yea, just come over to my house

sure

well if you use the plywood you can just kick it to pack it down lightly and then once thats done pack it down from the top to the bottom, we just use shovels, if you have a flat spade use that

ok heres some tips -take the dirt from the bottom of where the landings going to be sothat you can make it bigger with less work -use plywood to pile it up higher faster -dont start shaping untill you have enough dirt, and even once you think you have enough dirt keep on digging for another hour (you will appreciate all the extra dirt later) -pack down the sides like crazy or if it rains alot it will be washed away -watter the sides any time that you go, even if it isnt cracking -one of the best tip is do dig wile its raining, the dirt sticks together and stays in place better hope this is helpfull, send me a note when your done, i wanna see how it turns out:)