Work still in progress. |
Since that initial plunge, hubby and I transversed ......actually fought and struggled, up and down the hill numerous times at different locations. We finally settled on the spot for the stairs, which happened to be the site that the dogs chose.
Wacking down the weeds, finding the holes and logs was the first job. Once we got an idea of the lay of the land, the steps just sort of fell into place. They twisted, turned, and flowed down the hill. Of course the job snowballed.
....it would be neat to have a fish pond at the bottom.
....then, it would look cool to have a bridge going over the pond.
....next, a stone walking road leading to the bridge would be nice.
....and later, a deck overlooking the pond would be so very nice.
So at this point the stairs are almost finished, the pond partially completed, the deck in progress. But the bridge and stone roadway are done.
To make the pond we used parts from an old catchment tank. We did have to buy sand and concrete to make a base. The stone roadway was made from rock on our own property, and of course we had to buy the sand and cement for that, too. The bridge spans the pond using tree trunks harvested off the hill. Trunks were used for part of the walking path too. The rest is made using exterior lumber, mostly 2x6's and 2x12's.
The stairs are used every day. It was a good decision to put them in. Not only do they give character to the property, they are also very functional. Plus it's good exercise. When I first started using the stairs, I barely made it up them without having to rest my legs and catch my breathe. Now I go up them with no problem at all. See? Good exercise!
Think ski-lift rather than zip-line and you might have a concept for some future project to add to your ever-growing list of homemade projects to attempt. :)
ReplyDeleteI saw a post of yours on permies.com; followed the link to this blog and have spent all morning learning from your successes and those things that didn't work or had to work differently. The latter is very important to me as we will begin our next chapter on a very similar journey.
I laughed very hard at your words after you described your "plunge" down the trail; not at your injuries or falling but at your choice of words after the fact; "Gee, that was neat!" I identified it as my response after the fact. During the fact my words are not acceptable in polite company.
I've also learned that trusting our animals, in your and this case, your dogs, to find the easiest route is a fairly good bet. Their instincts for ease can usually be trusted. Their instincts for what is "best" for them can be questionable. :)
I love your blog. Thank you! So very much.
Aloha, RH! I like the idea of a ski lift. Surely when the time is right, we aught to be able to fashion a motorized bucket of some sort. But I still like the idea of a zip line for going down. Swish-zoom! Weeeeeee!
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