It took a lot of planning, a team of workers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Sitka Conservation Society, almost $180,000 in federal money — and waiting for high water — but it all came together with a new deck for the lower tub at the Chief Shakes Hot Springs up the Stikine River.

The 25-year-old wooden decking was in poor shape, said Alex Riordan, a forestry technician in the recreation and lands department of the U.S. Forest Service Wrangell District.

“All the boards were loose and floppy” from years of being pulled by the water as the river moved and down, he said. The floating deck was submerged several times a year.

The outdoor hot tub is one of two redwood tubs at the popular recreation site on a slough of the Stikine River, approximately 12 miles upriver. The lower tub will be replaced next year, Riordan said.

The other tub is fully enclosed and does not need rebuilding.

“The deck reconstruction at the Chief Shakes Hot Springs is a great example of how partnerships are critical to infrastructure improvements on national forests,” said Wrangell District Ranger Tory Houser. “The Sitka Conservation Society has been with us on this project from planning and design to securing the last plank in the new deck.”

Getting those 8-inch-wide planks of pressure-treated lumber to the job site took some planning — and watching the U.S. Geological Survey water gauge on the Stikine.

The delivery team needed the river gauge to read at least 22 feet to provide enough water to navigate the boat to the job site, Riordan said. High water in July provided that opportunity. Crews pulled up the old boards at the same time.

Eric Yancey delivered the wood by boat to build the 200-square-foot deck.

The Forest Service and Sitka Conservation Society crew returned to the hot springs and went to work on Aug. 26, building footings to anchor the deck to the ground and nailing down the new boards, finishing the job Aug. 30.

Houser explained that “securing the deck foundation to the ground to keep it from floating” will help protect the decking from damage.

“Between the great weather and dedicated team, they made excellent time,” she said of the fast work.

“Improvements to popular recreation sites like this increase visitor satisfaction and contribute to the recreation economy in communities that rely on the Tongass National Forest, like Wrangell,” she said.

The $178,780 for the work came from the Great American Outdoors Act, a 2020 law that authorized funding to deal with maintenance needs on public lands nationwide.

Next year’s work to replace the lower hot tub will include constructing the tub off-site, using locally sourced red cedar, then ferrying the tub upriver for installation, Riordan said.

Because Chief Shakes Hot Springs is within the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness, power tools are not allowed. The Sitka Conservation Society crew cut all of the boards to fit before loading up for the boat trip to the site.

No nail guns or power drills allowed, just “strong-arming,” Riordan said of the workers who drove nails.

“It was shockingly accurate,” he said of the measurements and cutting. “They were truly a capable group of carpenters. I am a fair carpenter, and they were far and away better carpenters than me.”

Repairing Forest Service recreation facilities along the river is an ongoing task, Riordan said of wooden cabins and decks exposed to the weather. “Everything up there is constantly under repair.”