Musings on Mystery Lake...

illanthropist

By illanthropist
in Survival Stories

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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HELL WEEK

I always forget to keep a journal as some of the days just seem more of the same, the last few have been interesting though:

Day 68:  
Checked my rabbit traps, all 3 were full for once though I'd left them a little too long and they weren't exactly fresh.
After a nap, with 3 hours of daylight left thought I'd go for a wee trek and see if that bear is back in the neighbourhood, got mugged on my doorstep by a wolf when leaving the cabin.

Day 69:
Feeling better and the bear was back, I perched up on a rockface looking down on the pond with nothing to do but wait, wait, wait.
He finally came close enough for 2 shots and off he trots, thought the second one was a kill for sure!  Tracked it down and after taking what I could now freezing and thirsty another wolf comes in for the kill, rip's my leg to pieces had to make a bandage out of my socks.  Not sure which smelt worse the bandage or the wound, ended up stashing the meat on a dead body near the pond, all 10kg that guy has deep pockets.

Day 70: 
Back to the pond I went noticed a dead wolf just up hill from the bear, what a day, back and forth with all that frozen meat and guts, done more shuttle runs than the terminal link at Pearson International!

Day 71:
Please no, all 3 rabbit traps full again and the corpse of that mugging wolf too, so much for an easy morning and it didn't stop there, heading past the barn back to the cabin and another wolf comes running down the hill out of the mist.  Ah well at least this one will be fresh!

Day 72:
Chopped wood, cooked meat, cooked more meat, collapsed woke up and cooked more meat.

Day 73:
Chopped wood and cooked meat, don't know which makes me feel worse, the smell of my cabin, a tweet from Donald Trump or a movie about Steve Jobs.

Day 74:

Breakfast time, think I'll open a tin of peaches!

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Vhalkyrie Pathfinder

Vhalkyrie

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One of my favorite homes!  I love the Trapper's Cabin!  The PV Farmhouse is big, but that's not necessarily a plus for me.  The Trapper's Cabin is the best designed home IMO.  I always think I'll move back in there one day after I've conquered the rest of the world, but I haven't lived long enough to see that day.

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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1 hour ago, Seshins said:

Will follow this with interest. Is trappers your main base or temp?

It's supposed to be just temp but every time I plan a move something happens, last week for example just trotting out my door and a wolf dragged down a deer 50 yds away, was too good to pass up on 2 for the price of one.

Then when I did leave a bear snuck up on me at the far end of Coastal Highway on my way to Desolation Point, ended up back at the cabin stitching the hole in the ass of my pants.

I'll probably move on properly once my tools are exhausted.

27 minutes ago, Valorfist said:

That screenshot looks perfect!

Thanks, always worth using the high res capture, just wish my TVmonitor was 1080.

 

30 minutes ago, Vhalkyrie said:

One of my favorite homes!  I love the Trapper's Cabin!  The PV Farmhouse is big, but that's necessarily a plus for me.  The Trapper's Cabin is the best designed home IMO.  I always think I'll move back in there one day after I've conquered the rest of the world, but I haven't lived long enough to see that day.

Me too, it's a little cosier than the other buildings, even from the outside with the lights and smoking chimney just feels so welcoming, apart from the graveyard on the front porch.

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hauteecolerider Pathfinder

hauteecolerider

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I don't mind the graveyard! That's where I keep company when company comes calling!:winky:

In my current play through on Voyager, it's been somewhat disappointing. I haven't played TLD so far this week - been back to work after being out sick for so long. Last I played, I set up base in the Dam - and all my skins are spread out, but the guts are kind of piled up. Maybe I should spread them out too, but they take up so much room! But maybe in the mid- to late- game, I will return to Trapper's Homestead and set up base there. Especially since I probably can use Murder Cabin just to the north for curing hides and guts. 

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June Pathfinder

June

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On 15.3.2016 at 9:07 PM, illanthropist said:

Day 73:
Chopped wood and cooked meat, don't know which makes me feel worse, the smell of my cabin, a tweet from Donald Trump or a movie about Steve Jobs.

Lol, priceless :D

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June Pathfinder

June

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46 minutes ago, hauteecolerider said:

But maybe in the mid- to late- game, I will return to Trapper's Homestead 

Just when will it be - the late game? I´m almost 700 days in and I can´t see that any ressource is becoming short...

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hauteecolerider Pathfinder

hauteecolerider

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Late game is more psychological for me than anything else. It's the feeling of aimlessness, of having done everything I've done with this character. The challenge is gone, things are too comfortable, etc. etc. etc. 

In other games, the time I reach this point varies. As I've only started playing TLD ten days ago, I'm not sure when that would happen!

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June Pathfinder

June

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51 minutes ago, hauteecolerider said:

Late game is more psychological for me than anything else. It's the feeling of aimlessness, of having done everything I've done with this character. The challenge is gone, things are too comfortable, etc. etc. etc. 

I can clearly say that I have reached this state. TLD´s dangers (wolves, cold, food) feel like this to me at the moment:

200_s.gif.543e27c78f31d53bf64fde301fc356

 

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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At @Seshins request I've decided to collate my other recent post here:

CABIN FEVER

Day 75

Come late afternoon, with the smell of searing bear flesh and curing guts overwhelming my senses and clinging to every fibre of my clothes, steadfast that I could not spend another night trapped inside the trappers I started thinking about an escape plan.  However, not having the stamina for a long march and with sunset beckoning my options seemed limited.

So standing on the porch taking in the cold comfort of the stillness outside, interrupted only by the gentle falling snowflakes tickling my face, the rock face opposite towering over the barn looked as good a place as any to spend the night.  It was warm out, well as warm as one can hope for these days and the snow didn't look set to last, so it was decided, supper on the hill it is!

Soup and bedroll packed, with a sudden craving for a bread roll too, I grabbed a few logs and some faggots then set off on my merry way.

It felt great to be outside, bathing in the last light of day and the soothing scent from the crackling cedar fire whilst licking a little tomato soup from my beard but it wasn't to last, the skies started to look a little foreboding.

"It'll be reet!" I told myself, looking forward to an evening staring at the stars and the waxing moon, oh how wrong could I have been!  No-one has been so wrong about the weather since Michael Fish back in 1987!

After a couple of hours shuteye with the fire well stocked I awoke to the storm of the century, a Texan Chilli Fest couldn't have wind as strong as this was, no dimly lit sky to guide me to safety, it was so dark, so dark I couldn't see the end of my nose, I only knew it was still there because a frozen booger tore a whole in my mittens.

I started to shake violently, unsure if it was from the biting cold or the fear of my impending doom.

Couldn't see a way out alive much less, down off the cliffs and the oil lamp stretched out in front of me was about as much use as a travel guide from the Flat Earth Society.

So close yet so far from that stinking place I had been calling home I had no choice but to just keep going, all the while whispering to myself:

"Valor morghulis!"
"Valor morghulis!"

Then the barn sprang up before me, the building I'd been wanting to rip down for weeks was my saviour.  I found my bearings, I was gonna make it but those final steps proved to be the most difficult of all.  With both me and lantern now spent, the next marker I found were those of the graves outside my cabin.  It seemed kismet that the signs of someone else's demise might save me from mine.

Finally back in the place that was driving me to madness I had gone from cabin fever to burning up inside,  all I wanted to do with my last ounce of strength was to strip naked and climb into the locker unable to stand, unable to scream I clambered with all my being towards the bed.

And here I am now still as I write this, the smell of all those musty hides drying has never been so welcoming.  

If I ever do make it out of this nightmare you can be sure the Canadian Tourist Board shall receive a strongly worded letter indeed!screen_90be29ab-639c-4ed2-a30c-b50375667

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP! (BUT WOLVES CAN)

Day 77:

Back up the hill I went for another night of hypothermia and cold coffee and whilst capturing a beautiful sunset my ears were treated to the now familiar nefarious tones of an approaching wolf, but where was it?  It didn't take me long to find out!  Perched on the edge of a cliff, I turned around quickly but no, nothing and just as I turned back it reared it's ugly head lunging upwards towards me and then vanished as quick as it came!

I'd have laughed harder if I wasn't so startled and peering over the edge there was no signs of life, or a free hoodie.  It never returned, I can only guess it figured I wasn't worth the effort, either that or one of the pack was watching and it's pride took a bruising as well as it's ribcage!

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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WHITE MEN STILL CAN'T JUMP!

Day IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIII

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After a beautiful sunset the skies went a little dim so I thought I'd climb into my dossbag for a couple of hours, woke up and not sure which was dimmer, the sky or my decision to camp out some more.  Not sure what the temperature was when I was interrupted before dawn, my iphone was dead but I'm pretty sure if I had asked Siri she/it would have just emoji'd back with an LOL.

Once again lost mere yards from safety, to'ing and fro'ing over a drop it was make or break time, thankfully there was no breaks as I hit the ground, not sure if it was feet first as I've not managed to see them since being stranded here.

For a minute I almost thought I'd pee'd my pants but that would have offered some warmth at least but this was not the case.  I was to find out later that my cold cup of coffee had spilt, why I carry it around in a cup I still can't fathom and where the eff is Hinterland?  I'd have checked my Canada on a Shoestring guide but that went up in smoke weeks ago before learning that fire starting was a whole lot easier if one lit a torch first!

Anyway, made it back to safety after cracking a flare, once again with hypothermia, once again stuck in doors for 24hrs to recover but not to rest, gawd no.

Getting dressed before makin' a cup of rosy, I discovered my wardrobe was ruined, apart from the coffee stain in the pants, my woolly hat, sorry Toque, was in tatters and the rest of my outer layers had more holes than the plot of Lost!

Have to wonder, given the state of my woolly hat, erm sorry Toque, repaired with remains of an old sofa, is it technically still a woolly hat or now a faux leather Toque.

It's all been worth it I guess as made for some stunning photo's, the slight flaw in my plan was I don't own a bloody camera...

 

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illanthropist Pathfinder

illanthropist

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7 minutes ago, hauteecolerider said:

The rest of us south of the border

I thought you were French Canadian to be honest though still not quite sure what classy school rider means :P, yes my French is rather limited, I once kept asking in a bar "ou est la piscine" meaning the toilets!

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hauteecolerider Pathfinder

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Midwestern US here - German and Italian ancestors.:shock:

Haute école rider refers to my longtime hobby back when I had horses - it refers to the type of upper level dressage such as that performed by the stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. I never made it so high, but I had fun! Haute Ecole Dressage actually means High School Dressage to those of us riders. 

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