Cofan Cabin restoration: the report

[Dusan Soudek]

Six of us spent much of this week at Sand Beach Lake on the Shelburne River in the Tobeatic, repairing the storied Cofan Cabin, one of the original warden’s cabins dating back to the late 1920s. By the 1980s it was in poor condition, and underwent significant restoration then. We found it it pretty bad shape. It was structurally unstable, being held up by steel cables and braces. Its stove had been removed due to safety concerns, and the structure had been boarded up. A work party last year resulted in a new floor and in the cabin being raised on new footings.

 

After canoeing in from Mason’s Cabin, where we were taken in Parks Canada trucks, we established camp at a gorgeous site at the other end of Sand Beach Lake, the helicopter having dropped off our camping gear at a narrow beach. Work started early on the second day. After breakfast we commuted by canoe to our work site, where we also had snacks and lunch, with all meals being prepared by a cook. We worked hard in the heat, not returning to Esker Campsite until almost dusk. The work site was a beehive of activity; with a din provided by a generator, a circular saw, and two chain saws.

 

We replaced several rotting wall logs, built proper rock and pressure treated block foundations, straightened a crooked wall, rebuilt a problematic corner post, installed a new window in a new opening, and replaced three existing windows and window frames. And built and installed a new door. Three of the four walls had been re-chinked and the entire building was sprayed with borax, a traditional wood fungicide and insecticide. Last, but not least, we assembled and installed thunder boxes at the cabin and at Esker Campsite.

 

We worked hard, under the supervision of Rick McMahon of Maritime Log House Restoration, for two long days and left Cofan Cabin on the morning of the fourth day in good shape. The next work party will install a metal roof, build wooden bunks, and hook up the new wood stove, which is already on site. Plus a few other lesser jobs. Again, it took us about four hours to paddle, portage, and line the Shelburne River stillwaters and runs back to Pebbleloggitch Lake and Mason’s Cabin, where we were met by Keji staff and taken out.

 

The Cofan Cabin restoration is financed by two anonymous donours and managed by the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, with major support by NS Environment (Protected Areas and Ecosystems branch) and asistance by DNR and by Parks Canada.

 

Dusan Soudek

 

 

 

[Duncan Neish]

This is amazing.  I wish I could have been there too.

Thank you so much!

-Duncan

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Duncan

[Dan Hutt]

Great report Dusan. I'm thrilled to hear that volunteers, with the support of the provincial government, are able to restore this historic cabin. I see some of the usual suspect in the photos!

It's amazing that there's a log house restoration expert available and that he's helping with the project.

I'd be interested in working on the roof when the time comes.

- Dan

On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 9:49 PM, Dusan Soudek <sou...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

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