Kermit the Timberwolf Hermit

[Guest jeffpeng]

45 minutes ago, stratvox said:

If you pull him there with stones, get him to rage out, and put a flare shell into him, I'm pretty sure he'll drop; IIRC that was demonstrated by Geltaz in one of his videos from a ways back. It's because the flare shell does ongoing damage if you get it to stick, and that can (will? don't wanna make any guarantees there) kill the moose. Worth considering at any rate.

I know that can happen. I know it doesn't always. I had a flare stick on a moose and he survived it more than once. Maybe if the moose returns I might try it if my food situation calls for it. Thank you for your insights :-)

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 25

I wake up at 1 am, 90%, in the midst of a blizzard. Not the coldest you've ever seen, but cold enough to drop the hut to -11°C FL. I make a fire and boil water.

I take stock. Firewood looks good, but I spend a lot of food the past few day avoiding starvation. I have enough food to sleep through four more nights, not counting beverages. If I do - I have 20 uncooked reishi tea - I'm almost in the clear. If I get a rabbit or two, I can hunker down and enjoy retirement. Things look really really well if I restrain myself and stay on my toes. When the blizzard subsides it's 7 am - and I've got most of my reishi cooked. It's still too cold to kill the fire, so I keep at it.

Around 9 am it's finally warm enough, so I drink one of my reishis, let the fire die and sleep an hour. I used up almost 50 sticks. Then I take a quick peek towards the Landing Gear, as always. I see two bunnies, none in the snare, yet - and sprain wrist and ankle out of despair. I roll my eyes and head back home, eat a cattail and sleep at least the wrist off. Then I head back out. Finding a few sticks I notice something on the plains above the lake. Crows. What could have died up there that I didn't spot yet? I decide to try and investigate.

It's a deer carcass. Was it here all along? I never knew it could be here. I'm suddenly elevated. Despite the fact that I will take freezing damage I put the hacksaw to it. I take the hide and the meat. I don't have time for the guts - and with my hacksaw at 21% I don't want to stress it more than it really benefits me. I hobblewobble home, happy, and halfway frozen. 30% condition for the hide and two nights worth of food seem like a really good deal to me. Even already at 34% I don't cook the meat just yet. I will do that next early morning when I need to heat the hut again anyways. I eat some celebratory venison and sleep off the ankle.

At 6pm I'm almost fully rested. Which isn't great per say. But it's also not detrimental. I will look for some firewood as long as light permits it. Looking at all the parts I need for the second panties I'm really happy to have made the trip to the Deer Clearing climb after all.

I don't find much, but at least I get to sprint away some rest. I eat and drink, and try to sleep 5 hours in the shelter, but it's hardly 4. I go into the hut and spend some time in bed, thinking about what I'm gonna do with my retirement. I'm getting  close.

 

[stratvox]

The big one for the moose is the cloak imho. The armour is fantastic, and the water and windproof values are gold, esp. the windproof. For my money (all two cents worth) moose cloak plus bear coat underneath it is the best coat combo in the game. Yeah, it weighs a ton, but it's durable as can be and makes those cold cold mornings far more bearable. The best part is that if it gets to be in terrible shape, you can harvest it and with four guts remake it without needing another moose hide, just the investment of (IIRC) twenty hours.

[Guest jeffpeng]

6 minutes ago, stratvox said:

The big one for the moose is the cloak imho. The armour is fantastic, and the water and windproof values are gold, esp. the windproof. For my money (all two cents worth) moose cloak plus bear coat underneath it is the best coat combo in the game. Yeah, it weighs a ton, but it's durable as can be and makes those cold cold mornings far more bearable. The best part is that if it gets to be in terrible shape, you can harvest it and with four guts remake it without needing another moose hide, just the investment of (IIRC) twenty hours.

Absolutely on your side here. MHC is my favorite outer layer. And yes, if you "repair" it the way you say, a single moose will keep you well protected you entire life.

But nearing 30 days I feel like I don't wanna chance "victory" on an MHC I won't even get to wear. It's easy to take risks 10 days in. It's hard to take them 25 in. And, for what it's worth, the moose has migrated away for now. But yeah, I guess in a normal game .... it's worth the risk.

[stratvox]

Yeah, I hear you there. Of course, if you make your thirty day goal... why not keep going and see just how long you can run that guy?

[Guest jeffpeng]

8 minutes ago, stratvox said:

Yeah, I hear you there. Of course, if you make your thirty day goal... why not keep going and see just how long you can run that guy?

I honestly haven't thought about that yet. Sure, 35 days sounds better than 30 :-) Maybe I think out some other challenge to put on him like "Make it to the hunting lodge" or so.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 26

It's almost 6 am when I am done staring at the wall and a blizzard rolls in. It's not the worst of things - I'm out of water anyways, and the venison needs cooking - but firewood again might be getting scarce. At 11 am I've got 2.5 liters of water and finished all the prepared reishi, but I'm also down to 36 sticks. Still too much firewood to worry - but not enough to let it slide. Presuming the wolves are still gone I make a trip across the lake. Herbal tea will keep me warm for a bit.

It's an utter failure. No sticks. I wrap around, seeing if I can find anything towards the Wing, but run into Harvey. I turn back and head towards Echo Peak West, already dangerously cold. 56%. I've never been there, so at least something should be guaranteed. 8 sticks, a cedar and two rose hips are my reward, but now I am freezing. I find some more in front of Harvey's den, but it's like playing with nitroglycerin. When I reach the hut I'm down to 40%. 16% condition might not sound like a good trade for 11 sticks and a cedar, but I'm beginning to think that in the end every last bit of firewood will be important. Almost fully exhausted at 1 pm already I eat a cattail and sleep two hours. 

5 cedar, 3+6 reclaimed wood, 60 sticks, 3 coal. I'm, again, not worried yet, but it's too close for comfort for me. I head back out. I plan to go up the slope and wrap around towards the Death Bowl. I haven't been in that particular corner forever. Even thinking about going near this hellish wolf inflicts dread upon me. But I don't get to it. I sprain ankle and wrist and that's that. I turn around, and head for my snare. Nothing there as well I simply return home being laughed at by a rabbit running circles around me.

Having really, really nothing to do I finally get rid of the shelf. Shortly after 6 pm I eat, repair, drink and sleep 4 hours in the shelter. It's way too cold to afford more. I wonder how long it will help me stave off cabin fever. After than I go into the hut and sleep 7 more hours.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 27

I wake up at 5 pm. I read an hour about how to harvest things with a face, and then manage to stay in bed to wait out the cold hours of the day - and even a blizzard that is raging. Once I can leave the bed it is already 2 pm. The day is a complete waste. I'm down to half a liter of water, but I want to stave off making a fire as long as I can. I prepare some reishi and rose hips and after that, in -22°C FL take a peek on the lake. The deer is back, but no sighting the wolf yet. I remember I have a snare out, and decide to take a very quick look.

Well that was worth it! Looks like I'm'a do everything myself. Maybe I could use some help, but hell, if you want something done right, you just do it yourself. Got it? So I go an kill the rabbit for not trapping himself in the snare. I head home, tear that little fella apart, and yeah, that's about it. I even harvest the hide because it's just that little bit less useless than spending more time in bed - and actually gain Carcass Harvesting III. Hoorah.

At 6pm in actually passable -14°C FL I take a quick look around the house, but there is no firewood to be had except branches. I repair the shelter, drink enough reishi tea and eat a cattail to have enough water and calories to sleep 5 hours. After that I sleep 4 more hours in the hut. I get a feeling that the last days won't be very thrilling.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 28

5 am, fully rested, 61%. I'm alive. The yayness if overwhelming. Not. But maybe this day will be more eventful. The aurora is out. I look at my deer hides. The last one is 2 1/2 days away. A bit late, but well, you never know what you do afterwards, right? With one of my toques falling below 50% I repair it. A full °C for just one cloth? Deal. I also put yet another lease on life on my underwear. I again succeed at both at first try and start to wonder why. In any case: I gain 1.4°C for two cloth. I will let the other toque die a bit more before I sink my penultimate piece of cloth into it.

I drink my last water and hide in bed for two more hours. Outside heavy fog and -20°C FL greet me. And a few sticks have respawned next to the house. I actually make 18 sticks just by running around the house. It's 8 am, so usually still a very cold part of the day - and it's already almost passable. I drink reishi tea to reduce starvation damage a bit and stay hydrated and spend another hour idling. Two more reishis and I read another hour and then warm up one more hour in bed.

At noon I head out sprinting for the landing gear and make a decent amount of sticks as well. I would have liked to search longer, but I cannot afford freezing damage. Making no fire for two days brought me back to 95 sticks. I warm up an hour in bed. Afterwards I sprint across the lake. I suspect the wolves to be back sooner rather than later, and so I want to use the opportunity to look for firewood over there while I can.

I score 16 sticks between both areas, and pick up a rabbit on the lake. That's actually good loot for 1% condition damage. I harvest the bunny to warm up, then however heavy winds end my day on the outside. I decide to turn in early, also to sleep a bit longer in the shelter. I repair the thing, eat a pound of venison and drink enough reishi tea to be hydrated. I sleep 8 hours.

[Guest jeffpeng]

[One thing: I'm rather sorry the last days were rather uneventful. Being so close to unexpectedly reaching my goal so early I've taken a rather risk averse approach. With two days left and basically enough resources to stay in and sit them out I would be terribly mad if I died stupid and hours short of success by running into a bear by accident or freezing getting lost trying to make a loot run.]

Kermit 7 / Day 29

48 hours to go. I awake shortly after midnight, fully rested, decent 76% condition. I won't be able to stave off making water today, but I still can for a few hours. That's the metric I'm thinking in now. Hours - not days. The only thing that can kill me now am I myself. I have firewood enough, I have calories enough. Even cabin fever - while inconvenient - wouldn't strike me down now. It's like driving the last laps in a race you already won.

Some say those laps ... are the most dangerous.

I pass two more hours in bed. Then it is finally time to light a fire again - for the first time since Day 26. Still busy boiling water at 8 pm, I see the wolf of the Lake has returned.

Am I going to risk another driving exercise? There is some temptation, but I decide against it for now. The day is just too damn cold to do anything useful with it, and so I keep the fire going. At 11 am I am happy I did as a blizzard hits. Temperatures outside plummet to -47°C FL. It's only at 4 pm that the world returns to normality. Another day mostly gone. At least I'm drowning now in water - impressive 7 liters. But my stick count is down to 49. Way from critical, of course.

I head out and try to reach the area south of the Death Bowl again. I make it and score 12 sticks, but on the way back I sprain hand and ankle yet again, and lose some condition to the cold. Hardly worth it. I hobblewobble home, and since I am almost completely exhausted .... I decide to call it a day at 5 pm. I repair the shelter, but then eat and drink inside. I will sleep uninterrupted 9 hours in the hut today, and maybe then some.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 30

It's 1. Anticipation builds up, and anxiety I could fail on the finish line manifests itself. I'm so freezing close!

I eat some more venison and drink up to sleep a few more hours until I am fully rested. 86% condition. Decent. The aurora lights up the night sky. I still  have leftover calories, so I read an hour in my book about making food out of predators, then eat some more venison and read two more hours because I've got nothing to do. Period.

The day is bright, friendly, -19°C FL cold. Lacking creativity I look around for firewood. It's sort of my second nature by now. Other people get up, drink a cup of coffee, take a shower. Not me. I search for sticks and hide in bed all day. But as so often recently there is nothing to be had. I turn back and warm up. It's not that there is nothing to do - it's just that it's much too cold to do anything that's not immediately close by. The world gets colder, my clothing gets worse. It's not only that I am on the last lap - I'm also running it on my last legs. Then, as if that wasn't enough, a storm develops that is just shy a notch of a blizzard, and as things get back to normal my third hide is cured. I've worked so hard for my second deerskin pantie, I will at least dignify it be starting to work on it.

I keep working on the pants until 8 pm. I haven't done much running around today, so I am not tired anyways. I eat and drink. I go out, repair the shelter, mostly out of respect, and sleep in the hut. I put in 8 hours, but I will wake up early. Not tired enough.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 31

This is it. Is this it? It is this? I think so.

5 am, 97%. Sub-Blizzard outside. I keep working on the pants until I need to make a fire. -6°FL in the hut. The first fishing tackle goes with 15 more hours of work left. I have 56 sticks and 9 matches before I light the fire. Way better than I had anticipated, but not good enough to stick around forever.

Again I juggle working, boiling and tending the fire. Once it gets warm enough to only get cold a little, I let the fire die again and keep working. It's already 2 pm when I take a look outside again. I go to collect some firewood, but all I manage is a single stick around the house. -25°C are just too much of a powerful deterrent. I go back in and work.

Upon warming up I step onto the porch and get immediately barked at. Not even hesitating I get back in. Of course. Having all the parts for the pants on me almost got me killed. I sigh audibly. Last lap.

I've got 8 hours left to craft but I won't finish the pants today. I put the remaining parts on the table. I spend an hour in bed to give the wolf opportunity to get lost. He does, eventually. I actually have basically enough firewood for one more day. My bigger issue is food. I have meat for one night, then it's cattails for another. Then maybe teas and coffee, but I want to avoid that. So yes, I will drive the deer again. For Fluffy's sake. I pack some extra firewood and head for the deer, then bump into something and sprain my wrist. Plan over. I head back. Who know's, maybe for the better. I eat some of the last rabbit and sleep two hours.

By now it is too dark to execute the plan and I turn back in to work on the pants as long as light permits. My tackle breaks and cabin fever risk makes a comeback - not entirely unexpected. I get to the shelter and sleep three hours.

I made it.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 32 - To infinity and beyond?

Where do we go from here? The words are coming out all weird ....

Like I told @stratvox, I didn't really think a whole lot about what to do after I make the 30 days. The entire strategy was aimed at getting to 30 days, and from day 25  I didn't move more than I had to, although I must admit that I hadn't that much room to move anymore anyways. Day 30 on Interloper with +11 warmth bonus is a very limiting experience, to say the least, I couldn't spend firewood except when I really needed to, and my options for "portable" heat are dwindling fast.

And to be honest .... I didn't expect to make it to 30 days from the start, and after Kermit 5 I was almost sure I didn't have it in me. I'm not an Interloper-God like many others on the forums. I don't know all the loot tables and wolf spawns by heart. But I must say that I learned to navigate TWM almost blind for the most part. Which is great.

In any case: apparently, RNG was with me enough to make it through. Surviving that wolf attack was as lucky as the attack itself was unlucky.

At one point I hinted at another "descent" strategy, and yes, that one actually involved getting the container in the Engine Gorge right away, on the descent. The drift was to catch a rabbit near Three-Way-Cave, offer it to the wolf to have time to loot the containers, or alternatively flare him. You see, in the end I spent 4 of my 8 flares in 30 days, so spending one early.... probably worth it. Getting the container early would have offered me two more °C very early into the game, and potentially saved tons of early firewood.

But, now to the important question: What to do with Kermit 7's life? Stick around in TWM? Continue regular Interloper? Make a determined trip? Let him retire in peace? I'll let you guys make suggestions.

[Dan_]

This was a great read, thanks for documenting it in crazy detail and sharing. 

My vote is for a proper retirement, somewhere warm like ML or CH. Kermit has earned it. 

[Senauer]

It's been a blast of a journey, thanks for sharing! And congrats also on reaching your mark. 

Kermit's survival chances in TWM would be directly proportional to the number of matches that he has left. So once he runs out of matches his fate will be ultimately sealed. Perhaps he should look to grow prosperous somewhere else?

He's definitely earned a thriving retirement, and I cannot help but thinking if he has the guts (pun intended) to seek for such peace of mind at the Hunter's Lodge... or even at Monolith Lake's cave?

In any way, I'll be happy to keep reading on his travels across Great Bear.

By the way, something that has been bothering me since I saw the screenshot below is... you do know that each container has two storage spaces, don't you? I wasn't aware of this fact until I was deep into the game, and the "facepalm" moment was monumental...  

On 11/9/2018 at 10:16 PM, jeffpeng said:

[SneakySquid]

Lovely story telling

Why has this story finished already

 

[Karl Grylls]

Congratulations on fullfilling this quest!

I would like to see Kermit making his way through Hushed River Valley I never played on Interloper, but mapping is impossible isn't it?

[Guest jeffpeng]

6 hours ago, Senauer said:

By the way, something that has been bothering me since I saw the screenshot below is... you do know that each container has two storage spaces, don't you? I wasn't aware of this fact until I was deep into the game, and the "facepalm" moment was monumental...  

Yes I do. The upper door has 5 coffee and tea each, the lower has 1-2 cans of each beans and peaches. But I had this facepalm moment, too, back when I was in TWM for the first time. 

6 hours ago, Senauer said:

He's definitely earned a thriving retirement, and I cannot help but thinking if he has the guts (pun intended) to seek for such peace of mind at the Hunter's Lodge... or even at Monolith Lake's cave?

Both sound great. Monolith Lake cave sounds pretty amazing.

2 hours ago, Karl Grylls said:

I would like to see Kermit making his way through Hushed River Valley I never played on Interloper, but mapping is impossible isn't it?

Truth be told I don't map anymore. I never used a single piece of charcoal on any of the Kermit runs, and I usually don't anywhere else. Especially in HRV your map is worth snow. But I actually know the region very well and can navigate relatively blind.

I personally like the idea of making it to Hushed River Valley. It would involve quite a journey. The route that pops to mind is:

To PV, making the tour from the abandoned cache over Skeeter's to Three Strikes, looking for a few of the Prepper Caches, then Farmstead and recover, Signal Hill, Pensive Pond and to Winding River. I want to skip CH and especially DP as I don't have any tools yet. ML, Dam, detour to the Ravine to refuel on flares, back to dam, through the river (cattails!) to the camp office, recover and loot the overlook, lookout, cabins and possibly even find the lake cache, then Trappers with a day's worth of detour up north to the unnamed pond cabin and, if applicable, look for a preppers cache up there.

Then FM to the Homestead, celebrate the obvious crafting fiesta to get at least one hatchet and a knife and 10 or so arrows head, the more the better, of course. Then make it to Milton Basin via Marsh Ridge. At that point visiting BR is worth a consideration, but that's something I'll decide on the spot. It's very much optional. Back to the Basin, and via the Farm and possibly even Grey Mother's to the Trailer with the work bench. From there it's just HRV madness, but with a hatchet it's easy.

Making that entire trip in 15 days should be possible, living off the land (cattails) and for once having no depleted firewood spawns. I'm making a few assuptions here based on the loot table I should be on (RTL4). A few things that will be crucial to find:  tools - to repair the hacksaw as I won't find one before spence. If I don't I will need to divert to Orca's when I'm still at Trapper's. A bedroll, which I should find at the picknick site in PV. I should find my mag lens at the broken farm house in PV. Luckily I already have a hammer, but I'll find at least one more.

The biggest challenge for me is that I don't know all the match spawns by heart. I know them in TWM, I know them in HRV - but inbetween it's a bit foggy. Also my travelling gear is sub standard for Interloper >30 days, especially considering I have no Cold Fusion.

But I think... yeah... that's what I'm going to do. 

[TurkeySteam]

Thank you.

[Karl Grylls]

1 hour ago, jeffpeng said:

Truth be told I don't map anymore. I never used a single piece of charcoal on any of the Kermit runs, and I usually don't anywhere else. Especially in HRV your map is worth snow. But I actually know the region very well and can navigate relatively blind.

Misunderstanding here. I meant it is impossible because on Interloper you freeze within a few ingame minutes, isn't it?

At that point visiting BR is worth a consideration, but that's something I'll decide on the spot.

What is BR? I'm from Germany as you, but i have very less opportunities/time to play, so i miss some of the shorts. But i learned goating now!

Making that entire trip in 15 days should be possible, living off the land (cattails) and for once having no depleted firewood spawns. I'm making a few assuptions here based on the loot table I should be on (RTL4).

Again i have to ask what RTL4 means. And what was the RNG that you talked about all the time on TWM?

But I think... yeah... that's what I'm going to do. 

Noice!

[Guest jeffpeng]

3 hours ago, Karl Grylls said:

Misunderstanding here. I meant it is impossible because on Interloper you freeze within a few ingame minutes, isn't it?

Depends on weather and what you do to stay warm. Hot tea helps, torches help. But yes, you freeze very quick.

3 hours ago, Karl Grylls said:

What is BR? I'm from Germany as you, but i have very less opportunities/time to play, so i miss some of the shorts. But i learned goating now!

Broken Railroad. The region behind Forlorn Muskeg. Und: hallo

3 hours ago, Karl Grylls said:

Again i have to ask what RTL4 means. And what was the RNG that you talked about all the time on TWM?

There are loot tables on Interloper, 4 of them, that determine the location of key items like hacksaws, mag lenses and bedrolls. Knowing the location of two, three of those key items means you can extrapolate the location for all of those key items if you know the tables. Try google for "TLD interloper loot table".

Edit: And that RNG I was talking about was getting lucky with a lot of things. Hitting 3 of 4 flares, succeeding at all of my repairs. Blizzards ending before they would harm me. Surviving that wolf attack. A lot of happy random happenstances that made my success possible in the first place. I don't delude myself: This run could have ended in disaster so many times, and that it didn't wasn't up to me more often than not.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 32 - exodus

I did it! Yeah .... and .... now I gotta keep going. It's not like I'm ascending to heaven now. Celebrations and all, but it's dark and cold and I need to get into the hut.

Shortly after midnight, I'm at 90%. Padding my way through the dark I craft a line and subsequently a fishing tackle with my left over hook. Apparently it's bright enough to craft stuff, so I carfully, in hourly increments, I craft away, keeping a close eye on my cabin fever risk this time. But apparently it's .... going down? Interesting effect. At 5 am ... the aurora reveals itself, and also yet again the sheer and stunning beauty of this landscape.

It's around 7 when I finally finish my second set of deerskin pants. +13°C FL is the best I'll get here. I eat and drink, and go to sleep for two hours, despite cabin fever picking back up. I haven't got much sleep tonight, and I have a lot to do this evening. I awake to green fog and run around the house for a few sticks. Then I turn back in and sleep another three hours. 1 am, heavy snow, blizzard shortly after. I pass it away in bed to stay warm, and it's already past 6 pm once it subsides. Usually bed time for me, today the day actually just starts, but I will be terribly late. 

I pack up. I leave behind very little. A few torches, the surplus train boots, useless cattail heads, the rope I never got to deploy, a gut not yet finished curing, 2 of the 3 ruined peaches. Yes, I even take one of the ruined peaches with me. The hope for a can opener never dies. I make a last fire, warm up tea and I dismantle the snow shelter and get going with night falling on me. I'm heavily overburdened: over 40 kg.

When I go it's almost night. But 12°C FL are the best I can hope for - I will find my way. Looking back into the darkness I'm torn. I'm happy to leave this hell hole - but hasn't the lake become the closest thing to home to me? Haven't the wolves and the deer the closest thing to neighbors to me? That is if you flare shell you neighbors and eat them. But anyhow. All that awaits me here is slow, sad and certain death. Farewell, dear Timberwolf Mountain. It was a lot of hard love between us.

I chain torches through the dark and waste a match doing to. Dammit! Please, Hinterlanders, fix this. It's so annoying. Entering Pleasant Valley I'm almost freezing. I make camp under the arch to warm up, cook my last cups of coffee and warm up some more tea. I tear up my jeans to spend some time. It's useless now. When I realize that even a 17°C fire cannot keep me warm, I go, leaving the fire at almost 2 hours left, just taking a torch.

Not confident I could goat the steep climb I surrender all my sticks at the rope and climb down. At the burned down house I find a can and a pot! Fluffy be praised. Into the cache - which is warm enough, but too dark to see anything. Not willing to spend another of my precious matches just to probably find not a whole lot anyways I spend time tearing up shoes - just to warm up. When I'm finished outside it's -33°C FL. Very Pleasant this Valley, indeed. I stay in, and drop surplus gear and firewood on the ground, just for now. I pad through the dark, and find the bed. I sleep two hours. 

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 33 - The Valley's firm handshake

I awake yet again, at 2 am. Cabin fever is a problem - 28%. Food also will become a concern today. I'm down to my 5 cattails. Enough for one session of long sleep - no more. I can maybe scrape half a night with teas. That's it. I need food. Outside winds still rage, and it's too dark to see let alone travel. I still decide to take a look outside - -35°FL. No way. What to do? I tear of the other surplus shoes I brought. Now .... it's an outright blizzard outside. Amazing! I stare into the dark .... for almost two hours. Then I see something. What riches await me here? Spoiler: Not much:

The lockers turn up either empty or locked. The cabinets are also empty, just as expected. I find a book and in lack of anything better to do I smash the crates for firewood and even the cardboard box for basically no reason. They of course contain nothing. I use the time to organize what little belongings I have. Excess fatigue from having slept too little in too long time sets in, and I sacrifice another cattail for two more hours. It's 1 am, and weather doesn't show any sings of giving me a chance. 

Outside it's -18°C FL when I manage to keep out of the winds. I have little choice. I gotta get going and make a run for the cave at the picknick site. The wolf that can be there on the way is more than just a concern, but options are dwindling. At least the winds finally subside.

No wolf, but rabbit. He isn't long for the world. The corpse yields nothing, but the reishis are very welcome. I enter the cave. I find the bedroll at 69%, some coal and firewood, a cotton toque of unimportant condition - it's cloth - 0.3l lamp fuel, which makes me happy I brought the lantern that was retired since day 1, and a wonderful chocolate bar. I make camp at the spot where I found the bedroll, and warm up - also I need more torches. The rabbit gets harvested and cooked up quickly. Again, excess fatigue strikes, while cabin fever keeps creeping up on me slowly but steadily. 

I leave the cave with the fire still alive, and kill another rabbit. I'm a stinky fella now, I need to be careful. Winds kill the torch and I curse myself. I'm down to 3 matches and still a way away from the farmstead. I'm still at least a full day away from the farmstead. Maybe Skeeter's has some matches for me. It's the best I can hope for right now. I retreat back into the cache. I eat half a pound of rabbit and sleep two hours.

I have little options. I need to stay out as long as I can. I need matches. I have firewood in excess. I need a good nights sleep. I think through what I can do, and what I cannot. I will cost me a tremendous amount of firewood, but I will stay out in the burned down house tonight. A fire there should be safe. Then, two matches left, I have enough wriggle room to make it to Skeeter's. I make a quick trip to the hunters blind, not sure what I expect to find there. Except for a book about archery: nothing. The corpse nearby also yields nothing. A lot of condition damage for not a lot in return, in fact.

I gather my things at the cache and make a fire. I harvest the second rabbit for meat and guts. I leave the guts at the shelter, I cannot afford to be smelly tomorrow.

Still alive and kicking I celebrate Cooking IV. For the same reason I leave behind the guts I eat all my rabbit meat and sleep. 8 hours. Will I wake up? I sincerely hope so. 

 

 

 

 

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 34 - Tales of a lonely traveler

I wake up shortly after 6 am, the fire still sporting almost 5 hours displayed time, so probably more close to 7 and a half hours. It's -40°C air temperature. We're way beyond the cap. I drink and sleep two more hours - as much as I possibly can.

I get up at 80% condition and employ my new and shiny cooking pot to make some water. I cannot fathom how much this baby would have made my life easier on TWM. I also prepare some tea with the can. Making water and tea at the same time. Hilarious! With over 2 hours left on the fire I pull torches and leave at 11 am.

Not very confident I will carry the fire all the way to Skeeter's I still try. Even the remote possibility of saving a match is worth the hassle of chaining torches. I almost make the mistake of not dropping the rabbits - that would have been my demise, most likely.  I make it to the point of disagreement and disagree with the wind brushing up. I fear for the torch.

None of the cars or corpses yield anything. I find an old piece of cooked rabbit at the first house of Skeeter's. 0%, of course. I hope the wolf isn't home. If he is, we might have a disagreement of our own. .... He is, but I spot him first, so I try to wrap around, taking freezing damage over teeth damage. I make it to Burned Ridge Cave scot-free and make a fire with the torch and warm up. Right now firewood is still in plenty supply. I find a tin of sardines at 41%. Good enough to chance it any day.

I warm up and drink a cup of herbal tea and harvest the rose hips outside. Only now I spot the deer carcass outside and quickly transfer the fire. Luckily the winds have passed and I credit myself for still burning the same fire from yesterday evening. Sadly the carcass only yields 0.6 kilograms of protein. But I take it - and eat it. The hide and guts will have to stay - too risky. 

I pull torches, drink my reishi and slowly approach the houses. I find a pack of 43% crackers and a toolbox, but then the wolf spots me yet again. Torch in hand and winds brushing up quick I slip into the basement. My loot there consists of: a 44% thin wool sweater, A Sewing Primer, 12 Wood Matches - I guess they really are guaranteed - and amazingly well preserved tomato soup at 82%. But with the winds howling above me and my encumbrance totaling 47 kilos now I don't dare leaving the basement with the wolf on the prowl outside. I kill the torch - I'm not going anywhere right now. Luckily cabin fever risk has subsided, so I should be good to stay here tonight if I must. Still 280 calories in my belly I sleep 2 hours.

Winds are still raging outside when I wake up, so I decide to use the time and repair my hacksaw. Nothing to do I break the crates just on the off chance I find anything in them. My hopes are disappointed. Already 11 pm I down half of my newly acquired crackers and sleep 4 hours.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Kermit 7 / Day 35 - Basement dwelling couch potato

I awake at 70%, fully rested, 3:30 pm approx. Still windy. Night vision grants me a good look at the basement, but it's ofc too dark to saw down the shelves.

I look at what I have and what to do with it, and what to leave behind. I retire the ruined peaches into the freezer. I have my cans now, and I should be able to find enough food to not having to down food that will give me almost guaranteed food poisoning. They were a measure of last resort in case I needed them to make the last day on TWM - which we all know went much smoother. I break down a plethora of torches, keeping my 9 best, all above 35%. I retire the hoodie and shirt I still kept around from TWM. They cannot compete with the new sweater. The cotton toque also finds its fate as cloth. I have 7 pieces now - a lush supply.

Something I need to mention is that I didn't collect feathers back on TWM. I never considered being able to make arrow. Now that might bite me in the backside eventually. Up until now all I got are measly 3. But that's a problem for another, happier day. I go on preparing reishi and rose hips until 7 am. Then I break down a shelf and as winds still rage the other goes as well. At noon I am still confined down here, getting antsy. I keep eating crackers and end up sleeping 3 more hours.

5 pm whatever blizzard has taken rage of Pleasant Valley is still going strong. This becoming more than just inconvenient. I will end up losing an entire day down here. I fix my 50% toque and then the new sweater I found. It's 7 pm. Still blizzard. What the hell... Starving and losing condition because I can't sleep long periods of time this is becoming dangerous. But I won't stay down here all night and acquire cabin fever all over again. I decide to make it back to the cave. I have excess firewood to burn. At least I can do some reading there.

The winds strip all my heat away faster than I can say "ohmygosh", but I make it to the cave as the blizzard subsides. But I'm too cold to travel now, and it will be deep dark night before I have a chance to reach the farm. I make a fire in the cold part of the cave and repair my hacksaw some more. I eat my sardines, mostly to prevent further starvation and read two hours, then craft some more reishi and make tea. It's already 1am when I put on some more firewood eat 3 cattails and sleep 6 hours.

Tomorrow I will have little choice but to make it to the farm. It's not my last resort just yet, but it's not far from it either.