The Encumbered Diaries - Part 2 - Ash Snowball (Non Loper)

[Sgt Socks]

44 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I know how you feel.. I spent a long time going round in circles  in ash. ,but the more I go there the better it is.  I ve grown rather fond of it if I'm honest.. I wouldn't do a snowball though,I just don't have your patience.  

Well I'm glad you didn't fall off again.🙂

Lol me too!  I did call myself a chuffing idiot 🤭

I don't *hate* Ash, not at all.  I just find that it is far too confusing for me to ever feel comfortable.  It will definitely be OK to go in and out of, maybe have a bit of a wander round to the best places, but the limited loot does make it rather challenging.

I had to chuckle at your last comment... I don't think you would be enjoying this challenge that's for sure! I can see you standing at the TWM cave hopping up and down and cursing! 😄

[Sgt Socks]

BEGINNING AGAIN AT HOMESTEADER'S RESPITE....

(I did have some lovely pictures of Homestead but I'm a numpty and deleted them by mistake.... my apologies!)

 

I excitedly rummage around in this lovely little space and find some fabulous things! 

I finally, finally found a FIREARM REPAIR KIT!

Now I can repair my rifle so I don’t have to go through the same thing again as I did with the wolf.  That was bloody scary, and the feeling of my stomach dropping into my boots far from pleasant.

OH OH OH! And I’ve found a revolver!!!

Yay!  Now I can shoot the ammo I have rather than having to resort to flinging it at the hostile wildlife.  Bloody marvellous stuff!  I also find some other really useful bits and pieces; tomato soup, 2x Pork n Beans, Condensed Milk, matches, a snare , two flares and a Small Arms book. I also find a thick wool sweater, breathing a sigh of relief that I now don’t have to rely on a rubbish thin red jumper.

Bloody typical though, there is a rope in here which means I have been lugging around my spare rope through all this exploring for no reason!  Oh well, it is better to have something and not need it than need something and not have it.

With the night closing in and exhausted from all the stressful exploring and climbing of ropes without coffee, I decide to snuggle in for the night.  With the gift of more matches I treat myself to a roaring fire and cuddle up in the comfy chair to have a little read as my water bubbles away.  I am definitely looking forward to curling up in  that bed tonight.

As I sit and read I ponder the future.  This place is wonderful, and I can access it fairly easily by a one rope climb, not too long either.  I would love to make this my actual base.  However it is a bit out of the way, and it would be a real pain carrying fish up and down the rope.  A bit sadly, I realise I may have to have this as a holiday home, the Angler’s Den is a much more sensible place to stay on a more permanent basis, especially with the workbench as well.  Still, I can enjoy tonight and luxuriate in a delicious treat meal of sweet condensed milk.

As morning comes around, it is now time to make my way back down and off to my Angler’s home.  I’m pretty heavy so drop a few bits of less important stuff (I can always come back for it) and climb down, humming to myself all the way.  It is a pretty morning and I am deeply excited about the culmination of my journey and the goodies I found.

In true TLD style, this happy trudging doesn’t last long!

I’m getting near to home and a wolf comes charging out of nowhere.  I grab the revolver to try and shoot him but he didn’t give me time to settle into my shooting stance.  I get mauled.  Argh!!  I manage to fire off a shot which scares him off but now I am seriously annoyed.  I had repaired all my clothing and with this attack that effort and precious resources have been wasted!  I quickly bandage myself, applying antiseptic, and thankfully stagger into my little cabin with no further drama.

Dammit.  My bear coat is down to 60%.  My boots, hat, long scarf and work pants have also taken a beating.  I’m going to have to repair but I am also going to have to be very careful if I am going to maintain everything in good condition.  Not only do I have to be concerned about cloth, but also about my sewing kits.  I can’t even make more fishing lines to use instead, only having one piece of metal means I haven’t been able to craft more than a couple of tackle.

I may have to consider returning to Miner’s to double check I didn’t miss a hacksaw or any metal lying around.

Although  rather peeved, I enjoy being back at home.  Thanks to the “Placing Anywhere” mod making your chosen spaces tidy and comfortable is wonderfully easy.  I even hang a wolf pelt on the wall to finish curing!

As I’m spending my time organising my bits and pieces and recovering from the long journey, I make a happy find in the trunk. Another piece of metal I had squirrelled away and kept missing!  I’m so excited I use the last bit of daylight to craft 3 more hooks ready to fashion into full fishing tackle tomorrow.

I wake to a gorgeous morning....

I'm looking forward to getting on with my jobs.  I head over to the rabbit spot and lay three snares, hoping my trapping feat brings me more bunnies to eat.  I wish I didn’t have to resort to killing the cute little bobble tails, but needs must.

I then start to make my way down the river, my task being the collection of firewood.  Then it happens… GROWWWLLLL.  Oh no, not again!!

I take aim as he charges and… and miss.  I then proceed to get yet another mauling and I am absolutely furious because for the second time in almost as many days my effort and resources maintaining my gear have been wasted!  I think I will now just use the revolver to scare them away, I can’t risk any more struggles, I simply don’t have the resources to continue mending my gear at this rate, especially the leather for my boots.  I check and see that my Bearskin coat is now down to 50%.  After patching myself up I trudge home muttering obscenities the whole way.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t last long.  By the time I make a couple of quick repairs a blizzard was howling outside.  This lasted for almost two days.  Incredibly frustrating. 

Over this time I found myself getting anxious about the cloth situation; I’m not even halfway to 50 days and as I’m likely to end up in more wolf scuffles I need to make sure I have all the resources I need on hand.  Therefore I decide I am going to return to Miner’s Folly & Foreman’s Retreat to make sure I have cleared them out fully.  Because I don’t want to attempt going up via the waterfall route (I’m not going past those wolves again) I decide to go back up via the rope at Homesteader’s Respite and the insane Fire Overlook.  Admittedly not ideal, but at least that route is relatively simple and I kind of know where I’m going.

When I wake I am delighted to hear that the two day blizzard has finally stopped.  I’m going to go an check the snares, leave any caught rabbits in a pile there and reset the snares.  I will then come back on my return to hopefully six rabbits, which will allow me to make the most of a single match. 

As I eagerly open the door I find….

I can’t see a bloody thing!  Grumbling and cursing I grab another quick cat nap and I am grateful that when I open the door, this time it is clear enough for me to at least get going.  I am happy to find three bunnies in the snares, they are obviously working well.  As I planned I reset the snares and leave the bodies in a pile.  Then I work my way back to the Homestead rope.  I keep my route close up against the cliffs in the hope it will prevent another run in with a wolf.  Thankfully, it does.  I also manage to find a few stray cattails I missed the first time round.

I quickly leave my fishing tackles in the hut then make the two climbs to the top of Fire Outlook.  I am by now exhausted and feel like sobbing at the lack of coffee in my life.  Life is just not worth living without coffee! (Really!) 💔

As I’m working my way back up towards the snow shelter, I take a slightly “wrong” turn and look what I find hiding behind a rock!

5 more rifle ammo!!!  I cannot explain the relief which floods me.  These are 5 bullets that will hopefully give me 5 deer and that amount of food will provide a more than fighting chance to succeed in making 50 days (barring any disasters of course, and we know the Ancients like throwing those at us on a frequent basis).  The devs do like hiding stuff in the weirdest of places.

Yet again, I seem to be on untrodden ground.  I find myself walking through a thin canyon and this then opens out into a wide open space almost underground, an area almost in the rocks themselves.  I am so glad to have gone the way I wasn’t expecting because I find a lovely little cave in which I can rest and sleep following the strenuous climbing.

As I’m preparing to settle down for the night, I check the plastic container in the cave and I find… a FISHING TACKLE!  Oh the joy!  I have 5 more bullets now another fishing tackle… the food situation is starting to look promising rather than worrying.

In the morning I continue on and emerge to find I was in fact going the right way and make my way down to Miner’s Folly. 

As I near the buildings I notice…

EEK! I FORGOT ABOUT THE BEAR!!!

Shaking from fear, the memory of the possessed Bear in Mystery Lake forever etched on my mind I run fast and dive into the cabin. Once I have gotten a hold of myself, I have a good look around to make sure I have all the cloth possible. Indeed, I had cleared this place out fully. Nervous, I open the door again, look out and see it is safe (ish) for me to sneak over to the barn.  I am pleased to find the four bear steaks, two cooked and two raw, that I left here the last time. I decide it is worth the parasite risk because I am getting extremely hungry and I DO NOT want to break into the MRE until I absolutely have to.  My cattail stock is also steadily depleting.

As the raw steaks are cooking I eat one of the cooked ones, wrinkling my nose despite the necessity.  I scout around the barn again but find nothing left behind.  I am nervous about carrying the cooked meat while the bear is about but I can’t just hang around, things to do!  So I take a deep breath and run like Leeanda to Foreman’s Retreat.

Here I am happy to see that there is plenty I didn’t take with me last time.  I didn’t harvest most of the curtains (unlike me), there are two rugs and an old bedroll under the bed.  I also break down the chair because it yields six cloth.  What I am most pleased to find, however, is a storm lantern.  I proceed to harvest that too for a precious single piece of metal which will give me another three fishing lines.  Things are looking up! 😊

By the time I have done all this it is getting late so I risk another bear steak and snuggle up in bed for the night.

I wake fully rested before the sunrise, and I can hear an aurora outside.  I can’t resist going outside to have a look, and I am so glad I did, it is absolutely stunning.

Almost encumbered with a superb stock of cloth and two more bear steaks (that I will wait to eat until the current parasite risk has passed) I wait for an hour so I’m not leaving with the aurora still twinkling away, the last thing I need is an encounter with a super charged bear!

The sun is almost rising, so I am hopeful the bear is still sleeping.  I very, very carefully walk up towards the bridge (the one I should have taken the first time before I fell down the cliffside).  Thankfully he seems to be elsewhere or still asleep.  I audibly exhale with relief.

By the time I reach Homestead the parasite risk has gone so I consume one more steak, now being hungry after the Fire Outlook climb down.  I drop the other piece outside the house, I know where it is if I end up having to resort to that.  Now checking Homestead again I remember I left two sets of curtains on purpose, thinking I might possibly spend some time here. Now I know I won’t, I harvest those as well. I also break down the chair here too for the 6 cloth and I am all set.

Back down the rope and I manage to return to Angler’s with no further drama, thank the gods.

 

The next part of my adventure will be harvesting bunnies, fishing and working on settling in. I have a feeling I will be wanting to keep my head down for the second half of my journey, I am determined to make that 50 days! The extra goodies I have managed to scavenge have given me real hope that I can!

Thank you for journeying with me, your company is hugely valued 🧡

Edited September 26, 2022 by Sgt Socks

[Leeanda]

21 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

Lol me too!  I did call myself a chuffing idiot 🤭

I don't *hate* Ash, not at all.  I just find that it is far too confusing for me to ever feel comfortable.  It will definitely be OK to go in and out of, maybe have a bit of a wander round to the best places, but the limited loot does make it rather challenging.

I had to chuckle at your last comment... I don't think you would be enjoying this challenge that's for sure! I can see you standing at the TWM cave hopping up and down and cursing! 😄

We've probably all done it.. usually with dire consequences. At least you made it.  I don't think anywhere round there was goatable until I read this thread. 

It can be confusing and you're right ,the loot is very  limited ,even on pilgrim. .  But I always find enough cat tails and birch bark  when I start my runs. They're a godsend. Plus there always seems to be lots of birch saplings but no maple  .   But It's a challenging place  no doubt.

 

LoL.   To be honest ,I'd either secretly sneak in or accidentally get her killed rather than stay anywhere for that long.  5 days is hard enough😁

 

 

[Sgt Socks]

3 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

We've probably all done it.. usually with dire consequences. At least you made it.  I don't think anywhere round there was goatable until I read this thread. 

I don't think there are many places, I am just incredibly thankful that I managed to find one of the very few!  It was definitely one of the hairiest goating expeditions though, I think I held my breath the whole way down!

4 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Plus there always seems to be lots of birch saplings but no maple.

What good are saplings to me?  My bow skills are so legendarily appalling that I will never need to use them! 😄 

6 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

To be honest ,I'd either secretly sneak in or accidentally get her killed rather than stay anywhere for that long.  5 days is hard enough😁

Lol why am I not surprised? Little Miss Fidget Bottom 😁🥰

[Leeanda]

20 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

I don't think there are many places, I am just incredibly thankful that I managed to find one of the very few!  It was definitely one of the hairiest goating expeditions though, I think I held my breath the whole way down!

What good are saplings to me?  My bow skills are so legendarily appalling that I will never need to use them! 😄 

Lol why am I not surprised? Little Miss Fidget Bottom 😁🥰

To be honest I don't go that close to the edge anyway... Vertigo usually rears its ugly head if I do. But I still never thought of goating in ash .

It's a long way down🙂 

Maybe a peek at your stats when you next try a bow? Can't be as bad as my revolver skills (,or lack of).😁 

Miss tickle streaker you mean?🤣

[Sgt Socks]

On 9/26/2022 at 5:15 PM, Leeanda said:

To be honest I don't go that close to the edge anyway... Vertigo usually rears its ugly head if I do. But I still never thought of goating in ash .

It's a long way down🙂 

Maybe a peek at your stats when you next try a bow? Can't be as bad as my revolver skills (,or lack of).😁 

Miss tickle streaker you mean?🤣

Tickle Streaker!!!  Brilliant! 🤣

Well, I never even try using a bow anymore.  I spent so many frustrating hours with it that I threw it in the bin.  However, I'll make you a promise.  For pure entertainment value, in my next long run, I'll craft and use one so you can see my truly horrendous stats with it 😁

Just about to do my last few entries for this diary...bear with me.... 🥰

Edited September 28, 2022 by Sgt Socks

[Leeanda]

5 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

Tickle Streaker!!!  Brilliant! 🤣

Well, I never even try using a bow anymore.  I spent so many frustrating hours with it that I threw it in the bin.  However, I'll make you a promise.  For pure entertainment value, in my next long run, I'll craft and use one so you can see my truly horrendous stats with it 😁

Just about to do my last entry for this diary...bear with me.... 🥰

It can't be as bad as my revolver stats but I look forward to seeing them😁 

Last entry??   You've done fifty days already? blimey seems I've lost my streaker title .

Edited September 28, 2022 by Leeanda

[Sgt Socks]

BACK AT ANGLER'S...

After getting back to Angler’s, I am worried about my food levels.  I have gathered quite a few cattails but and I have the MRE, but I have to survive 50 days.  I really don’t like eating the predator meat.  Although the risk is very low by only eating one steak it should be reserved for when absolutely necessary.  The exclamation mark on my HUD reminds me that I am currently running a 1% risk after having to eat that bear steak after the massive climb down from Fire Outlook.

Suddenly I realise I’ve left the second cooking pot I found (the random one by the funny snow boots sticking out!) at Homestead.  I sigh, because I wanted that second pot to go on a fire outside.  Having a single stove in the cabin is great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a bit of a pain if you’re trying to cook a lot of rabbit or boil a lot of water.  It’s also harder on the firewood supplies.

Therefore, I drop off everything I don’t need, reload the revolver I was delighted to find (so I can get rid of the wolves before they get a chance to chomp on my leg) and start walking back to Homestead.  I manage to avoid the pesky wolf by the entrance to Bitter Marsh, and am walking along in rather misty conditions when I see something in the distance.  I blink twice, wondering if I am seeing things…

I’m not!  IT’S A MOOSE!

I turn round, and run back to Angler’s as fast as I can, hip firing to shoo the wolf away so I can get my rifle before the walking meat locker can disappear.  I grab the rifle and turn round to yet again head back towards Bitter Marsh (I feel like I’ve turned into a yo-yo!).

When I get to where I saw the moose he seems to vanished into the mist.  I am momentarily devastated but continue looking and, with great joy, I see him in the distance.  Now I stop and gather myself.  A deep breath to calm my nerves.  Moose are not to be messed with.  Bears are hugely dangerous for sure, but the Moose are grumpy and if they stomp you and you survive, the broken ribs are an absolute nightmare.

I creep closer, getting more anxious the nearer I get to him.  Even though I found five extra bullets I still only have nine in total, and these big buggers can take a lot to kill.  Occasionally you may be lucky and get a critical, one shot kill, but in my experience that is pretty rare.  More likely you’ll be using up to five shots, if all of them hit.  They don’t bleed out either, you have to make sure you kill him then and there.

It is still misty which doesn’t make this any easier.  I get as close as I can without alerting him to my presence, and offer a prayer to the gods for him to run off when I shoot him, if there is no critical.  They never take long to come back and it is by far the best option to slowly stalk and take him down than try to get away if he decides to charge.  The chances of not getting stomped by then are pretty much nil, and there is nowhere here for me to escape to anyway.

Crouched I manoeuvre into position where I can aim for his head, the best chance of a critical, and of doing the most damage if not.  Of course you have to make sure you don’t hit his antlers as this won’t hurt him and is likely to really annoy him!

Once ready, I breathe deeply.  I raise the rifle.  I wait for him to stop.  I aim, and FIRE…

I hit his head but no critical!  Thankfully he runs away, making that rather unnerving Moose sound. 

I slowly move forward in the direction he ran, then when he turns round to start back on his route I stop and crouch again.  I wait until he is as close as it is (sort of) safe to be, and am pleased to hear the injured sound they make when you’ve wounded them.  I then raise the rifle again.  I breathe deeply, I aim, and FIRE….

I hit him again, but still no critical!  Again he runs away, and I repeat the stalking process.  This mist is really getting on my nerves!

I crouch.  I wait.  I raise the rifle, breathe, aim and FIRE…

I hit him but NO NO NOOOOOO! He is running towards me!

I kind of freeze with no idea what to do, it looks like he is running in the same manner as when he runs away but he is definitely heading at me… what do I do?

WHAT DO I BLOODY WELL DO?!

All of this happens in the blink of an eye and then he is on me…

… but wait, he has run right over (through?) me and is heading off in the opposite direction.  No damage, no nothing, oh I think this is a wonderfully fortuitous bug!

I turn round and indeed he is running “away”, it just so happens it was THROUGH ME.  I gulp and try to calm my breathing. That definitely made me need a Tena!

I am NOT letting him go.  I need the meat desperately, and his hide will either allow me to craft the satchel or cloak.

I am incredibly nervous now, given that weird experience with the last shot. Fortunately the mist is starting to clear. I patiently wait until we are aligned, I raise the rifle, breathe, aim and FIRE…

I hit him again but HELLLLP!  This is definitely a charge and he is roaring his Moose roar.  I bring up my rifle fast, speedily take aim and SHOOT, ANNNNNNND….

HE’S DOWN!  I got him I got him I got him!!!!!!!!

(cue Mad Spaniel Running Around With Joy!!!)

[Sgt Socks]

Once I have taken a photo to commemorate this marvellous moment, I almost collapse with spent adrenaline.  I realise I have been holding my breath! As the day is progressing too fast I quickly harvest half of the meat and his hide, as much as I can safely carry weight wise and still move at a relatively normal pace back to Angler’s.  If I hurry up and the weather holds, I can probably still finish harvesting him today even if it does go a little into the night.

I have to fire off a couple of shots at the wolf at Bitter Marsh entrance, he obviously likes the smell of my Moose steaks but he can keep his grubby paws off them. I finally get back to near Angler’s when an unpleasant first happens to me…

I’VE GOT INTESTINAL PARASITES!

I’m stunned.  I had a 1% chance of getting them, so basically a 99% chance of not getting them.  Insert extreme expletives here.  Of course I get them, of course I bloody do.  Cursing my appalling luck I get back to the cabin, drop all the meat outside and the hide inside to cure and take some antibiotics.  Then I gulp.  As this has never happened to me before I didn’t know about the recovery. 

 

You have to take 10 doses of antibiotics, or a reishi tea, once a day for 10 days (I forgot to take this screenshot immediately).  Panicking I check my first aid kit, and I have only got 6 doses antibiotics, and I haven’t got any reishi tea at all, having struggled to find many in Ash.  The few I did I used to make soup.

OK Socks, OK.  First things first.  We need to finish harvesting the Moose.  That meat doesn’t give you parasites and it will set you up solidly for the rest of this journey.  I am on DAY 23 so have another 27 to go.  The Moose will pretty much feed me for most of the rest of that.

The day is getting late and the wind is getting up, I am going to have to leave the rest of the harvesting until tomorrow.  I rehydrate, eat some cattails and settle into bed for a restless sleep, worrying about the revolting parasites…

I wake very early and leave for Bitter Marsh just as the sun is rising.  The wolf at the entrance is obviously off on a jolly somewhere else as he doesn’t bother me this time, thankfully.  I finish harvesting the Moose and make my way back to Angler’s, this time the wolf does try to muscle in on dinner again but I shoot at him and he runs away yelping. 

I dump the rest of the meat outside, the guts inside and check the wood situation. There is a lot of meat here so I am going to need to get some more firewood before I begin cooking.  Then I remember that before all this drama I was heading back to Homestead to get the second cooking pot.  For chuck’s sake.  Sighing again I start trudging back to Bitter Marsh then Homestead to get the pot, it will significantly cut down the cooking time of the Moose. Thankfully the wolf doesn’t seem interested on chewing me without the Moose steaks this time and I finally arrive back at Homestead.  Unfortunately I am quite tired, the parasites attack your stamina and it gets worse over time.  It is now also late in the day.  I realise I am going to have to stay here tonight.  Fortunately I’d left some water here, and I have a few cattails on me to keep me going.

I leave very early in the morning and avoid the wolf by skirting around the edge of the cliff, I’m lucky that he is far enough away not to notice me this time.  On my way back I chop as much wood as I can carry.  My hatchet breaks, having been used to capacity.  I do have another one so I’m not concerned, and I’m really happy to notice that on harvesting it I not only get a fir firewood, but also a piece of metal!  That means I can craft another three fishing lines.  Yes the Moose could well feed me for the rest of the 50 days but I want to do some fishing just to make sure.  Besides, it gives me something else to do now the exploring has been done.

[Sgt Socks]

The next couple of days are spent cooking all the Moose steaks; I use both the single stove inside and a campfire I set behind the cabin out of the wind.  I love the campfire outside, it is really rather atmospheric against the cabin and night sky.

 

 

WHO ATE ALL THE BUNNIES?

As the Moose steaks are finished cooking, I make my way back to the bunny snare area and where I left six carcasses before the yo-yo visits to Homestead and Bitter Marsh.  I get to the glade and… there are NO BUNNIES!  I look around totally confused, they have vanished!  Knowing the Great Bear Wolves don’t steal the food you leave outside I am baffled, and really annoyed.  I may have snagged a Moose but I can’t afford to lose 6 bunnies! Grumbling, I pick up and reset the snares hoping things will return to normal.

I am now entering the final stretch, and it is going to be a case of settling in, becoming a period of routine daily tasks to pass the days with as little drama as possible.  I’ve had quite enough drama on this adventure!  I’m the kind of strange person who enjoys routine, and I’m looking forward to playing pick up sticks, chopping firewood and other housekeeping tasks.  I’m also looking forward to having a little wander round the immediate area to see if there is anything I’ve missed.  I’ve still got a few revolver rounds and enough flares to (hopefully) avoid too many more wolf struggles.  I now have a solid stock of cloth following my return to Miner’s, Foreman’s and Homestead but that could all change if I have a run of bad luck.

THEN I REMEMBER THE PARASITES AND THE ANTIBIOTIC SITUATION….

Oh my god oh my god oh my god.  I am four doses short!!!  I NEED TO FIND SOME MUSHROOMS!!  And fast.

I remember when I ended up at the very bottom of the map, near the TWM Echo Ravine entrance (I incorrectly referred to it as Keeper’s Pass earlier) there were a lot of natural resources.  I had to leg it away from there fast however because of the aggressive wolf hanging around.  Fortunately I now have my revolver, so I am going to journey back there (through Bitter Marsh yet again).  I’m not going to mess about playing chicken with the wolf, I’ll just fire to get rid of him.  I should be OK with bullets but I’ll take three flares as well, just in case.  I don’t know if there are mushrooms there but if there isn’t I know I didn’t fully explore the western side of the Bitter Marsh basin.  If there aren’t any there, I’ll have to try some of the smaller canyons leading off from near Angler’s.

I thankfully avoid the wolf at Bitter Marsh entrance without using any precious bullets and make my way down the western side of the lower basin.  I find two mushrooms along the way.  I need to find six more, making a total of four reishi teas which are equivalent to a dose of antibiotics.

I’m filled with nerves on all sorts of levels, nervously glancing at the ever increasing red section on my fatigue icon, hoping the damage disappears after all the treatments.  Eeek!  IF I manage to find all four doses!

I now make it down to the right area, and the wolf makes me leap out of my skin by coming at me from nowhere, growling like a demon wolf!  I fumble the controls in my panic and he mauls me, but I manage to hack him with my hatchet and he runs away bleeding.  I’m not going after him this time, I have to find mushrooms!  I quickly bandage and apply antiseptic, swearing like a sailor.  However….

….  MUSHROOMS GALORE!  Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how relieved I am!  I was absolutely freaking out about the parasites (1% chance my arse) when I realised I didn’t have enough antibiotics.  With the two mushrooms I found on the way, I find eight in total here.  That makes 5 doses of antibiotics.  I collapse in a heap for a moment, the stress ebbing away.  I just need to make sure I don’t get food poisoning or any other afflictions.  I thank the gods again for the Moose because his meat has taken a huge weight off my shoulders.  I’ll have no issues with the cattails, the rabbits, deer or the MRE.  Fingers crossed this panic can now be discarded. 

On finally arriving back at Angler’s late in the day, I hurriedly prepare all the reishi teas, ready to take first thing in the mornings when the antibiotics have run out.

PHEW.  I dodged the proverbial bullet there.  Lesson learned!  Always make sure you have at least some kind of antibiotic treatment in your first aid kit, just in case.

Now I pass the days doing all my little odd jobs, enjoying my pick up sticks game.  I have no idea why I like it so much, but I do!  Plus snaring and cooking rabbits, if I end up with too much food then that’s better than not having enough.  I know the Moose will probably do it, but not having enough food is a genuine anxiety for me, going back to the days in real life when I really couldn’t afford to feed myself properly.

THE BUNNY TRIANGLE

On one of the days I amble over to the rabbit glade to pick up any caught in the snares.  I’d left a couple of spare snares there to save me going backwards and forwards if one ended up ruined, and so I wouldn’t forget the correct placement.

I get there and my brow furrows.  Umm, where have the spare snares gone?  They’ve vanished too!

So this weird Bunny (Bermunda) Triangle has swallowed six rabbit carcasses and three spare snares!  What the actual *bleep* is going on?!

Oh well, I’ll just have to leave spare ones outside the cabin and go back for them if I need to.  It’s not far.  Up to this point no weird disappearances have occurred around the cabin.

I collect the two bunnies snared and walk home, grumbling, growling and filling the air with a very blue cloud.

THE PERFECT ACTIVITY TO CURE BOREDOM

On day 38 I’m starting to get very bored.  So I decide to go and play chicken with a wolf!

And I won!  I am The Destroyer of Wolves Mwahahahahaaaaa!

[Sgt Socks]

IT WAS *THIS* BIG

Now I’ve taken out that irritating wolf at the Bitter Marsh entrance, I figure it is time to go and do a spot of fishing.  I don’t really need the food, but even I can only handle so much of the pick up sticks game.  I’m really fortunate, I only break one line, and get a good haul of fishies to give me some variety in my diet, and enough oil to make a couple more torches.  Although I can pull torches from a fire, I like having full ones that last a while, and now the 50 days is approaching I know have enough cloth to use a couple of pieces. That will make sure I have enough matches to see me through to the end.

 

SOCKS’ NEW CLOTHES

Seeing as my Bearskin coat has deteriorated to 45% following all  the wolf encounters I’ve had, I decide to harvest it and recraft using the cured bear pelt I got from the bear near the mine.  I’d rather do it this way than try and repair it – if the repair fails then I’m stuffed!  I also decide to finally get round to crafting the wolfskin coat, things are a bit chilly and I like wandering around first thing in the morning.  Yes both these things take a long time, but one needs something to do after all!  Plus it means I can be less anxious when outdoors, the wolf coat does sometimes scare wolves off and even if it doesn’t, by putting it over my precious bear coat it will get torn rather than the bear one.

PLACING ANYWHERE & ITEM PILES MODS

These mods are bloody marvellous!  I’ll never play without them again.  They make it so much easier to organise your stuff, make your space look how you want it to and stops you having to pick up (say) 50 individual sticks for the fire.  That in particular really irritated me about the game.  Remove Clutter is also a good addition because you can get rid of most of the, well, clutter that is littered about and often gets in the way.

You can’t use Item Piles for everything, you can’t do it with single lichens for example, but it does cover the most important bases.  Everything is so much neater and easier!

Illustration

This is what a pile of ten normal sticks looks like, and you have to pick them up individually…

This is what a pile of ten sticks looks like, combined into one stack using the mod….

And you can pick the stack up as a single item, rather than ten single sticks!  This may not sound like much, but once you start using it, you realise how vastly, enormously, mahoosively better this is!

And as you can see here, both of these mods mean you can make nice neat piles of things, making the homes space so much more welcoming and easy to navigate.  Plus these piles of individual logs etc contain much more than first meets the eye, thanks to being able to “merge” items on top of each other.  I bloody love it!

[Sgt Socks]

BEAUTIFUL SKIES

On day 40 there is a gorgeous aurora as morning approaches, then the early skies are just as stunning.  This game really is beautiful.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

So I am entering the final week and things are getting a little dull.  Not being able to leave the region hasn’t felt like a weight up until this point, but it does now!

Then I remember the other mods I have, DIY by Santana and Candle Making, and decide to have a play!  I was going to on my last run but that was, as we know, rather abruptly ended by the freakish bear.

Safely away from any bears in my Angler’s Den home, I risk carving the Bear statue again, maybe I have broken the curse!  I also carve the other three animals available, the Moose, the Wolf and the Stag.  These I place on a table crafted from Cedar wood and provide ambient lighting with three pretty candles.  I’ve also kept the Frontier Shooting book for decorative purposes. Doesn’t it look great!

I also craft some posters for the wall, and make a bear print rug for the floor.  I still think Hinterland are missing a huge opportunity by having such limited crafting, and space making, options in the game.  A lone survivor would do things like this to pass the time… and it is so much better than simply having to click the pass time button.  Being able to finally do these things is really exciting, and will certainly encourage me to keep going on very long runs, or give me something to do towards the end of a snowball.

Now this feels like home 😊

[Leeanda]

That looked a little too close for comfort but I'm glad you got the grumpy old thing.  Bad luck with the parasites though ,I hope you find some meds for it.

[Sgt Socks]

WHAT A FABULOUS ADVENTURE!

So here we are at my final day.

50 days survived in Ash Canyon and Ash Canyon alone.

I am greeted by clear blue skies and a crisp freshness in the air. I stand outside Angler’s Den enjoying the sky and thinking about everything that has happened during this fabulous adventure.

Not being able to leave a region forces you to play completely differently, and I will in my future runs change my settings to make resources slightly more difficult to find.  I have enjoyed the challenge.  I wont deprive my loot goblin nature completely, but the adrenaline moments of not enough antibiotics, having to be careful what I eat, checking the amount of matches I’ve got etc was unexpectedly enjoyable.  Loper is a step too far for me, being that deprived isn’t my idea of fun, but the extra challenge I’ve experience here has added to the enjoyment of the game.  I still won’t ever spend an extended period of time in Ash Canyon, but that is mainly because it is so far out of the way and I do still struggle with claustrophobic feelings in this difficult to navigate region.  However, I now have a much better grasp of the geography and the routes through it, which can only add to long runs in the future.

I am definitely glad I did it, and I’m so excited that I made it!  It has given me more confidence in my abilities and cheered me up after the despair inducing and abrupt end to my last run.

 

Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure, your company, engagement and encouragement has made this a lot of fun!

NOW I NEED TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO NEXT….

[Sgt Socks]

4 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

That looked a little too close for comfort but I'm glad you got the grumpy old thing.  Bad luck with the parasites though ,I hope you find some meds for it.

I did, Mushroom adventure described above 😉

[Leeanda]

12 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

I did, Mushroom adventure described above 😉

I wrote that while you were still writing the rest.🙂.  

I'm glad you found some.   I do like those carvings ,I hope htl decides to add them in the store.  

Seems you've picked up a weird bunny bug,that's bad luck.   At least you won't go hungry for the rest of the snowball..  

Are you planning on keeping the run and going to loot the summit or abandon it ?

[Sgt Socks]

24 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I wrote that while you were still writing the rest.🙂.  

I know, that's why I said please bear with me so I could get them all in 😂

25 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I wrote that while you were still writing the rest.🙂.  

I'm glad you found some.   I do like those carvings ,I hope htl decides to add them in the store.  

Seems you've picked up a weird bunny bug,that's bad luck.   At least you won't go hungry for the rest of the snowball..  

Are you planning on keeping the run and going to loot the summit or abandon it ?

The snowball is done chick!  That's 50 days achieved 😊 Not much point in carrying on to be honest. 

Although I suppose I could turn it into a longer run, I've got some decent gear and good skills.  Could view it as an Ash Canyon start I guess.  It was a snowball to this point but becomes a normal run thereafter.  Hmm.  I shall ponder this tomorrow when I'm unable to play.

The snowball format was really fun though, I'd like to do another one.  I could always keep the save and come back to it later....

Decisions decisions! What do you think?  Without your input I wouldn't even have started this!

[Leeanda]

My apologies ,I misread somewhere along the line..  in that case...Congrats!!😁 

Well it's up to you really and how you feel but if it were me I'd either carry on with it or save it for a later date. Mainly because  I'd be too tempted by the summit loot😁But if you like doing snowballs I'd say go ahead and do one..  maybe in  bleak😁    kidding! That'd be a suicide mission.. 

[Leeanda]

I wrote that one before you'd posted it as well😁

[Sgt Socks]

1 minute ago, Leeanda said:

I wrote that one before you'd posted it as well😁

🙄😛😁🧡

1 minute ago, Leeanda said:

My apologies ,I misread somewhere along the line..  in that case...Congrats!!😁 

Well it's up to you really and how you feel but if it were me I'd either carry on with it or save it for a later date. Mainly because  I'd be too tempted by the summit loot😁But if you like doing snowballs I'd say go ahead and do one..  maybe in  bleak😁    kidding! That'd be a suicide mission.. 

Bleak? Pfft.  That would be a two day snowball! Even without Timberwolves 😅 Maybe I should just do it for a giggle at how "long" I survive!

I think I will keep the save, I might as well.  If I come back to it, then I do.  If not, then it doesn't matter.  At least I have the option when I decide I want to do a longer run, this snowball would be a great starting point, plus my skills are doing well.

I'll have a think which region to do one in next.  Depending on which region it is, I'll tweak the difficulty accordingly.  For example, ML I would make much harder weather wise because it is generally an easier region to cope with, plus a lot of places for loot etc.  I had set everything to medium on this one, which made it easier when it comes to wolves and weather but harder on loot etc.   Exploring the region was always the main goal for this snowball anyway, because I had barely stepped foot in it before.

[Leeanda]

10 minutes ago, Sgt Socks said:

🙄😛😁🧡

Bleak? Pfft.  That would be a two day snowball! Even without Timberwolves 😅 Maybe I should just do it for a giggle at how "long" I survive!

I think I will keep the save, I might as well.  If I come back to it, then I do.  If not, then it doesn't matter.  At least I have the option when I decide I want to do a longer run, this snowball would be a great starting point, plus my skills are doing well.

I'll have a think which region to do one in next.  Depending on which region it is, I'll tweak the difficulty accordingly.  For example, ML I would make much harder weather wise because it is generally an easier region to cope with, plus a lot of places for loot etc.  I had set everything to medium on this one, which made it easier when it comes to wolves and weather but harder on loot etc.   Exploring the region was always the main goal for this snowball anyway, because I had barely stepped foot in it before.

Bleak,worst weather possible ,no loot🙂. Oh and max moose.. what could possibly go wrong.  

Again though congrats . I'm glad you made it ,I know it wasn't your favourite place to go but ,you did it👍🙂

 

[Sgt Socks]

22 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Bleak,worst weather possible ,no loot🙂. Oh and max moose.. what could possibly go wrong.  

Lol absolutely nothing because with those settings I'd be dead in five minutes flat! 😄

23 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Again though congrats . I'm glad you made it ,I know it wasn't your favourite place to go but ,you did it👍🙂

Thanks chick 🧡 I actually really enjoyed it. Made a nice change from all the other regions I know so well (apart from Blackrock/HRV), both of which I definitely *wont* be going to. HRV never ever ever and BCR only with no wolves or Timberwolves at all!

I can understand why you said AC was growing on you. I definitely don't hate it anymore.

[conanjaguar]

@Sgt Socks

You did it!!

Maybe you could turn this into a “sequential snowball”, by going to each region and staying there for 50 days... kind of like @James Hickok is doing.

[BareSkin]

On 9/25/2022 at 2:02 AM, Sgt Socks said:

this kind of challenge is called a snowball.  No idea why, but I like it

The Great Source of Snowballing, Where It All Began:

https://hinterlandforums.com/forums/topic/13627-snowballs-in-hell/

[Sgt Socks]

6 hours ago, BareSkin said:

The Great Source of Snowballing, Where It All Began:

https://hinterlandforums.com/forums/topic/13627-snowballs-in-hell/

Fabulous! Thank you for pointing me to it @BareSkin. I will definitely have a look 🙂

(Ps I love your avatar! As you can see from mine I am a fellow fan)