Construction of Brew Hut I, II and III
Brew Hut I
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VOC Journal Article |
| The following text is transcribed from VOC Journal 25. In the spirit of preserving the original author's work, please do not edit it except to correct copy mistakes. |
The Brew chapter opens with $25,545 in the cabin reserve and a loosely worded mandate of where to spend it. The 1980-81 cabin committee chose the Brew site. A license of occupation was applied for it in April 1981, and after many delays was approved during the summer of 1982. Meanwhile the 1981-82 cabin committee had chosen the design and contracted a Richmond Construction Company to prefab two cabins, to be delivered in the fall of 1982.
The Scene - September 10th, the Cabin is unloaded on an abandonned logging spur of the Callaghan Lake Road. Mid-afternoon an Okanagan Helicopter begins sliging loads of lumber and people up to the site between breaks in the clouds. Eventually the clouds win and the pilot calls it quits. Up on the mountain a lean-to-shelter is nailed together as it begins to rain and storm. The cabin site is picked out by flashlight that night amid the piles of lumber. The night turns evil, it begins to snow and the wind howls. Jay's tent blows into the lake unnoticed and luckily floats across before sinking. About 11:00p.m. a desperate search is conducted for the missing tent as a trail of bits and pieces is followed to the lake's edge, the tent is eventually found in 2 feet of water.
The next day dawns upon a set for a refugee film; 3 inches of snow, visibility of 50 feet, small groups of people huddled around stoves under makeshift shelters and a chaos of lumber and building supplies scattered around in piles. Eventually the sun breaks through and the day warms up a bit, but not enough to deter the line-up of people waiting to help dig the foundations so they could warm up. Finally about 3 p.m. the base beams are positioned on the cribs of cemented rocks and construction begins. Everything seems determined to prevent a successful day; the tongues on the floor boards all have to be sawed off, the arches try to scissor people's hand off and the bolts don't fit the holes. And still no sign of the helicopter (no sound either - the radio had fallen out of Jay's tent into the lake), visions of Squatter Jack smiling as he drives away with a nice new home in his truck go through our minds.
This helicopter arrives Sunday morning and slings the last 5-6 loads up to the site. The sun comes out and everyone really pitches in; the end walls go up and the sides reach the second story before we have to leave for Vancouver.
The following week is one of anticipation, and early Saturday morning another group of 26 VOC'ers hikes up to Brew. The rest of the walls go up quickly, the painting and caulking begins (to be continued for months). Phillips continues construction of the outhouse and threatens the unspeakable to anyone who would dare use it before it's completed. The metal roofing proves to be a bitch; sharp edges, suffocating heat and reflection up on the roof, a castrating ridge as an only alternative to hanging on jumars all day and throbbing purple thumbs. But finally, it's all up and the group having earned their pizza and beer, retreat to Squamish to collect.
So VOC Cabin No. 7 - The Brew Mtn. Hut is finished after 2 weekends of construction and 65 years of preparation. And its sister cabin is waiting in storage, to be put next year on one of two sites applied for: near Mt. Overseer, and near Mt. Callaghan. These sites are significant in that they are remote and rarely visited. By placing future cabins in these remote locations, we are trying to direct the future of the VOC in the next decade: to pioneer and explore new routes in some of the more remote areas of the Coast Range.
- By Jay Page, Mt. Brew Hut, VOCJ25, 1982-1983, pp. 203 - 206
The unthinkable happens...
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VOC Journal Article |
| The following text is transcribed from VOC Journal 26. In the spirit of preserving the original author's work, please do not edit it except to correct copy mistakes. |
After the trumpets and fanfare had died down last year; the VOC continued on its way, planning more huts and writing Ski Guides, confident that the Brew Hut would remain as a testament to the club's activity in the early 80's. However, this was not to be.
The first hint of the problems yet to come was on a November ski trip. There was already 2 meters of snow, and the group almost froze because they were unable to make the slightest impression on the temperature in the hut. Another trip, this one in January, had to dig out an upstairs window to get into the hut. A Februaru trip found the snow still deeper yet, and the hut creaking abd groaning like a old boat. This mounting evidence confirmed the cabin committee's fears that the hut was located in a heavy snow accumulation area. By March, snow loading had reached a critical point. Floor joists began to snap, beams developed cracks, and the door was impossible to shut.
The club was faced with the immense task of keeping Brew Hut drug out. So, this meant that every two weeks that spring, there was a trip to Cypress Peak or thereabouts, that curiously never got past shovelling out the Brew Hut. Each group found the snow deeper, the damage more severe, and responded but digging out even more snow than the previous group.
It's often difficult to fill up ski trips just before final exams, let alone get anyone on a shovelling trip. Yet each time the hut needed digging out, a small group of VOC'ers would ski up for the weekend. It was there that the VOC showed its real character, refusing to turn a blind eye and ignore its responsability.
The Cabin Committee was busy evaluating the problems and possible solutions. It was obvious that the Brew Hut was built in a lousy spot. Snow accumulation in the area reached over 7 meters, and the hut was completely buried for part of the winter. It was located at the base of a steep hill, so snow creep compounded the problems. The hut was too large and impossible to heat. Also, it wasn't designed for severe mountain conditions.
Upon investigation, it was found that no one had ever even measured the snow depth at the site. In fact, the group that had staked the spot has misread their instructions and located the site beside the wrong lake. When viewed in this perspective, the VOC was very lucky to get off lightly.
Many solutions were considered, from strengthening tha cabin to building a strong snow retaining wall. In the end it was decided to simply move the hut to a better spot. Work began the following September when a new site was picked out on the ridge to the west. A series of work hikes prepared the hut for a helicopter move; one wall was cut off, the inside stripped, and the roofing taken off. We were planning to utilize a large helicopter. Several of the big helicopter companies thought they'd be able to route one past the Brew Hut on a ferry flight some time, but it didn't work out. The few times that a large helicopter was near the area, the weather was too poor to consider moving the hut. Then, 8 feet of snow in a November storm extinguised any hope of moving the hut, so the executive decided to dismantle it, store it, and rebuild it next year.
The lessons learned from the Brew Hut I have certaintly given the VOC the experience to critically evaluate ant future cabin sites. Similar lessons were probably leaned after the Neve Hilton (1970-1975), but were never recorded. To ensure that these lessons are passed on, and costly mistakes avoided in the future, a set of guidelines for choosing cabin sites is included in this journal (VOCJ26). It's our contribution to future VOC cabin projects and we're looking forward to the Brew Hut - Chapter III next year.
- By Jay Page, The Brew Hut, Chapter II, VOCJ26, 1983-1984, pp. 85 - 86
Brew Hut II
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VOC Journal Article |
| The following text is transcribed from VOC Journal 27. In the spirit of preserving the original author's work, please do not edit it except to correct copy mistakes. |
84/85 was supposedly to be the year that the Brew Hut saga would end and I havn't lost faith yet. (You notice I use the word faith, if this were Brian's project the matter would be cut and dry.) The Brew shell is standing, it's strong, clear of snow, and next summer/fall I'm going to finish it.
Fall '84 went smoothly... at first. A weekend to check out the new site and anchor the sleepers; a weekend weighing loads for the helicopter, a weekend slinging loads, a weekend fixing and placing arches; and then, on the weekend we could have finished it, all hell broke loose. It snowed like a bastard (wonderful snow; I wish I had my skis). As it was, we slogged through waist deep snow; two hours getting in turned into four. All the wood was buried in drifts. An easy day putting on the roof turned into a day digging it out. And where was Mary with all the people and food for the party; where was Betsy; where was Tony and the support crew for Sunday? Bloody hell! It sort of worked out in the end; I heard the party was great. A little wine does wonders for the spirit; weather and darkness bring people together.
Everyone who put energy into the Brew desserves a big thanks, especially guys like Tim, Neil, Brian and Dave who took charge of projects; Markus, the Sherpa, who carried a huge tump line load through mile of deep snow without a complaint. And those who banged nails, or shovelled or froze; Brad the Botanist, E for Being there; and especially Frederick, my step-father, for helping with the arches.
Next year we'll finish the hut. I'm not sure who will be the projects uncoordinator, maybe me, but the task should be relatively easy, to tack on the aluminium roof, and perform major cosmetic surgery.
In the last 3 years not many people have come to Brew to enjoy the area. Most trips have involved cubic yards of shovelling to clear the cabin of crushing snow, but the area does have potential. For the beginner there are rolling bowls with mellow slopes; for the extremist, steeps and maximum air; and for the tourer, access to Tricouni, Cypress and the Powder Cap. For an accessible, economical Christmas trip Brew would be the place to go.
- By Pierre Friele, Brew Hut Chapter III, VOCJ27, 1983-1984, pp. 75 - 76
Brew Hut III
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VOC Journal Article |
| The following text is transcribed from VOC Journal 48. In the spirit of preserving the original author's work, please do not edit it except to correct copy mistakes. |
- By Jean-Phillipe Mercier & Karine Doucet, How we Brewed a Hut or an Epic Construction Story, VOCJ48, 2005 - 2006, pp. 193 - 195