Drifting through Great Bear

[Leeanda]

Did you leave a can opener too?🙂

[Drifter Man]

14 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

Never seen that either. I'm pretty sure they really get a spawn and their reincarnations stick with it. It would put a nice spin on the game, however.

Based on just one observation, I actually think that bears respawn in the exact place where they died 50 days earlier.

14 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

You can easily glitch yourself onto the cardboard box left of it and actually get the sapling without having to tear up the cloth.

I suspected that, but I don't mind having the extra cloth

[Drifter Man]

2 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Did you leave a can opener too?🙂

You know what, I wondered why anyone would put a dog food can inside the doghouse. The dog knows what it is but can't open it. It's animal torture! 

[Leeanda]

You'd be surprised.  My brothers dog got into my bin once and I found what was left of a can with lots of holes in.   

I figure a can opener is a better option ,at least in fictional situations.😁

[Drifter Man]

Days 28-30

Quick exploration of HRV. The weather is the usual HRV stuff: max strength wind most of the time. The difference from Bleak Inlet is that this same wind would blow all the time there. HRV at least gives you a break. But right now, the wind can only slow me down - the air temperature is not low enough yet to truly bite. That's why I am taking on HRV early on, after all.

Day 28 gave me a blizzard at first, but weather improved in the afternoon and at dusk. I searched parts of the right bank of the river, killing two more unsuspecting wolves and stealing their rabbits. Another blizzard rolled in at night while I explored the first ice cave, which takes three cold showers in a row to enter from the river. I found two secret caches, one on the way from the transition cave to the river, with some clothes and the other one in the ice cave, with food. The clothes would have been great stuff on Interloper but only scrap value to me.

Day 29 saw me searching most of the left bank. I found a bear lying in an unexpected place and thought it might be a carcass. I tiptoed closer and could see it breathing. Bears sometimes just fall asleep in a random place. I tiptoed away again. No need to wake him up.

After nightfall I used the same ice cave to get to the Monolith Lake area. I noticed that the short interior climbing ropes now let you keep the torch, which is nice.

On Day 30 I woke up early, before dawn, and found that it is foggy outside at felt -3°C. In these ideal conditions, I cut the path open to the Signal Fire, which was on this side of the map.

I found the satchel of course, allowing me to reach the full 45 kg carrying capacity. Also, the Mackinaw Jacket (again, great for Interlopers, only scrap cloth for me), ammunition (including a flare shell, my fifth), some food (including MRE) and tools.

I spent the rest of the day combing through the surroundings of the lake before making camp at Pensive Vista. Near Peak Cave I found a third cache, this time with rifle ammunition, a firearm cleaning kit and a copy of the Frontier Shooting Guide. Tomorrow I plan to descend into the valley. The day after that, get back up on the other side. Then the remaining ice cave will be the last main point of interest. The one that is inhabited

Edit: one more shot I took at Monolith Lake in early morning:

Edited July 12, 2022 by Drifter Man

[Drifter Man]

8 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

You'd be surprised.  My brothers dog got into my bin once and I found what was left of a can with lots of holes in.   

I figure a can opener is a better option ,at least in fictional situations.😁

I am surprised. Now I'll picture this is what happens every time I'm 'smashing open' in the game

[Leeanda]

Can you imagine what a wolf can do to a can though?🙂.   Makes you realize how generous this game is .😁

[Drifter Man]

9 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Can you imagine what a wolf can do to a can though?🙂.   Makes you realize how generous this game is .😁

I think you could open a can with a stone - preferably wearing good, tough gloves. I don't know how it would go with bare, freezing hands. I don't want to try! Especially not if the reward is 8% dog food...

[Leeanda]

I can imagine it's perfectly possible.  Must be easier than cracking open coconuts.  Bare hands though, you're right ,I wouldn't try it either.🙂

[Guest jeffpeng]

I guess the problem is not opening the can - given enough force applied. The problem is actually not spilling 90% of the content in the process. A hand ax would probably do the trick to some extent, and they are easy enough to make if you know how and what to look for. But bereft of any tools I don't see how a human would open a can and, so to speak, eat it, too. Plus.... yeah, going all that way for dog food of all things (which makes me shudder doubly so being a vegan) which then, to make things just worst, is likely to kill you upon consumption .... I guess I'd starve in dignity.

[conanjaguar]

On 7/11/2022 at 6:52 AM, Drifter Man said:

Cowardly striking an unsuspecting opponent from behind during dinner explains why I can never be knighted

I guess you’ll just have to make do with being a man-at-arms.

[Drifter Man]

21 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

I guess the problem is not opening the can - given enough force applied.

Nothing is a problem, given enough force is applied

I'll probably join the cohort of frozen corpses, too, in the situation.

[Drifter Man]

14 hours ago, conanjaguar said:

I guess you’ll just have to make do with being a man-at-arms.

Will have to do, after the other two kills that were just like the first one... I think a bear saw me do it.

P.S.

I've just noticed that I'd messed up and you probably couldn't watch the video of the unknightly kill that I linked to... Here it is again:

https://youtu.be/qpVid5V1BaA

By the way - does anyone know how to embed a video in a post so that viewers can just click and watch? Instead of a link to youtube like this one.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Drifter Man

[Guest jeffpeng]

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

Nothing is a problem, given enough force is applied

I would make the argument that threading a needle is still a problem no matter how much force you apply.

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

By the way - does anyone know how to embed a video in a post so that viewers can just click and watch? Instead of a link to youtube like this one.

Just drag the URL into the writing area:
 

 

[Drifter Man]

Threading a needle, or posting a video.

Many thanks - of course it was the simplest way that didn't occur to me to try. Now I can post snippets of Drifter life.

[Guest jeffpeng]

5 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

Threading a needle, or posting a video.

Now I regret I didn't pick up on that myself 😄

[Drifter Man]

Day 31

I leave again in early morning after repairing one of my two fisherman's sweaters. I immediately feel the world getting colder: felt minus 11°C, and there even isn't any wind. I take a picture from Pensive Vista and continue down the rope into the valley.

The wind starts blowing hard while I am cutting through the brush (last time I checked, the brush can be bypassed on the way down, but I decide to cut the way open). I light a fire on the shelf to arrest condition loss. I drink a coffee, prepare birch bark tea and pull a torch before going to the second rope. I find that not only the short, interior climbs but also the normal outdoor rope climbs allow you to keep your lit torch - no need to throw it down anymore. I don't know how you keep a lit torch on you while climbing in practice, but whatever - this is how it works in TLD now.

The winds stop again, and I head straight towards the Landslide, the same burning torch still in hand. I get work gloves and a polaroid at the end of the map. Then I turn around and walk to the Moose Overlook. A can of soda there, that's all. The winds are at work again and I let my torch die - a small mistake that will cost me an extra match in a while. Three deer are grazing in the corner near the rope to the Many Falls Vista, which I want to climb tomorrow. At Twin Sisters I nearly get squeezed by a wolf: I escape unnoticed and unharmed, but decide to start another warming fire to recover my body heat. Finally, I get to Long Shot Falls and find my fourth secret cache. Inside, a can opener, a whetstone and a copy of Wilderness Kitchen. The book is very useful at this stage of the game.

The Valley Cave welcomes me a while later with a bedroll, a last resort can of fish and a copy of Stay on Target. I build a fire, make water and do some food accounting. My non-cattail supplies are dwindling. Since I've heard somewhere that ye olde wabbit seasone is open, I head out to get some. It goes well, so I can post a video here, but for full disclosure - my success with counterrabbit warfare is generally inconsistent. Even this time the second stone almost missed.

The rabbits are on the thin side but better than nothing. I leave the pelts and guts in the back of the cave for future use someday. Before bedroll I finish a book and get Firestarting Level 3. Firestarting has been a bit behind the other two early skills - carcass harvesting and cooking - in part because I've found fewer copies of the book, but also because my warm clothing have not motivated me to make fire very often.

I fall asleep to the sounds of a blizzard. Tomorrow, up we go.

[conanjaguar]

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

Since I've heard somewhere that ye olde wabbit seasone is open, I head out to get some.

I find it hard to believe that my knights have made such an impression on you.

[Guest jeffpeng]

6 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I don't know how you keep a lit torch on you while climbing in practice, but whatever - this is how it works in TLD now.

Goes to show that a human is much harder to ignite than pop culture made us believe. 😄

6 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

so I can post a video here

I like how you cycle through your various armaments before again settling on the stone. Like saying "I could kill you in so many ways" before then deciding that your weapon of choice is indeed a small piece of rock.

 

[Drifter Man]

On 7/14/2022 at 12:50 AM, conanjaguar said:

I find it hard to believe that my knights have made such an impression on you.

When the king declares the rabbit season, it is the rabbit season for everyone, from the noble knight to the lowliest peasant.

On 7/14/2022 at 6:19 AM, jeffpeng said:

I like how you cycle through your various armaments before again settling on the stone. Like saying "I could kill you in so many ways" before then deciding that your weapon of choice is indeed a small piece of rock.

I'm afraid that my cycling habit (and inability to learn to work with the radial) has cost me a few bear attacks. The revolver is fine - comes up first and fast. Bow, rifle - usually you don't need them out fast, you use them deliberately, so cycling with the 2 key is also fine. The stone is annoying, being at the end, but not critical. But the flare gun... when you need it, you need it immediately - the bear doesn't wait.

[Drifter Man]

Day 32

An important milestone passes in the morning: I eat my last MRE from the Summit. The easy days are over. From now on, food will always be the first of my concerns.

The day does not end up very successful or productive. I climb up to the Many Falls Vista, take a photo...

... and then I am on my way again to explore the region. I don't want to go to the second Ice Cave - a wolf struggle is likely in there, and I am tired after the climb. I decide to play it safe today. For a while I consider killing a deer with the bow, but then I decide just to keep going. Above the Hushed River I run into a wolf. I see it well ahead of time and do my best to avoid it, but it moves towards me inexorably like a homing missile. Eventually we connect, I miss my revolver shot, and grab the knife for defense. The fight is over in a split-second. I lose 6% condition, otherwise no damage, and the wolf runs away with a stab wound.

I move to the cave on the river to spend the night there, eating cattails for dinner.

Day 33

I go to the ice cave early in the morning. My first idea is to start a fire and wait for Fluffy to show up near the entrance. After waiting for about 1-2 hours, listening to her howling that seems to be coming from one spot only, I realize that she is not in my view, therefore she is not moving, and will never show up. So, I take a torch and go meet her in the cave. I hit her twice with the revolver but she seems to still  be willing to fight, so I back off and explore the rest of the cave, waiting for her to die of the wounds. Later I come back to find her, and this happens:

I erred on the side of caution and emptied my revolver into this... anomaly. I later checked in my journal that all these shots registered as hits, but they did not contribute to my revolver skill.

I search the rest of the cave - I find a heavy hammer and decide to take it with me - and exit at the top end. I follow the path to the right and find the Lonely Cave, which I had already forgotten it existed:

The dead guy gives me a second flare gun, 4 flare shells, matches and two cans of dog food, which I gulp on the spot. I thank him and return to the ice cave. When I pass her on the way back, Fluffy is already in her normal carcass state, half buried in the rocks.

I finish the day opening the third path to Monolith Lake, via the series of root climbs. More cattails for dinner. I need to find some sustainable food, but there really isn't much around, and my cooking still is a long way from eating wolves safely.

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by Drifter Man

[conanjaguar]

5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Later I come back to find her, and this happens:

The zombie werewolf! Beware the moors!

[Leeanda]

That's a lot less scary in the cold light of day! 

[Guest jeffpeng]

9 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Later I come back to find her, and this happens:

I had this happen to me once before at Paradise Meadows a good time ago. Couldn't help but think

Edited July 15, 2022 by jeffpeng

[Jolan]

Wait, isn't one of the deer in the Ravine Bruno