Working on the earth steps

I went to work this morning on the steps on the slope in front of the covered porch. I had hoped to get them all dug out today but that just didn’t happen. Have I mentioned that we have a yard that’s basically clay and shale/slate fill? And that it can be wicked hard to dig a hole in this mixture? Well, it is.

First the work area:



There's a 4 foot drop in about a 12 foot run from the top of the slope on the right to the bottom on the left. If you look carefully you can see a yellow string that I ran from the top of the slope to the metal rebar rod in front of the wheelbarrow. The string is level.

The job:



The plan was to start at the bottom and cut out a wedge that was just over 8” deep (high?) on the upslope end and perfectly level on the bottom. I have several pieces of pressure treated 6” x 6” left over from the deck construction. Each is 27” long and will serve as the front for the steps. I need to get some rebar cut to 18 inches to drive into the earth in front of the step to hold it in place and some gravel for the surface of the step. (The top most step will be a 2-3” thick flagstone I've had my eye on for just such a use.)

The tools:



Here's a view of the tools with which I've been working. The long metal pry bar weighs in at 16 pounds and can get most of the stones out of the soil...if I can find the edge of the stone. You are supposed to simply lift the tool and let the weight of the iron do the work. Right. You can also swing the thing like a battering ram from the hip and gouge out the rocks and loosen the soil that way. Both techniques (all three if you count lifting the bar and smashing it chisel point first into a particularly stubborn rock) are hell on your arms and back after a time.

The wood step is 6” high by 27” long. The ground is fill consisting of mostly shale/slate and clay. There are a lot of rocks. A. Lot. Of. Rocks. Each step rises 6” and the earth/stones must be removed to make the flat surface. Each steps run will be slightly different depending upon the actual slope and any immovable stone.

I removed at least two wheelbarrows full of stone and clay for each step that I put in today. And I managed to put in four with two to go.

Tomorrow morning I’m going bird watching. The stones and clay will be there when I get back after lunch. Besides, I’ve got to buy some rebar and some gravel for the steps.

This is definitely giving me an appreciation of the early road builders who had little more than a mule and a broad back to carve many of the roads that crossed these mountains. (Although I'm pretty sure they may have applied some black powder in a judicious manner. Mmmm, I've got a pound or so of the stuff in the locker. I wonder....)