Welcome to the Meany Work Party Page

If you have been wondering what it takes to keep Meany going, come to one of the Workparties held in the Summer and Fall and see what it takes. Workparties are free and offer a great opportunity to enjoy the lodge in a different light. You can learn new skills or brush up on old ones that your 'real' job doesn't let you do anymore. There is also time to get to know folks over work and conversation.

We offer mid-week and weekend workparties, If you want to attend any of these simply click on work parties, pick the weekend and sign up.



Work Party Reports

Please click on any of the months below to go directly to that section or simply scroll down

June Mid-Week Report

The June mid-week WP was held Tuesday June 28th through Thursday June 30th. The weather was cool with some sun and a bit moist from time to time. The following were there:

  1. Phil Christy
  2. Dave Claar
  3. Doug Damm
  4. Don Finrow
  5. Bob Grass
  6. Linda Harkness
  7. Lee Helser
  8. James Kotlik
  9. Mike Lonergan
  10. Emilio Marasco
  11. Julianne Marasco
  12. Dan Solomonson
  13. Ray Nelson
  14. Patti Polinsky
  15. Tom VanDevanter
  16. Norm Vigus
Note: It was good to see the younger set joining us. It improved the WP.

Webmaster note: And it was a girl no less!

The following was accomplished on this WP and items noted for decision.

  1. Ox was freed and put into use. It was used to lift off the head pole and safety gate poles for the Snail Tow (Turtle Tow). After the work it was noticed that the right front tire ws split rim to rim. The wheel was taken to town and the replacement tire mounted. It will be installed next WP.

  2. Snail Tow (Turtle Tow) new head pole and two safety gate poles were delivered and the old ones taken down in preparation for back-hoe work at next mid-week WP. We expect to dig the three holes for the poles (with a track hoe) and place the form work, anchor bolts and rebar. The concrete will be poured on the August WP and the poles erected on a future WP.

  3. The back-hoe will also be used to repair the access road (FR 420) up from the creek and any other work that comes to light, time available.

  4. Several loads were taken to the dump. The Lodge, Phone Cabin and surround areas is now fairly free of garbage.

  5. The gate at Railroad curve was repaired.

  6. The Phone Cabin was cleaned up, painted and readied for use for the Women's weekend.

  7. Several water leaks in the kitchen:
    • Faucet for the pot cleaning sink failed and was replaced
    • Valve in the dish washing sink was replaced
    • Strainer basket was reinstalled and does not now leak
    • Valve for the sink next to the stove was repaired
    • Valve for dish rinsing brush was not repaired, no parts on hand, will be repaired next WP


  8. Tow report
    • General note: Electric tows VFD's were turned off. Should be left on to preserve electronics
    • Mach tow
      • New carberator needs (see comments under TomCat issue)
      • Braking system was inspected.
        • The actuator arm was adjusted.
        • Differential oil needs changing along with the regular tow servicing
        • Support cable for the tail wheel needs tightening
        • Ground wire needs to be reconnected to the transformer at the back of the tow hut
      • More work will be done during next WP
    • Super Worm (Worm) tow - There is considerable slack on the top rope of the safety gates that should be corrected.
    • Snail (Turtle) tow - Slack in the safety gate rope but is now removed to be reinstalled later with the installation of the new poles


  9. TomCat - Returned to the lodge, the following was noted:
    • Carburetor is nearing its life expectancy - Recommended replacing with two barrel carburetors
    • Roof support bracing has broken and/or bent and thus is in need of attention
    • Throttle cable needs to be replaced - recommend purchasing of two new throttle linkages
    • Exhaust system - recomment new flexible exhaust connectors and donuts for the exhaust system
    • 2nd tow rope replacement - material located on the second floor of the Cat House

    Please note: Work by the fossils on the the above tasks will likely be limited this year due to other projects (see below Moose) and available time. The "young" crew will need to pick up the slack here

  10. Moose was inspected and we found:
    • More extensive damage in the areas of the cracks found earlier. Welding will occur during next WP.
      • Need to remove hydraulic lines to the drive motor so as to be able to weld damaged areas.
      • Need some hydraulic port covers for the motor so as to be able to weld on the frame.
    • Left side axel, just ahead of the drive sprocket, was found to be broken and was removed. Brought back to town for a sample to get a replacement part. Note that is is appearing that there may be some difficulty in getting this part.
    • Controls were found to be at the end of its service life and were removed. Will need to replace control console
    • hydraulic leak on the floor of the Zoo. Unable to clean it up due to the lack of kitty litter. We will correct this problem at the next WP.
    • 6 or 7 bad wheel guides and we have only two on hand. We are going to get the necessary wheel guides and a couple of spares.
    • Grousers were not checked as we did not have them turned over. Needs to be done sometime this year
    .

  11. Pac Rat was looked at very briefly and was discussed some. No work can be preformed until a decision is made about its future:
    • Fix it up and use it. Not recommended, it is weak and parts are getting harder to get
    • Fix it up and sell it. Not recommended, this will take time that we do not have much of
    • Sell it as is along with miscellaneous parts and sell major parts (ie differential) separately - Recommended option
    • If we choose to replace, it should be a cat similar to the Pac Rat that is a newer model with either a deck or passenger cabin


  12. The basement was cleaned up for the upcoming events at the Lodge

  13. Several damaged and/or dying trees were cut down and cut up for fire wood

  14. A path was cleared for the two large dead trees behind the Tow Hut and we expect to take them down on the next WP

  15. Work was began on replacing the fire escape from the fourth peoples dorm (new anchor attachments were installed). It was left in place temporarily for the upcoming events at the Lodge. It is expected that it will be replaced at our next WP

  16. Smoke detectors in the Lodge were inspected and found to be working. There are two missing and a third damaged. We will get the replacements and batteries for the next WP

  17. All generators were test started and loaded. All worked as they should

  18. Repairs were made to the hand rail for the stairs to the generator hut

  19. An insulator on the neutral off the power line is off near the Lodge and will be repaired later.

July Mid-Week Report

The July mid-week Work Party was held Tuesday July 12th through Thursday July 14th. The weather cool with some sun and a bit moist from time to time. The following were there:

  1. Phil Christy
  2. Dave Claar
  3. Doug Damm
  4. Bob Grass
  5. Lee Helser
  6. Mike Lonergan
  7. Ray Nelson
  8. Patti Polinsky
  9. Phyllis Nelson
  10. Tom VanDevanter

The following was accomplished on this WP and items noted for decision.

  1. Ox runs (the wheel with the new tire has been placed on the Ox), however it is likely that it will need of a new fuel pump and/or fuel filter.

  2. tracked back hoe was delivered and the 420 road was graded to some extent. Some drainage work was done and the water bars were cleaned out by hand. Also some handwork was done to keep the creek in the channel near the 54 road.

  3. Turtle Tow head and safetey gate pole holes were dug. Work was done on transferring the wheel assemblies to the new head pole.

    The placement of the rebar, mounting bolts and framing will be done at the next work party. The placement of the concrete (approx. 26 yards) will be done on a special purpose work party sometime after the regular midweek work party.


    Bob Grass at the helm digging holes

    Mike Lonergan adding finishing
    touches



















    And the reason for all the work, Turtle's fancy new head pole




    Dave Clarr and Phill Christy spreading the dirt over the culvert across the Junior Trail



  4. Grass and weeds were mowed in the area of the Tow Hut.

  5. Mach Tow brake air line was replaced and the tow stopping distance retested. It was found to stop in a shorter distance than previously. Obviously, when the new rope is put on, it will again need to be tested for stopping distance. Note, the rope was hung in preparation for concrete delivery.

  6. Moose frame welding repair work was done. More welding to be done in other areas which will involve removing several hydraulic lines from the drive motor.


    Red circle shows the weld repair with re-enforcing plates.
    Green circle shows hydralic lines to be remove to perform
    further welding
As a further note on the Moose, we now have new controls in our possession and will be installed at the next work party. The wheel guides and broken grousers may get replaced then.

  • Zoo hydraulic oil spill under Moose was cleaned up in preparation for continuing repairs.


    Phyllis Nelson cleaning up under Moose
    Webmaster Note: See, the Meany women always have to clean up the
    mess the Meany men make


  • Garbage run was made.

  • Fire escape repair from the fourth peoples dorm. And thanks to Mr Lee Helser, we now have more images of this Herculian task


    Doug Damm lining up the ladder

    See even "Elderly Men" can get some work done
























    Guys, are we sure we have it right side up?

    Let's see, did I measure from the outside or the inside??





















    Where were all of these guys when we were moving the beam??

    So good the first time, went up and did it again!!





















  • Ladies restoom beautifiation continues


    Patti getting to the end of her task

  • Fire wood was split - Note that is was stacked in the wood room during the bike weekend

  • Oil spill was cleaned up around the oil tank in the Zoo and taken to the transfer station in Cle Elum. transfer station would not take used antifreeze as someone has mixed used oil with it (they will take used antifreeze). The container is now also contaminated and useless.

  • Zoo tarp door was replaced. New one is little bit narrower than the old one requiring additional tie downs on the sides.

  • Plumbing for the dish scrubbing brushes in the kitchen was replaced and now does not leak.

  • Alarms, Lighting and Signs Replaced three smoke detectors and replaced the batteries in the rest. Also, tested the hard wire fire alarm system and found it to function properly. Further, tested the emergency lighting system and found it to work properly. The lighted exit signs are working properly.

  • Fuel There is ~500 gallons of diesel fuel, ~50 gallons of gas at the Tow Hut and ~150 gallons of gas at the Lodge. The spare gas for the generators has been used and will need to be replaced with fresh gas when we get the new delivery.

  • Flashing on the end of the Zoo needs replacement and we may get at that next time.

    August Mid-Week Report

    August mid-week WP was held on August 16th (Tuesday) through August 18th. The weather was sunny The following individuals were there:

    1. Phil Christy
    2. Dave Claar
    3. Doug Damm
    4. Tom Dunstan
    5. Bob Grass
    6. Lee Helser
    7. Mike Lonergan
    8. Ray Nelson
    9. Patti Polinsky
    10. Dan Solomonson
    11. Tom VanDevanter

    The following was accomplished on this WP and items noted for decision.

    1. Turtle Tow Poles Preparatory work for pouring concrete was completed on the pier supports for the replacement head and safety gate poles. Concrete will be poured in the near future. Note, this work is being done under a State of Washington., Department of Parks permit.


      Putting the finishing touches on


    2. Moose New controls were mostly installed with a little finish work left. The hydraulic oil leak was fixed. Frame repair will be done at the next Work Party. left picture below shows the damage to the old controls. The connecting holes are supposed to be round.


      Control Damage

      Fixing leak




















    3. Fire Escapes The family dorm esape was completed with the exception of two guard rails. Temporary rails were installed with defective 2x4's. Damage was discovered to the fire escape stairs between the Men and Committee dorms and temporary repairs were made. The plan is to fix both escapes during the next Work Party.


      Almost complete

      Doug with rotted riser

























    4. Lighthing Fixtures & Mowing Lights/fixtures were changed out on the main floor of the lodge and in the basement. Further fluorescent lights were partially changed out in the Cat House (we ran out of fixtures). And of course the ever present mowing of the campus


      New lights and fixtures

      Phillip toiling away
























    5. The expected Health Department inspection did not take place

    6. Work went forward on the Women's restroom remodel

    7. We tried to eliminate a Bee's nest just outside the Tow Operators shack with several treatments More treatments are necessary.

    8. The flexible exhaust connectors were delivered to the Tom Cat for others to install

    September Mid-Week Report

    The September mid-week work party was held on September 27th through September 29th . The following were there:

    1. Phil Christy
    2. Dave Claar
    3. Doug Damm
    4. Geri Damm
    5. Tom Dunstan
    6. Don Finrow
    7. Bob Grass
    8. Lee Helser
    9. Mike Lonergan
    10. Ray Nelson
    11. Patti Polinsky
    12. Dan Solomonson
    13. Tom VanDevanter

    The following was accomplished on this WP and items noted for decision.

    1. Health Department Inspection. We passed with a comment "do not keep any poisons in the pantry". These was some bee spray on a shelf in the pantry.

    2. Turtle Tow steel poles were erected. The electrical was installed but the bottom connection for the safety gate wiring needs to be finish. We will do that at the next MidWeek work party. The safety gate itself is ready to be installed by others. It is also ok to install the rope at your next WP if you wish. We also cleaned up after ourselves


      Meany's Version of Stonehenge or at&t commercial ?

      Lifting Turtle poles





















      Lifting Head Pole

      Detaching Head Pole
































    3. Bunk Dividers were installed in Womens Dorm and Kitchen Cabinets were cleaned an reorganized


      Women's Bunk Dividers

      Always a women's touch to get things done - this time it was Geri
































    4. New lights were installed in the Cat House. You can now see better on the main floor. There was a new outside light installed on the second floor landing to light up the outside in the vicinity of the concrete pads. There needs to be installed a switch so that the lights can be turned on and off on demand not with just the second floor lights. This will be done at out next WP.

    5. Women's restroom is close to completion

    6. Another run to the dump

    7. Three water bars were replaced on the 420 road, up from the creek, and some work done on the winter cross country ski trails

    8. chipper had a new cutting blade installed. The safety switch that prevents the chipper from running when the chute in not on the machine failed. The switched was by-passed and the chipper will now start without the safety switch in place. One should always operate the chipper with the chute in place.

    9. A number of branches were run through the chipper, but there is still more to be done. With the lift machine on hand, some branches were trimmed from trees in the swamp that were conflicting with the sno cats in the winter. This also created further opportunity to chip or burn

    10. Moose
      1. Controls were fully installed and tested. The drive sprockets go the proper direction in response to the control directions. Getting the final connections proved difficult for the experienced mechanics as they did not have the proper body size and dexterity to make the connections. Smaller body and hands were requited, mechanic experience not required -- sigh where were the small Meany kids when you needed them - oh yes at school


        Having troubles making connections

        Told you a fossil was not small enough - we need Milo


















      2. The idles axels were installed and ready to mount the idler wheels. The idler wheels were left off and the tracks not placed under the Moose to facilitate the inspection for the fuel leak and repair. As far as the fossils are concerned the, tracks can be placed on Moose.


        Idler wheel axles


      3. Cracks that developed where the axel frame is welded to the main frame were repaired. No damage was found in the area where the drive motor mounts to the drive axel frame. It was noted that the frame material is a bit light for the job being asked of Moose and bears watching over time for further signs that additional cracks developing

      4. Moose had four gallons (not near the amount necessary for normal operation) of hydraulic fluid installed to enable testing. The hydraulic fluid level was not brought up to normal levels in case we had a leak. No hydraulic system leaks were found. There is however a significant leak of diesel fluid. The leak is most likely associated with the fuel filter which we find difficult to replace because of body size and dexterity. This repair is left for the younger ones at the regular work party. The replacement filter in on the passenger seat of the Moose and additional hydraulic fluid is next to the Moose near the roll down door.


    11. The mechanics that were going to come up to work on the Hippo did not make it. They apparently were stuck on the wrong side of a road wash out on Mount Baker Ski Area.

    October Mid-Week Report

    The October mid-week work party was held on October 11th through September 13th . The following were there:

    1. Phil Christy
    2. Dave Claar
    3. Doug Damm
    4. Geri Damm
    5. Tom Dunstan
    6. Don Finrow
    7. Bob Grass
    8. Lee Helser
    9. Mike Lonergan
    10. Ray Nelson
    11. Dan Solomonson
    12. Tom VanDevanter

    Visitors:

  • Todd Kasch (a Sno Cat mechanic) showed up to work on the Hippo for its annual maintenance. He worked on it for the better part of two days. I think there will be a call back because he did not come with all the parts he finally needed.
  • Repairs using this method could wind up expensive.

    The following was accomplished on this WP

      A considerable amount of brush and limbs were burned up. Most came from an earlier tree trimming exercise for the power line.

    1. Cat House lighting was rewired and a switch located on the outside.

    2. Moose, several minor items were completed, tracks installed and Moose driven.

      NOTE: We noticed an hydraulic oil leak from the bottom or back of the storage tank. You will likely have to live with this for the winter season and watch the oil level and fill when necessary


      Leak on blue tower, starting on day one


      Leak after 24 hours

      Moose on the move





























    3. New two barrel carburetor was installed on the Mach Tow. On test run it seemed to perform considerably better

      NOTE: The air cleaner adapter needs 4 bolts to connect it to the carburetor (3-5/16" x 4" NF & 1 5/16" x 4.5" NF). We did not have them


      New carburetor and air cleaner adapter


    4. Turtle Wiring - Wiring at the bottom of the steel safety gate pole was completed. The actual gate is left for others to complete.


      Turtle Wiring

      Giving Tom Dunstan the credit!!!





















    5. Fuel was delivered. We got 250 gallons of diesel and 670 gallons gas. There was a problem where approximately 100 gallons of diesel was put in the gas tank near the Lodge. This was pumped back out but we did not get it all because of a failing gas pump. The fuel was later tested (the next weekend) and found to be ok and not in need of being replaced again. To prevent this problem from reoccurring, the gas house and tanks should be marked Gasoline. The diesel house is marked. Further, others found the filter and screen to be plugged. I understand that the screen was cleaned (on the pump itself) and an in line filter removed. This filter should likely be replaced.

    6. Two truckloads of gravel were placed on the 420 road.

    7. 1940 pounds of scrap steel was taken to the recycler.

    8. Sign board near Turtle needs to be set back up. A post hole digger would be most helpful for this task.

    9. Mach Tow needs new spark plugs. Oil and filter needs to be changed.

    10. Hard Rain We had days of heavy raing. Water bars on the roads handled the runoff well

    Trolley Replacement Report

    Trolley Removal

    As some of you may have heard, the Mach head pole trolley had a catastrophe failure during the winter. And thanks to the quick thinking of Jimmy and Nigel, a work around (ie heavy duty cargo strap) was used that got us through the rest of the season. But a new trolley was definitely needed, so during a weekend in July, a group led by Jim Fahey and Nigel Steere went to the top of the lane to remove it.

    It started with Jimmy driving his Suburu across the lane, to the quarter tower in order to unhook the rope. Interesting feeling, crossing the lane with the driver side lower then the passenger side. The next step was to drive down (yep down the lane) to the Tow Hut. Once there, we proceeded to to lower the counter-weight to take mach out of tension. After that, our curiosity got the better of us, so the last image is of the new Turtle Tow Towers


    Jimmy at Quarter Tower

    Dropping counter-weight

    Turtle Towers














    The next step was to get to Mach's head pole. You would think we would need to hike up the lane. Nope Jimmy had it all figured. "Why don't we take the scenic route to the top". And of course with signs like the oned below, how can one ever get lost. Thank goodness Jimmy knew the way. So, once we were at the top of south (the real top), Jimmy turns down the road that lead to the head pole. Yep another 45° incline (or close to it) and parks near the ramp.


    Very descriptive road signs

    Jimmy, you are not serious ?

    We made it !!!















    Once at the top, the fun now began, here is a series of images of Nigel and Jimmy scampering around the head pole and finally lowering the trolley, along with image of pulley axle and nut


    Nigel

    Jimmy

    Trolley being lowered

























    The next series of images show the damage done to the trolley and why Nigel thinks it needs to be refrabricated


    Trolley Damage

    Trolley Damage

    Trolley break



















    So with the trolley stached in Jimmy's Sabaru, it was time to go home. So, Jimmy decides that to get back up, he needed more traction/weight on the wheels, and the best way to do accomplish that is to drive backwards up the incline he came down on!. the first image is of the tires slipping, (both Nigel and I were wondering if this was a sign that we wouldn't get home anytime soon). The next one (of course) is of Jimmy at the top looking very proud of his accomplishment. (Next time you see him ask him about his adventure with his mini-cooper). Final picture of the view from the real top of South.


    Subaru Slipping

    Pround Jimmy

    Top of South view















    Trolley Installation

    During the month of September The new trolley was installed. It took two trips. The First one, with the help of the support crew (Hudson, Juliana and Milo), Nigel got the trolley installed. Fine tuning was done the second September trip. The end result was a brand new trolley with a cable and winch for height adjustment, along with a new climbing rope as a static backup to the winch system.


    Trolley

    Winch






















    Mach Safety Ramp Upgrade

    During the 2010-11 winter season, it became apparent that Mach Tow’s safety ramp needed some TLC. During the spring committee meeting it was decided that we should replace the ramp’s surface. Thanks do Nigel Steere's bother-in-law, we had a 4X4 truck and were able to deliver the intial load of 2 X 4 during the Trolley installation work party early in September. At that time the old The 2 X 4 ramp surface was removed by yours truly. During said removal, it was determined that the log support structure was severely rotted and would need to be replaced. Since new logs were needed, Phillip went out choose and cut three approprate trees. With the help of all who attended the Wilderness First Aid class, the logs were moved to the top of the lane on the September 22nd work party. These new logs would allow us to extend the ramp about 5 feet, from 22’ to 27’ in length. The extra lumber, needed for the expanded ramp surface, along with the supporting struture once again was delivered by Nigel and his brother-in-law's truck.

    The ramp upgrade crew consisting of Brian Finrow, Christopher Springer, Dan Nord, George Howard, Mark Abrams and Phillip Christy, started working on the October 6th work party and completed the project at the October 22nd, 2011 work party. The following set of pictures begin with the placing of the support logs


    Determining that we could not lift logs by bruth force alone

    Setting up mechanical assist

    Using it to Lift second log























    Once logs were placed, new ramp surface was screed to the logs. As it progressed extra support timbers were tied into the ramp logs to carry to upper weight of the ramp


    2 X 4 lumber being use to create
    ramp surface

    View of extra supporting structure
    needed

    finishing ramp























    So here it is finally in all its glory --- and no Nigel, you can't use it as a snowboard ramp


    View up the ramp

    View of the extra support needed for extension