
The historic chalet, which was in danger of falling into the east fork of the river, had been moved 68 feet by Monday after mules and helicopters brought supplies into the remote location 13 miles from the nearest road, said Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman.
Contractors expect to complete the temporary relocation within the next few days, she said Tuesday.
Carlsborg’s Monroe House Moving is moving the structure up to 100 feet from the river under a $124,000 contract with the National Park Service, said spokeswoman Rainey McKenna on Tuesday.
“It went very smoothly, very well,” McKenna said.
“The clear, calm weather allowed the move to progress without any unforeseen challenges.”
Initially, loads of supplies were too heavy for the helicopter and had to be reconfigured for flights on Thursday through Saturday, McKenna said.
“But once the supplies were on site, the operation went very quickly and efficiently,” she added.
Work to lift the chalet off its foundation began Saturday and continued Sunday, Maynes said.
By Sunday afternoon, four steel sliding beams had been placed under the two-story structure, and it was moved 8 feet east of its original location.
On Monday, contractors continued the move, sliding the chalet an additional 60 feet, Maynes said.
To move the building, the contractor installed two main lifting beams beneath the chalet, lifted the building about 20 inches, placed four sliding steel beams beneath the house and used hydraulic jacks to push the structure away from the river bank.
The structure was moved in this way in 17-inch increments.
Once the structure is in its new location, the building will be lowered onto cribbing towers.
Pack mules brought in by Larry Baysinger of Sol Duc Valley Packers in Forks and a helicopter will move materials from the site beginning Thursday.
Equipment and materials including hardware, tools and camp supplies were transported the 13 miles from Graves Creek Trailhead to Enchanted Valley on mules beginning Sept. 1.
Items like steel beams and cribbing that were too large to be packed in were flown by helicopter to the site.
The chalet was built as a backcountry lodge in the 1930s and has been used as a wilderness ranger station and emergency shelter.
It 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 chalet.
Last winter’s storms and high flows resulted in the Quinault’s main channel continuing to shift by at least 15 feet.
The most recent photographs showed that the river had undercut the building by about 8 feet.
An environmental assessment found in July no significant impact attached to the emergency move.
A planning and environmental analysis process will begin soon to plan for the final disposition of the chalet, Maynes said.
Park officials decided to move the chalet because of possible environmental harm to the river if the structure fell into it, Maynes said.
“We’re protecting the river, not necessarily saving the chalet,” she said.
Therefore, all possible actions will be considered in the planning of the final disposition of the chalet.
“It’s wide-open. We could find a new spot for it, take sections out or take the whole thing out,” Maynes said.
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/PDN-chaletdocuments.
