Mike and I laid the 21 foot retaining wall today. I previously laid and leveled stones and brick under the wall to prevent subsidence. The plan is to lay concrete barriers along the entire length of back downward slope to hold in the stone and brick base. The dry season almost here will cement the supports in place.
The 4x4s had high water content in and were heavy to lift, even if only seven feet long. Water bubbled out when drilled. The section turns out to be one inch shy of 21 feet – nothing that a power saw cannot fix.
Mike drilled and I came behind with the 20 pound sledge hammer. He found a 5/8 inch drill bit, which made pounding 1/2 inch rebar through two levels much easier. The rebar is two feet long, running through both levels of the retaining wall and into the ground below. Ground was also soft at this time of year. My best John Henry imitation.
A Year at the Snake 