Snowballs: Hushed River Valley


Drifter Man

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Snowball 55 R.I.P. (less than 48 hours survived)

Upon emerging from the top end of Ice Cave A*, Snowball 55 located what he believed to be one of the possible places for the Signal Fire, but this one was empty - the fire laughed at him from across the valley. He killed two rabbits and spent the night in a cave nearby, then mountain-goated down to the Many Falls Vista. He took the "tunnel" to Hushed River to avoid the bear that mauled his predecessor (and could be heard and seen around here again), descended onto the river and returned to the bottom end of Ice Cave A. He passed through the cave without incident, reaching the other bottom end on the left bank above the Hushed River, close to the top of the Little Bear and Cub Falls, and moved across the fallen log towards Ice Cave B, which he wanted to pass through to get to Monolith Lake. On the move he was jumped by a wolf and promptly executed.

*I noticed Ice Cave A and Ice Cave B are the respective names of the two cave systems you can see when you take an F8 screenshot. I will refer to them this way.

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Oh no, not Mr. 55!  After his spirited interview for Interloper's Monthly, I felt like I knew him.  :(

14 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

He took the "tunnel" to Hushed River to avoid the bear that mauled his predecessor

Is this the path overlooking the valley that's blocked by scrub bushes?  Is there a sneaky, pre-hatchet way around them?

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6 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

Is this the path overlooking the valley that's blocked by scrub bushes?  Is there a sneaky, pre-hatchet way around them?

It is, but I found no way around the bushes. I had to go up at that point and follow the bank of the river. The bear has left in the meantime, I only saw it in the distance.

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Snowball 56 / Day 1

Spawned in the evening at the overlook of the valley. Quick check: the signal fire is on the right hand side, so it should be reachable from Ice Cave A. In the left hand side position, I believe, it cannot be reached without hatchet.

There is a snow shelter above the entrance into Ice Cave B, which I find with the help of circling crows. The usual goodies - hacksaw, cooking pot, some food and firewood, and a baseball cap that should at least protect my head from frostbite.

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Then it's down the rope to the Hushed River, drop in the cave (guaranteed matches + another baseball cap), and into Ice Cave A. Start a fire to warm up and make some water. The night is falling; a wolf howl heard inside cave tells me it will be a busy one.

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I search the cave with the help of occasional campfires to box out the wolf, who, for added drama, assumes the "aurora" format. The bedroll is found in the upper part of the cave this time, again with hacksaw and now also with painkillers. The top part above the rope is apparently wolf-safe, and I sleep soundly into the afternoon of the next day.

Snowball 56 / Day 2

I don't use the time to push for the signal fire. Instead I run around and collect firewood. I'm going to need it. Lots. I also take the mountaineering rope from the long climb up here. There is a corpse above the cave exit, with pinnacle peaches and antibiotics lying in the snow.

Snowball 56 / Day 3

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After boxing out another wolf blocking the path, I finally arrive at the signal fire. First check: does it give away warmth? Sadly, no. I run to the cave and warm up first next to my own fire, then return to check out the loot. Hammer, whetstone, mackinaw jacket (53%), sewing kit, a cooked moose steak. I dismantle the snow shelter for cloth, deploy the rope and kill a rabbit to get some more food. Then I sleep in the cave.

Snowball 56 / Day 4

I'm nearly out of firewood and the campfire is almost out. Judging by his face expression, my battered survivor is unhappy about the prospect of leaving the cave and facing the elements again.

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Down the rope, collect sticks, then "tunnel" and up to the right bank of the river. A wolf blocks the path to the fallen tree, so I climb down the bank. I want to collect the cattails up to the Reclusive Falls but another wolf (I believe it is another one) is blocking the path again. So it's back up via rope onto the left bank of the river and into Ice Cave B, exhausted and with frostbite risk at 68%.

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It is around noon, so I sleep for two hours to reduce fatigue. Then I search the cave, including the "waterfall compartment".

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The combat pants and the ear wrap are in bad condition. I use my only two pieces of cloth to repair the mackinaw, then harvest one baseball cap to repair the combat pants, but the repair fails. I find a wool toque, also in poor condition. In the end I scrap my socks and the other baseball cap and successfully repair the toque and the combat pants. The ear wrap has to wait.

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There isn't much else in the cave. I risk a piece of found mouldy cooked venison before going to sleep - I don't get poisoning, good. I spend the night sleeping below the rope.

Snowball 56 / Day 5

Should I exchange 5-10% of one of my hacksaws to cut up those tree limbs in the cave? No, who knows if I find tools to make repairs, and in any case it would cost scrap metal. I'll stick to sticks and coal. Up the rope, search the rest of the cave. A wolf carcass, I harvest it completely, I'll risk a wolf steak tonight. Blizzard is raging outside. I spent some time reading "Survive the Outdoors" and, in the evening, I collect sticks and cattails in the area.

Tomorrow I'll try to get to Monolith Lake. There is always a wolf guarding the passage.

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Snowball 56 / Day 6

The day starts out with a blizzard, which means I stay in the Ice Cave, finish the book and attain firestarting level 2. The blizzard rages on. I get bored. I get ideas. How about making a run for it, avoiding the wolf completely? I wait a little more, and thoughts translate into [stupid] action. I run out into the blizzard, search for the way for a while until I see a waterfall with a cave next to it. For a moment I feel victorious until I realize it's the cave I just came from. I lost my way and made a circle.

I enter back into the cave and think, but not enough, and take another, even more stupid action. I decide to repeat what I just did. I end up losing my way again, scaling down two waterfalls, spraining an ankle, damaging my clothes and escaping frostbite by a narrow margin by starting a massive fire in the middle of a blizzard. The Great Bear spares me today, the wind doesn't change direction until the blizzard is over.

In the afternoon I reach the Peak Cave, killing a rabbit (the only one I can see) on the way, and staying for the night.

Snowball 56 / Day 7

At first I want to go to the Lake Cave in hope for mittens, to finally kill the constant frostbite threat. Unfortunately, a member of the IMM support staff blocks the way. I get feisty, throw stones and shout something about a satchel, but he is not impressed. So I head to Pensive Vista instead, start a fire in the cave and process the wolf carcass there. I will dare eat another wolf steak tonight, although a parasite infection would be almost certainly my end at this stage.

Having out-waited another blizzard in the cave, I finally get to the Lake Cave in the afternoon (stones worked this time) and find my mittens along with a bunch of other goodies (a piece of cloth, another copy of Survive the Outdoors, accelerant, a "fuel" book, whetstone, chocolate bar and... a third wolf carcass).

I have three options from here:

  • Back to Pensive Vista and down to the Valley. Rejected - it's hard to get back up, I would have to go via Many Falls Vista, to the part of the map I've already searched.
  • Back to Ice Cave B and to the first exit on the left bank of the Hushed River. Rejected - again, I would be passing though areas I've already searched, and deal with a moose and wolf on the way.
  • Directly to the left bank of the Hushed River via rope. Approved - new area on the way, and probably the fastest route. The moose can still be a problem, along with wolves and a bear at the bottom of the rope.

The general idea is to finish my round of HRV and move on to Forlorn Muskeg. My main worry, apart from wolves, is getting enough cloth and finding enough matches. I've already burned though one whole box of them.

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Most entertaining as always. On the screenshot of SB56's day 1 - is that a wolf rearing away from the fire? Impressive shot, I would have felt they don't approach to so close a distance, but run away at an earlier (meaning further away) point. Also I was surprised to see the ever-thoughtful @Drifter Mandrive a poor snowball twice through a blizzard... is there such a thing as TLD fever (raising 3% for the player fo every consecutive day spent in HRV)?

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On 28.7.2018 at 2:02 AM, Drifter Man said:

IMM: Mr. Snowball, thank you for taking the tim...

Almost overlooked that interview. And how short of a run the bedroll was packed for. Talking to IMM staff seems to have similar consequences as finding combat pants.

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So there are wolves all the way up to Signal Fires? The other day in my Stalker HRV run, I ran into a wolf on the way to the Fire, the one that spawns on the southern cliffs... when you emerge from the Ice Cave and there's a pathway with a fallen tree above, the wolf was there... wasn't exactly expecting to meet anybody this high. There was an Aurora out, and me not being sure how long it would last, I readied my flaregun found in the Peak Cave and decided to take him on... as we were closing in onto each other - bam! - the Aurora dies down, and my adversary just vanishes in thin air, some dozens of meters in front of me! Sadly, no Mackinaw at the camp... it's been five days or so and I still haven't found any gloves... maybe I should leave to Milton?

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20 hours ago, Hotzn said:

Most entertaining as always. On the screenshot of SB56's day 1 - is that a wolf rearing away from the fire? Impressive shot, I would have felt they don't approach to so close a distance, but run away at an earlier (meaning further away) point. Also I was surprised to see the ever-thoughtful @Drifter Mandrive a poor snowball twice through a blizzard... is there such a thing as TLD fever (raising 3% for the player fo every consecutive day spent in HRV)?

The wolf reacted to the fire much earlier and then kept bouncing off the walls - at one point it ran almost through the fire and past me. I kept taking pictures and chose the best one :) Interestingly, after it vanished in the direction I wanted to go, I moved forward carefully but didn't find it. Either it despawned or it ended up in some side road I missed.

As for HRV fever... I think it was more a matter of habit. With good clothing, moose cloak and unlimited material for repairs you can run in blizzards all you want, as long as you know the map. Now I switched from the well-equipped, complacent Snowball 54 in familiar CH to Snowball 56 barely scraping by in HRV but haven't lost old habits.

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20 hours ago, Hotzn said:

Almost overlooked that interview. And how short of a run the bedroll was packed for. Talking to IMM staff seems to have similar consequences as finding combat pants.

That's why I did all I could to avoid that moose at Monolith.

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16 hours ago, dead frozen dude said:

So there are wolves all the way up to Signal Fires? The other day in my Stalker HRV run, I ran into a wolf on the way to the Fire, the one that spawns on the southern cliffs... when you emerge from the Ice Cave and there's a pathway with a fallen tree above, the wolf was there... wasn't exactly expecting to meet anybody this high. There was an Aurora out, and me not being sure how long it would last, I readied my flaregun found in the Peak Cave and decided to take him on... as we were closing in onto each other - bam! - the Aurora dies down, and my adversary just vanishes in thin air, some dozens of meters in front of me! Sadly, no Mackinaw at the camp... it's been five days or so and I still haven't found any gloves... maybe I should leave to Milton?

I found only this one wolf, sadly for me, it didn't vanish. But I know it is there, I've seen it before, even before I knew that this path leads to the signal fire.

Don't know about stalker, on interloper the Lake Cave is my place to look for mittens. Good luck!

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Snowball 56 / Day 8

The fire died out before I woke up. Fortunately I was ok, my temperature bar had not even run out yet, but the reishi tea I had ready for the morning was already cold. I wondered how it could happen, I had 8+ hours left in the fire for a 10 hours of sleep and the duration bonus should keep it going reliably for 11-12 hours. Investigation revealed that Lake Cave has a very narrow "outside" zone and I slept in the warm zone instead, so the duration bonus was not sufficient. The campfire found in the Lake Cave does not seem to be in the warm zone, but it is!

I wasn't fully rested yet but fortunately it was daylight, so there was no need to spend a match to relight the fire. I left the cave, avoided the moose at the Quarrelling Falls and moved around the Mammoth Falls to the rope point. Having checked from above for wolves, I didn't see any, but it was hard to see anyway. At the bottom I spotted a wolf and (inadvertently) spooked a deer - eventually the two connected, to the deer's detriment. I took a longer route to avoid the place of the kill, although I probably didn't need to (old habits, wolves used to attack straight away if you happened to show up near their kill). Suddenly I spotted another wolf coming right at me without barking. Soon it spotted me too and I realized I still carried a wolf steak, so I let the wolf to engage in cannibalism and ran in the opposite direction. An example of a decoy solving a problem it has itself created.

I was a bit too tired at that point - insufficient sleep, rope and dancing with wolves all took their toll - so I spent the rest of the afternoon in Ice Cave B reading the second copy of 'Survive the Outdoors'. In the evening the wind died down, so I sneaked out to harvest a deer carcass at the cave exit. Got 2 kg venison, my first deer hide and two guts. Now, completely exhausted and with a venison steak warming me from the inside, I fell asleep in the cave.

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1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

Question: does anyone know if a magnifying lens can be found in HRV or FM? If not, what would be the nearest place? Those matches won't last long.

Interloper difficulty of course. Calling @Dan_ :)

I've never found one in HRV on 'loper.  There's a 1 in 4 chance of finding one near the shortwave tower in FM.  If not in the immediate environs of the tower, then on a ledge around the rocks to the east (toward ML) there can be a fire with a mag lens next to it.

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

t the bottom I spotted a wolf and (inadvertently) spooked a deer - eventually the two connected, to the deer's detriment. I took a longer route to avoid the place of the kill, although I probably didn't need to

Did you go into the cave to the right at the bottom of the rope?  Guaranteed matches there, and usually a pry bar.

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23 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I've never found one in HRV on 'loper.  There's a 1 in 4 chance of finding one near the shortwave tower in FM.  If not in the immediate environs of the tower, then on a ledge around the rocks to the east (toward ML) there can be a fire with a mag lens next to it.

Did you go into the cave to the right at the bottom of the rope?  Guaranteed matches there, and usually a pry bar.

Thanks! 1/4 chance (or, more precisely, 1/4*(1-w), where w is the chance of being eaten by the wolf that hangs out there) is much better than zilch! I'll check that place out.

I haven't been to that cave yet but I will - I know these three guaranteed spawns in HRV (one with the bedroll in Ice Cave A, second in the cave you mentioned and third in the cave at Hushed River) - any other tips? :)

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22 hours ago, FunkyFuggerson said:

You know that little rock overhang in FM? well I've found a pile of wood and a mag lens once before. It usually just has an empty backpack but maybe you'll hit the jackpot!

Sounds enticing, can you be more specific? I'm afraid there are many rock overhangs in FM :)

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Snowball 56 / Day 9

I mostly wasted this day, sitting idle, for I didn't want to spend another match and also face the wolves out there... Instead I "moved base" from the cave entrance to an ice hall alight with luminescent moss, and using a backpack left behind by another survivor to build my first, hopefully not last, supply cache: 20 cattail stalks, a cooking pot, five cured birch saplings, spare hacksaw and three whetstones. I think I might be able to repair clothes or read books at night in this place, but I didn't try. In any case, it is much more comfortable here than in the dark part of the cave. As opposed to the entrance, you can hear if a blizzard is raging outside in there, and the sound of the waterfall makes me feel relaxed.

Speaking of the other survivor, he (she?) keeps me company there as well.

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In the afternoon I go outside and to the top, briefly warm up in the snow shelter (10% condition now, so it decays at about 10% per day rate), then dismantle it. Every piece of cloth counts! Then I make a dash to one of the two caves in the area - not the one @Ruruwawa spoke about - and find two pieces of coal inside. Coal is always good. Except when all fuel you have left is coal.

I started running low on water and let my survivor go dehydrated for a while until condition hit 70%. I recovered to 98% by nearly 12 hours of sleep.

I've been thinking a lot about clothes. I may even commit the crime of scrapping my precious wool ear wrap, now at 27%. The only critical pieces of equipment are the toque and the bedroll, anything else can eventually go, like the socks already have... and right now I don't want to spend my only sewing kit on repairs anyway, it's down to 80% already and I want to use it for crafting. Sewing kit saves tons of crafting time, and in my situation it saves ton of fuel I'd have to spent at the Spence Family Homestead.

Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Mr. Snowball. Tomorrow we're getting out of Hushed River Valley, heading for Forlorn Muskeg. If things go well, it's one day to the cave to Milton and another day to Marsh Ridge. If they don't... then it's icy grave or wolf dinner. Or a moose interview. So many options, so little time.

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1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

I haven't been to that cave yet but I will - I know these three guaranteed spawns in HRV (one with the bedroll in Ice Cave A, second in the cave you mentioned and third in the cave at Hushed River) - any other tips? :)

Watch out for wolves? :D  Regarding matches, those are the only static spawns I know.  I found matches on a corpse once out of the dozens I've searched (over several test sandboxes) -- about average for interloper random loot.

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