Zero challenge attempt

[Stone]

Zero challenge: Interloper + 'time indoors' stat to 0 hrs...

It begins... with several failed attempts, but on this run we're getting somewhere so I wanted to share.

Forlorn Muskeg, mushroom spawn. Its damn cold. Make a straight line for Spence's farm picking up every mushroom and stick on the way, past the bear and arrive to find it wolf free. Matches. Fire lights first time (bless this run). Leave the coal for forging (hopefully). Eat some good condition dog food, boil some water, smash my way to the safe and thank RNGJesus again for a worn mackinaw jacket. The plan is to find the heavy hammer, make a knife, start crafting kit. Gonna constantly need food and firewood so find as much of that along the way. Breakdown another crate for the two cans of accelerant. I need to keep moving in the warmest parts of the day. Its still too cold out so chuck what I can on the fire and sleep for 4 hours.

Its warmer now, weather holding. Make and down some Reishi tea for warmth/calories then head to the bunkhouses and find a hacksaw - sweet! Cross the ice, grabbing cattails, to high hide and get a real windfall - matches in the hide AND matches on a corpsicle. Make the poachers camp in beautiful weather, still chaining torches and wide awake.

Find a storm lantern, not going to drag that around though. Take a very frozen sweatshirt, one piece of coal and some tomato soup. Warm up with a fire, make/drink more Reishi. I'm pinning everything on a bedroll being in Mystery Lake. Onwards.

I get tailed by a wolf after the tunnel. It follows me to the beloved camp office which sadly won't become my base . Now the 0 hours indoor challenge is, in reality, the 'less-than-60-minutes-indoors' challenge. I've grappled with that but ultimately some key gear might be in a building and the real challenge is the exposure - 59 minutes indoors isn't changing that. So in to the camp office we go. A quick dash around and I'm out - got a big pan, hook, 'field dressing you kill', some mittens and a very useful but battered a mag lens. As if I'll live long enough to run out of matches...

Now the tricky bit, I don't wanna go all the way to Coastal Highway for a hammer which might be in the ravine. The ravine might not have a rope. So I take the lake trail to towards Quite Clearing the climbing rope nearby. But I've forgotten about the wolf. It reminds me with a bark and follows me down the narrow trail. I run a little around a bend hoping to lose it. Its still with me and I'm now heading up the dead end of the Quite Clearing. #$£&!

I've climbed out of here before. Stay calm. I head up the left bank at the clearing's mouth, its steep. Too steep, wheres the gap in the incline!? I can't climb! Sprain! Argh! Somewhere behind the wolf barks and charges. I ready my mouse for the struggle.... But the wolf squeals and runs off. Maybe got a sprain too? Phew!... and now I find the slope, up over, grab some birch and reach the cave. Start a fire. The sprain is a wrist so I can keep moving but damn my decision making.

Its midnight.

Day 2: (midnight) Warm, with hot tea inside, I head for the rope, collect it and head down and across the lake for Alun's cave. A fishing hut yields some cloth and a sewing kit. Snow begins to fall. Entering the river, hopes of collecting cattails are dashed by a wolf, some extra sticks will have to do. I can't shake it and enter Alun's cave with it growling. In the panic I forget I have accelerant. A standoff involving most tense fire lighting attempt ensues:

Please. Light. 

Success! And with a torch hurled for good measure the wolf flees. Near exhaustion, freezing, just the minor matter of a bedroll.

Boom. A short walk back to the cave and the weather is... um...

Back in the cave, warm by the fire. Exhausted but still condition holding in the 60% range. This, I will look back on as, the good times. The fire won't afforded me more than 5 hours sleep. The morning arrives bitterly cold. I stone some nearby rabbits and get some sticks. Fire wood is a clear issue. Keeping warm long enough for decent rest is looking hard as the fire is needed for cooking and general movement. Cooks some bunnies and grab another short rest. Next stop is the ravine.

Its maybe 10am setting out. Still freeze. On the way past the damn I collect as many sticks as possible and some birch bark and mushrooms. I'm still chaining torches but freezing again, burning lots of condition to gather sticks. I enter the ravine, find a piece of coal and head round to the first cave. Here I dump everything and build a fire with everything but my coal. (Using the cave mouth, not the indoor bit). I need energy for the ravine so sleep for six hours. I wake with time on the fire enough to warm some tea then set out as the sun sets. Grab some sticks, bullseye a rabbit and the snow starts as I place the rope. The decent is sooo long.  Down the bottom I find only the hammer  and flare gun and turn straight back to the climb (sprint recovery feat thank you). The climb goes to plan with a short stop on the ledge.

Tiring at the top, weather deteriorating, check the nearby body, and grab more sticks on the way back to the cave. Light torch and a fire using a piece of coal. Its a blizzard outside. Sleep a couple of hours.

Day 3

Awake with little food, little fuel, blizzard raging... this is not good. Decide I have to keep this warm fire going. Its sticks now or death later so load up on hot tea and head into the storm. Barely at the river before freezing. Imagine the crashed train cars full of wood so head down track to see. Its much further than I thought (damn blizzard vision). In the train car there is cloth and a jerry can. Not what I need. Sprint back, flail about for more sticks. My condition is dropping but I won't be able to go far for sticks again.

Get back to the cave, dump on the sticks. I'm really tired. How is this going to work. How can I balance sleep, warmth, stick / food collecting... I don't know but given the blizzard I risk the longest sleep the fire might allow but its only 3 hours. I awake not dead but cold, the fire is gone but so is the blizzard. Its now just dark, frigid pre-dawn air. My condition is low, 20% maybe. I need wood, I need more rest. I haven't the condition to wander collecting wood - theres no sticks left here anyway. The hydro's stacks of planks come to mind. I do have a hammer. There is no other choice.

Stumbling, freezing, I reach the lot, find 3 sticks and drop a fire with accelerant by two piles of planks, wind be damned. The last piece of coal stops my condition drop at 4%. Hot tea, smash plank, feed fire, cook rabbit, smash more plants, feed fire. I could sleep for maybe 4 hours, unless the wind kills the fire. But I can't leave this spot. So... I click sleep... will it be over?

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by Stone
Typos

[Drifter Man]

Great to see that you carry the torch of extreme interlopism (or outerlopism, in this case).

It is a bad weather day in the TWM. I'm sitting on 30 kg of bear meat in Mountaineer's Hut, rifle on the floor... should I finally fix my expedition parka tonight? Its condition is only 79%... no, I'll leave it for tomorrow. Let's just read Stone's zero challenge journal and go to bed.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Drifter Man

[Stone]

@Drifter Man living the dream. Always love your work 😉

 

[Stone]

Alive. Morning comes with a breeze but the fire is sheltered. Condition is around 12%. The rest means energy for travel is available but its maybe 8am and freezing beyond the fire. There is no more wood near the fire, even if there was starvation will soon deplete the little remaining condition. Gotta move.

Take torches, pack up, leave the lot and head down into the river for a handful of cattails. Back up to the tracks heading for the logging areas, collecting sticks. Have barely left the rails moving up the logging road when I'm freezing again and condition begins dropping. I have to make a fire. Dash to some branches and try starting in the lee of a tree. Fire starting fails - 9% condition - and again, fail - 7% - again, fire lights, pile on sticks, just get to 1 degree of heat at 4% condition. This is still early interloper, soon this won't be enough.

Make up some reishi tea, leave it warming by the fire, eat cattails and risk the wind again to sleep an hour to warm up. Awake still alive, slightly improved condition. Its still cold. Drink hot tea and move on for more sticks. Can make it to the logging camp and start another fire but thats all. Make more tea now having enough rosehips and reishi - these mushrooms the only reason the run isn't over! Realise I've birch bark to, make that a priority (priori-tea! ha!) Need food again, calories red lining. Figure the frozen creek to the cattails at the unnamed pond might work. Warm again, drink hot birch tea, head up the slope.

Passing the lookout a narrowly miss a wolf but it doesn't even bark. Air is warmer now, 1 arrow down. Find coal in the stream bed but the wind comes up right in my face just before the pond. The bear starts lumbering my way so only manage 5 cattails. The hide has a hacksaw I don't need and accelerant I really do need. Leave the lake towards trappers cabin, too cold to hunt the bunnies. More sticks, freezing, condition starts to drop, vision blurring. Drop a fire by a large boulder. Eat cattails and eat some tea and water. Birch tea brings me just out of the red zone.

Living on 10% condition feels very limiting. A blizzard will this easy. Need to try for the at trappers. I sure hope there isn't a moose.

[Dr. S.]

Is that a 💀 in the flames? Doesn't seem like a good omen!

[Stone]

@Dr. S. Oh god I hadn't noticed! 😱 That last bit should have read: A blizzard will end this easy. Need to try for the barn at trappers.

[Stone]

Another hot tea and on towards trappers, hugging the edge of the area, every stick is needed for a chance of surviving the night. A brief section of steep slope immediately hands me a wrist sprain, at least its not an ankle. Reach trappers and duck inside, mad dash to grab what I can, no time to open the safe. Not much here: another #survive the outdoors' book, a sewing kit, a big pan. Need more clothes. Oh well. Back outside, near freezing again. Scrabble around for sticks, don't seem to be any rabbit, no time to look, head for the barn.

Inside, no handy bits of wood  get a fire started with 9% condition. I get enough sticks on to sleep a few hours. And wake up to...

A blizzard. About an hour left on the fire. Day 4, another early start with few options.

Sprint over to the cave mouth and grab a decent handful of sticks. Back at the fire, I've got enough for another 2 hour sleep. Set down a tea to warm fireside and sleep. Awake to 45 minutes burn time left. Its light and the sky is clear, but the wind remains. No food, no firewood. Decide to circle the clearing to grab remaining sticks that I didn't pass last night and hope there a bunny about. Sprinting to get back before the fire dies. (Sprinting really sucks in the challenge as any resources burnt must be recovered using fire burn time I really want for other things; I've now got 3 different skill books that I have no time to read).

Sticks yes, bunny lets me hit it first try, dash back to find embers but the mission is successful. Cook and eat bunny. Wind drops, feels a lot warmer. Take torches, leave a big pot and head out towards the bear's clearing. No bear but stone two bunnies. This feels very risky theres bound to be a wolf over the ridge and if we meet on the ridge its over. But I'm out of cattails, food is vital.

Heading for FM now via as many sticks as possible. There is a wolf near dead fall that tails me but I'm able to keep distance and make the tunnel. Its cold but I've lots of sticks. Snow is falling, head straight to the poachers camp.

Reach poachers, condition is back in the red by the time the fire is lit. Cook the rabbits, boil water, nip out for sticks but the cold and windy nightfall coupled with a wolf cuts the venture short. Still, looking good! Survived some 36 hours at around 10% condition, always on the edge of something going red. I can have a good 5 hour sleep now to put this behind me.

And as I hit sleep my eye moves to the drink indicator, less than a quarter full... no,no,no,no,no

Awake at 8% condition. Idiot. I have energy, yet again its freezing out and I can't stay here. I have two bits of coal but they'll only delay matters - the condition gain from a 2 hour sleep won't make much difference and I'd still awake to freezing temps. Its well before dawn but I decide a flight direct to Spence's is my best chance. Like the hyrdo dam wood lot, there is ample firewood there and safety. The night is still and dark. Light a torch and set off at run. Looking for any sticks on the path but its too cold for any pausing. Three arrows down means I'm freezing by the middle of the keg. I see some scrub bushes together, throw a fire down, on 2nd attempt, between them. A piece of coal quickly brings up the temps. Boil up some nearby rosehips, drink tea, break down a bush and I'm soon warm for the 2nd leg.

Torch in hand, not far to go. Glimpse wolves on the bunkhouse route so head right. Grab some cattails and cedar as I pass the shed on the keg, sprint over the boardwalk and into Spences.

Get the forge lit. Stumbling about now, she ends up slumped - wedged into the corner up against the forge. Seems very sensible.

A few hours of wood on the fire, eat cattails, DRINK water, collapse in the bed. All that for a hammer...

 

 

[Stone]

After a few exciting days of near death dilemmas, day five calls for some recovery. And crafting.

Stoke fire, hacksaw up some shelving. I've got enough coal but scrap is limited. Settle on crafting 1 knife and 6 arrow heads.

 

Day six comes with condition back above 50% with some warming birch bark tea to boost that further. The confident feeling of a knife in one hand, torch in the other, make a plan to hit Milton. Head out over the at mid-afternoon keg, aiming to reach the marsh ridge outdoor cave by late evening. Stop, just past the tracks for a warming fire by a dead deer, the knife serving up steaks for the fire quickly . Eat. Feel good. 

Sticks are essential so head up the bank at the side of the picking up a few shrooms on the way as the sunsets. The moon rises with the Aurora. Hmm... keep stick hunting, spot an abandoned camp, fail to spot a wolf. Its already charging. We dance briefly, it running a tight circle around me, may be I can pull my flare gun...nope. I've a knife for the struggle but click as I might it feels like it won't end... then the wolf flees. 15% condition. 14% quickly patch a cut. 10%. Wounds cleanly dressed. One sprain. Wait... I'm freezing!? Where are my pants!?

The wolf has eliminated my jeans. Stumbling now, naked at the waist, condition keeps dropping. In the slight shelter of the rock arch beneath the ridge I make a fire. Pile on sticks. Warm up a bit but this is dire. 4% condition. My clothes have been trashed. Nip out for more sticks but warmth evaporates and I get back with just six more, freezing again. Put all but 1 on the fire. Sleep for as long as possible hoping the wind leaves the fire alone.

Wake, still alive, fire still has some time. I'm fine for food and water but its early morning, still too cold even for those with trousers. Make one vital repair to clothing. Have a hot drink then zip to the low blind and abandoned camp. No sign of the wolf but find some useful firewood and a soda. Head back to the fire. More wood on. Sleep another few hours and hope the weather lets me travel when I wake.

It remains cold but clear with no wind. Another day of move or die! Down a hot drink, pull a few torches then head for the waterfall. My condition is still bad. The hot drink helps but cold quickly bites. Try a irrational/desperate shortcut up to Marsh Ridge just gets me a bunch of sprains. Eventually haul my self up from the top of the waterfall and throw down another fire at 5% condition. Slightly sheltered with a few hours on the fire I sleep again. Another hot drink, head on to the outdoor cave. A Moose scares the crap out of me but I back away in time. Even if I could down it with the flare gun, I'm in no state to make use of it. Last afternoon, the weather is decent. The outdoor cave has a fire-skill book and cereal bar. This should have been camp last night. Head on instead for Milton Basin.

Hunt sticks, reach hermit's cabin, fire, warm, kill a few bunnies, more sticks, sleep.

 

Wake with time on the fire. Cook bunnies, plan Milton approach. Despite the horrific wolf/clothing issues I've slept a lot and my plan is to reach the rope climbs with maximum energy to minimize the drain from the climb. Hot drink, leave the ruined cabin for the rope.

Opportunity knocks. A wolf brings a deer down on the ice nearby. I can't resist. Scare it off lighting a fire and proceed to harvest the whole thing, cooking as I go. Food is covered for the rest of this round trip to Milton. Leave some uncooked steaks on the ice for the return. Climb the first rope. Warming fire and quite sleep in the cave mouth then a hot drink and up the 2nd rope. The wind comes up, which sucks but make it across town largely sheltered with the hot drink working its magic an no wolf issues. Make fire and camp in the radio tower cave. Kill some bunnies, collect some sticks.

Hours indoors: 0... but I really need some new clothes.