Unpleasant Valley [Stalker, PV, entries starting day 32]


moistsack

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It's been 32 days of relentless cold and relentless killing. I awoke in Pleasant Valley, immediately explored the barn, the farmstead, the signal tower and later I'd find some buildings around a general store while looking for mushrooms to deal with my then minor intestinal parasites. I really like pleasant valley, I don't know much about the place, but it is beautiful here and expansive, it feels very open and varied compared to say, mystery lake which feels like a walled in garden of easy living.

While intestinal parasites does not sound attractive, it had its advantages. It allowed me to consume all of the wolf and bear meat without concern of getting more parasites. Eventually I had to cure them as my max tiredness had been reduced by about 50-60%. The next day I bagged another bear and a few more wolves, which puts me at 24 wolves killed and 2 bears. I'm almost murdering a wolf every day, I'm not advocating wanton destruction of wildlife, but I am fairly certain these guys deserved it. I have probably 50 kgs of carnivore meat but my cooking is only about 30% of the way through level 4. I also have lost the majority of my 5 starting arrows, leaving me with 2.

To add to my ongoing issues, my axe and knife's condition are draining and I have no whetstones. They are around 50-60% currently. I have just contracted cabin fever from all the cooking I have been doing. I should have been doing this outdoors in the little shed by the farmstead. Lesson learned. I have no idea what's left to explore here in the valley, but I worry it might take me a while to find the next point of interest with the goods I need to keep going, perhaps most importantly being the whetstone.

Alternatively I could go to Timberwolf Mountain or another region. I am leaning towards the summit as I know supplies would be plentiful. I do not have a hacksaw, so I would have to find one in Timberwolf, which I don't know where they all are or what the odds of not finding one are, the outcome of not finding one would likely be death. I do have about 15 servings of instant coffee ready to be made should I choose that path. The other concern I have is that I need more scrap metal, and I need to take it to a forge, if I go to TWM first it is likely I won't get more arrows for a long time, unless I find some there. I have around 10-11 bullets for my rifle, which with 2 arrows is likely enough to keep me going for a while should I head to TWM.

If I stay in PV too long, it is likely my axe will break first. With no hacksaw to supplement the axe for timber, I'd be left collecting vast amounts of sticks, which I'd prefer not to resort to. I could try to find my way back to mystery lake through the winding crag and hydro dam, but I'm unsure exactly how to get there from here. I think there's a cave involved. I have a better idea as the transition to TWM. I am fairly certain it close to the signal tower. I left myself an MRE and a tin of coffee in the signal tower with the intention of heading for the summit soon, but bagging a bear and having a decent amount of ammo for the bow and rifle kept me in PV longer than I had anticipated.

If only I had google maps or something to show me the way to not die. I will write again soon, dear journal.  Soon I will make a choice and see where it leads. Wish me luck.

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Day 33 begins, I decide to head for TWM, motivated by cabin fever to get out and about. I make my way to the signal tower and stop for some rest by a fire I risk my axe on to get going. I prepare myself for the journey as best I can and head off when I’m fully rested.

The weather is heavy fog, which is nice for temperatures, but not so nice for visibility. I get lost almost immediately, but I stumble into the long curve which is helpful, as now I’m able to follow the edge of the map to my left facing the wall, thinking this will take me to TWM. I walk for a while, finding a cave, and then another. This one leads to the winding river, and then onto mystery lake.

I am thinking I am completely wrong about where the entrance to TWM is, and decide mystery lake will have the tools I need to keep living. So I plan to search mystery lake quickly and decide my next course of action upon the outcome. Easy living for me for a couple of days or weeks!

I navigate through the caves and by this time it’s the den of night, so I find the entrance to the winding river but opt to stay in the cave for the night. I consult my glow-in-the-dark journal. I lament over the possibility of getting lost in the winding river, I resolve to choose a direction and stick it on first light.

 

Day 34 has me taking a right upon stepping out of the cave, as left looks like it circles around back toward PV, although I assume  it wouldn’t actually go back to PV. After a few dead ends I stumble upon a cave with a dead dude and his trusty knife. Great news for me, though I guess that knives and axes will become a non-issue in mystery lake.

Not long after I spot the dam in the distance, a wolf to my right and some crows to my left.

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I stop to pick up caittails and hope the wolf gives me some breathing room when I notice a path way up the left side of the damn, though it looks to be leading away, I follow it anyway just to be sure.

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It leads right by the deer corpse the crows were circling and completely dodges the wolves. Excellent! I harvest the meat and continue up to the dam. The door is locked, but there’s a way across to what turns out to be another deer corpse my friendly crows are alerting me to. The trip across the dam is tense. It almost seems like the dam wants to kill me, I feel like the walls are made of rubber and are trying to bounce me to my death when I touch the edges.

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I make it across, harvest the deer and find an open window to crawl through. I’m in what surely is a place many a survivor has visited, possibly even spent exhorbitant amounts of time in.

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I spend time centralizing all the loot in the dam to one spot by the exit to mystery lake proper. I find another corpse outside, cook it up and leave all the meat at the dam for a rainy day. I finally finish up by Day 35.

 

Day 35 leads me to check the car and small cabins outside of the dam. I make my way over intending to have a sleep in one of them. I search the first and it’s basically empty, on the way to the second I hear the soft crunch of snow under light feet. I’d heard growling before on my way to the first cabin but couldn’t see anything.

I look everywhere as I approach, but can’t see anything on my flanks or behind me. I start to wonder where he is and about 2 meters away from entering the cabin the culprit wolf emerges from behind it and jumps me. I flinch as it leaps at my face.

This close encounter cost me about 55% of my condition, impressive stealth attack from the wolf, this is my most dangerous encounter yet, and it definitely felt like it too.

 

Day 36-38 I’m busy looting the lake, it’s pretty uneventful. I have almost completed my circuit around mystery lake. I stayed a night in the camp office, and am about to stay another in the foresty lookout before dragging everything back to the dam and taking inventory.

Mystery lake was resplendent with tools. No hammers or hacksaws, but at least 5 axes and knives, 5 or 6 whetstones and sewing kits. I admire my hoard while appreciating a red sunset, which I refuse to take as an omen.

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Day 39 I visit the forestry camp and loot, then head back to the dam. I spend days harvesting, repairing, eating, drinking and decision making. This lasts until Day 41.

 

Day 41. I’m finished with Mystery lake. No heavy hammer means no forge run for now. I decide I will go to TWM first, as I have 27 bullets and 6 arrowheads to work with. Thinking about this reminds me I left 2 maple saplings curing in the forestry lookout. I almost go back and get them but decide against it, I figure if mystery lake had this much stuff there must be places in PV hiding a fair amount of loot still, and with TWM to do I figure I’ll scrounge up more birch and maple saplings in the future and will return for these when I go for a forge run.

I’m just under 50kgs of pack weight, with no moose pouch I can barely move. I leave a bunch of scrap metal behind for future forging. I’m still unable to sprint, but I don’t think I’ll need to.

 

Day 42 and I’m home in PV, I exit the cave and break out the charcoal. The map lets me know it’s a straight shot back to the farmstead, I start heading that way when I see a pond to my right with a fishing hut. This could change things, I then notice a bunker. It’s full of loot. I decide to spend a few days here, cooking fish and mapping the area. This has been all I have been doing, up to Day 46 today.

I think I have learned that TWM is not on this side of the map at all. I was completely wrong. I should try to follow the edge of the map and continue mapping till I find it, then move from there. I’m currently in the rural crossroads spending the night before another day of mapping. Hopefully I’ll find TWM soon. Though I don’t really need equipment at this point and could probably survive quite some time before feeling any need for things, I am keen to make use of all this coffee I have.

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Is it just me or is the grass greener here?

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The remainder of Day 46 was spent inside a house at the rural township. I stayed the night and left in the early morning of day 47.

 

Day 47 brought fine weather with it, I step out into the world and head north east, which I’m calling northeast based on the map, I assumed the top of the map is north, putting me on the south-eastern side. My intention is to skate along the edge of pleasant valley looking for interesting places and of course the entrance to TWM.


A wolf joined me on the journey; but I learned that you can quickly drop a wolf if you wait for them to sprint, the second they stop sprinting at you and start growling is your signal to sprint. Just keep sprinting in a straight line and you will lose the wolf, even if he can still see you and you he. You’ll need to run for a while, so don’t try when already out of breath.

The sunrise is red again today, I keep ignoring all the signs that I am going to die no matter how much the world keeps reminding me. We are all going to die, and right now I don’t think I have any more to worry about than usual. I have been doing quite well these past few days.

On my journey I pass by the “end of the road” the name of which is accurate, the road does indeed end, so no TWM here. I continue north, finding caves to nap in, a couple of burnt out buildings with wolf residents to avoid. Stormy weather kicks in and I opt to stay the night in one a burnt down building without any wolves living nearby, this one has a stove which I figure will keep me warm if the weather gets worse. I harvest a bunch of timber and prepare for my first night truly in the rough.

Day 48 dawns, my bedroll keeps me warm all night and I never need to start a fire. I leave the timber behind, sadly I cannot carry it all.

I continue walking, sure that today is the day I’ll find the path to TWM. I stick to the edge of the map, eventually finding a high point to catch a view of the valleys sunrise

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I can see the farmstead, I can even see the signal tower way out in the distance. I stay here for a few minutes, it’s pleasant. The urge to progress sets in and I continue moving. The paths around here start to get a little less obvious. I think I am sticking to the edge of the map, but I also feel like there’s areas I don’t know how to access or have just walked by. Then I stumble into three strikes lucky farmstead. I’ve been here before, a long time ago back when I first arrived. I’m sorry I omitted that, I forgot about it. If you saw my map you’d have seen I’d marked it, but I had never discussed it with my journal.

This is bad. I harvest the deer carcass I ignored back in the day, and eat up while pondering where I went wrong. I am almost 90% certain I have bypassed TWM somehow and ended up here. I debate the pros and cons of spending more time looking today, deciding to take another pass along the edge. This pass turns into aimlessly wandering around most of the afternoon looking for signs that TWMs entrance is here. I’m out of charcoal at this point which maybe would have made life easier.

The sun starts setting on my day and I find nothing. I end up back at three strikes, I’m getting tired and for whatever reason I decide to use the last of my timber to light a fire and get some sleep, thinking I’ll walk home in the night; I’m fairly close to the farmstead and I’m somewhat familiar with the area.

The fire is blown out by the wind. I wake up cold, but not freezing, it’s dark, a blizzard is blowing, I can’t see a damn thing. I try to orient myself by looking for the edge of the map, which should help me determine which direction to walk. Instead I find a wolf, he sprains my ankle so I pop the last of my painkillers.

I eventually find the edge of the map, I follow it for a little while just in case there’s a cave nearby (though it is so cold, unless there’s fuel in the form of wood I will still freeze to death). I don’t find one, but I do take a rather large fall and sprain my ankle again. I’m at around 70% condition, which is ok considering how close I am to the farmstead, I’m just not sure where exactly it is.

I walk some more, I start heading inland. I come by a little shed, it’s empty. I feel like I’ve been here before, I know I have been here before but in my mind I’m not sure where it is in relation to anything else. I choose a direction and walk, another wolf jumps out and attacks me. Spraining my other ankle. I’m now at 37% condition and panic sets in. Why had I been so stupid, why didn’t I just walk home earlier.

The cumulative decisions that led me to this moment in time were all wrong. I was overconfident, I was stupid. I should have been smart. I punished myself with negativity while slowly freezing to death limping around in the dark, about an hour from sunrise of Day 49, almost a stone’s throw from home.

I don’t want to die yet, but I knew it was coming. I just didn’t want it to be so soon. I had plans to go to TWM! I light my lantern to try to see something, anything to help me find something, anything to save my ass. I have an emergency stim prepped and ready to go, I have no idea if that will help me accomplish anything but it gives me some small comfort as I watch the life drain right out of me.

I’m at about 20% condition and I see some of those damn trees by the farmstead, the ones that look like they were meant to be orchards or something. The relief swells, but I also can’t calm down yet. I don’t know which side of the farmstead I’m on. I’m sure I won’t die now, but I can’t rest yet. I pick a direction and stick it, and thankfully it leads me home

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Overall my trip was a pointless exercise in punishment. I learned some things, but I almost died doing it. I need to be more careful, unless I want to die. I don’t know what I really want anymore.

 

Day 49 I take it easy, intending to recover my condition at the farmstead before heading back to the pond bunker for my gear. The day is spent doing some crafting and plenty of sleeping. Day 50 passes similarly.

 

Day 51, since my close encounter with death, the weather seems, almost angry at me for surviving. I have almost fully recovered my condition (I can’t eat as well as I’d like due to parasite risk). One more day and I figure I can hit the pond and haul my gear back. I consider just staying there and eating fish the rest of my miserable life. The blizzard continues and reinforces this dreary mentality.

Late afternoon comes with the blizzards taking a nap, but icy winds continue to blow. I spot a bear roaming the end of the farmstead. My ticket to cooking 5. I grab my spare rifle and a couple of bullets; but it’s surrounded by wolves and a little far away. I leave the bear alone for today.

 

Day 52 and other than my parasite risk, I’m feeling great. I’ve finished crafting a bear skin bedroll I spent my recovery days making! It’s really warm, I did not expect it to have such a great warmth bonus, but this could save my life someday, I think it was 12 degrees of extra warmth, which is damn fine, I must say.

I watch the bear roaming my farmstead longingly, I start to wander if he’ll ever let me eat him. I think maybe I could attract him towards the homestead if I make myself smell nice enough. The blizzard continues today so I don’t worry about it for now.

 

Day 53 I make the journey back to the pond. I’m accosted by a wolf along the way, it chases me right to the bunker, which I enter before he can nibble me. I wait a few minutes inside until I think he’s gone and leave. He suddenly appears, seemingly out of thin air and jumps me. It doesn’t hurt too much. I spend the rest of the day fishing and deciding what items to take home. I am about to head to sleep, I step outside the hut for dinner, and accidentally eat some raw venison. I get food poisoning. Treated it and slept it off in the bunker as I wasn’t sure if I’d need to sleep 10 hours straight or not.

 

Day 54 my fishing line breaks and I take that as the signal to head back to the farmstead. I stock up my fire for one last night’s stay while I work out what to carry, specifically in terms of food. I do some quick maths

Venison = 960 calories / 1000 grams = .96 calories per gram

Fresh lake whitefish = calories/grams = ~.455 calories per gram

Smallmouth bass = calories/grams = ~.545 calories per gram

Venison is better to carry than fish in terms of weight efficiency, though bear is the best if you can eat it safely. Therefore, I will take all the venison I can carry without smelling too delicious.

Day 55 I return home problem free and take it easy.

Day 56 I notice there’s about 8 wolves on my property and plot murdering many of them.

Day 57 the blizzards continue but I kill wolves anyway. I lose three arrows that stayed inside some wolves who ran away to die. I search for their corpses but with no crows this is incredibly challenging in PV.

Day 58 I continue looking for my arrows while harvesting the wolves I do find. I find 1 of the missing arrows, but the other 2 remain elusive.

Day 59 I cook all the meat I’ve found and I’m so close to cooking 5 I keep the fire rolling and brew all of the mushroom/rosehip tea, coffee, and some regular tea as well. I hit level 5, meaning all the meat I have already cooked is now parasite free by way of my stomach probably attaining eating 5. Life just became much easier. I wonder if now is the time to hit TWM, the weather is still bad though, but this could very well be the new normal. I just don’t know. I spend the rest of the day eating carnivore meat, guilt free.

 

Day 60 again I’m taking it really easy, searching the area for the last of missing arrows, I found one on a nearby bridge, meaning I’ve got 2 of the 3 escapees. I figure I’ll take one more pass if the weather clears, and then head to TWM.

The weather finally clears in the afternoon and it’s nice out for a change.

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I spot many crows, eventually finding the sneaky wolf tucked away somewhere I had walked past at least 4 times over the last few days. Bless crows.

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I’m now sitting at home, ready to take another look for TWM and should I find it, I’m excited to go. The only things I feel like I could really use in TWM at this point is of course the hacksaw, and a moose pouch would come in handy. Yet to see a moose though. I can’t believe its been 2 months! Tonight I shall go over my inventory and take stock of what I have, and look over my meticulously recorded statistics, mainly to check my wolf kill count, which I think may have fallen behind a little bit since I went to mystery lake.

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