If you go with the mast forward you can walk it out as far as you need and place it down gently on the ground.

Some of the Acat guys have a little folding X with some fabric on one end to act as a support.

Ive lowered my HT mast by myself this way lots of times, solo and if you can find a random stranger walking by and have them hold the halyard from the back of the boat it makes it that much easier. They can sort of lower it to you and you can take a few steps back, so you have more leverage and less weight to deal with.

I think the reason most Catamaran masts seem hard to step is that we've all been taught to do it from the tramp, you are lifting the mast from the bottom 1/3, you are not using a whole lot of leverage, and it seems heavier than it is, or than it should be.

Bill