compost too wet

I started a 8' x 8' x 3' compost pile of shredded leaves and some grass clippings. I used a dog confinement pen to keep it contained. I set it on a slight incline so that rain water would not puddle. I need LOTS of compost for a 19' x 41' space. I realize my mistake was not putting down a base of pallets or something that would allow air flow. Now that it is too late to do this my question is what can I do about the first 12 inches that is mush? It is pretty back breaking and messy to dig and turn such a large amount. The soggy stuff is sure to freeze solid if I bring it to the top. Is there any harm in tranferring soggy partially decomposed matter to the perennial garden in the Spring to dry out and finish decomposing there? Or could it be tilled into the soil in an annual garden? Can root rot occur from organic matter that has not fully decomposed or matter that is too soggy? Should I use the upper 2 feet of partially decomposed shredded leaves in the spring as a top dressing and allow the remaining 12 inches to dry out before using it?

Well ... I think you're best off dumping (or digging out) the bin, adding your pallet or making a bottom layer of hardware cloth or screen and layering in your soggy stuff (sparingly!) with dryer materials.

In all your spare time, right?

Otherwise, I'd just try to get as much of the wet stuff to mix with the dry stuff - don't kill yourself, but the more you can get, the more good stuff you'll get out of it in spring that is completely usable.

You also might want to consider splitting this very large bin up into smaller sections - that monster would be tough to turn if you were composting feathers!

As to whether or not you can add the wet material to your beds - guess it depends on a) how wet everything is already b) whether or not your plants can take that much moisture or not. I'd hazard a guess that you're better off putting it out on sheets of cardboard/ newspaper/sidewalk to dry and then returning it to the pile to finish breaking down.

Agree wit h Pagancat. My big bin is 8by 4 by couple feet high. That width, I can reach past the middle from either side. One year, I hooked together two cheapo compost things from the county, and made a pile about six or more feet in diameter. But that was a mess. Sides were kind of floppy and that didn't help.
I try to get any wet junk up into the dry junk, so hopefully the most finished junk is available sooner. But, to save your back, don't work too hard on that bottom layer, use the top as you said, and the bottom can dry and be part of your next batch.