7/30/11 - The Walls Continue

I wish to suggest that a man may be very industrious, and yet not spend his time well. There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living. All great enterprises are self-supporting. The poet, for instance, must sustain his body by his poetry, as a steam planing-mill feeds its boilers with the shavings it makes. You must get your living by loving.
Thoreau - Life Without Principle - 1863

It has been a good week both on and off the mountain.  Construction of the walls at the base of the structure appears to be the primary focus at this point.  Once complete, it would appear as if pouring would commence.  As you can see in the pictures, there is a tremendous amount of rebar that is going into the structure.  And, considering the extreme elements that can be found on the summit, that would only seem reasonable.

East side ramp footings and wall

North side... ramp pilings / supports.

 Looking eastward, you can see the ramp footings come around the corner as it increases in height.  From this point on, as the walk-way winds around the outside of the tower, gaining height with each step, it will evidently rest upon these pilings (the wooden structures in the picture.)  Actually, the wood serves only as a form for the cement.  Inside these wooden "boxes" there awaits a support structure of rebar.

Rebar in place

 The wall on the east is not yet in place although the rebar is standing tall.  It rises to a height of about 20 feet and sways in the wind which was considerable this morning.  As you see in the pictues below, the wooden forms are tied to the large cement blocks for just that reason.

Southern Wall

And I can assure you, those are just not 2 x 4 s leaning against the wall nailed in place with a hammer.  Click on the pictures and they are tied in to the cement blocks very securely.

Ramp footings from the south

Western Wall braced for wind support.

It might appear to be slow progress for the week, but having worked on a construction job as a young man in the summer before heading off to college, I tied yards and yards of rebar in place for a bowling alley.  Trust me ... it's slow and tedious. 

One aspect of the project that will probably not occur this year, according to the rangers with whom I spoke last week, is the upgrade of Parker House.  With that work, it would be open to the public, perhaps rest rooms and some history of the mountain.  Today, it houses hardware related to the communications antennas.  So, before it is restored, here is the current view.

Parker Lodge facing Summit Pond

Parker Lodge

And lest we forget the parking lot.  It appears as if little or no work was completed this week.

Parking Lot at rest.

Summit Pond 

Not wanting to forget the lower summit area today, I photographed the pond.  Present since the hotels of the late 1800's, this man-made structure will remain.  Nothing in the present view will change ... except of course the old tower in the background.