...Memory Lane...

[ManicManiac]

It was midmorning the next day when I finally set out in earnest for Broken Railroad.

Entering Broken Railroad.  My experience in the past tells me that this next region is a great spot to get ambushed.  I remember wolves had a habit of skulking on most of the blind corners and narrow passes.
Seeing this deer grazing was a pretty reliable hint that at least there wasn't any wolves prowling around the immediate vicinity...  Still though, I needed to be careful.

Hmm... the way as been clear.  Surprisingly so... either I've gotten extremely lucky today, or the wolf population here has dwindled.  I suppose I'll find out tomorrow, in the meantime I needed to reach the Maintenance Yard before dark.

Ah... spotted one wolf in total so far. It's hard to make out be it on the top part of the small bank built up the rock wall.  Just looks like a small blackish line from here.  That also means that it will be nice and out of the way while I explored the lower level of this side-path would ultimately lead me to the other side of the landslide.

This area might be worth remembering... it looks like maybe I could use it as an escape route from the other side.  I'll have to check it out when I eventually get over there.

This wolf turned out to be no trouble whatsoever.  I didn't expect this leg of the route to be so relaxed.

Also, in case I've not make it clear... I do love the look and feel of the oak trees. 🤭

Spotting rabbits running around gave me another pretty reliable hint that there were no wolves around.

I didn't expect to find much on the way through to the Maintenance Yard... I'm pleasantly surprised. 

Here's one of the spots I remember Will telling me that he'd met with a stranger who called himself Methuselah and where he witnessed the first Aurora after "The First Flare..."

I've never been to the other side of the broken bridge before... 

I get an eerie feeling looking down this tunnel... I come back to face it one day. 

I really can't believe how devoid of wolves Broken Railroad is today... I don't think I can remember ever seeing the yard completely empty like this.  I suppose I bet make good on the opportunity.

By the time it got dark... I was settled into the outer office of the Maintenance Yard.  Maybe I just got lucky today... it's possible tomorrow the place might be swarming with wolves, but at least I'm safe for tonight.

I did try to get an approximant snapshot to compare with the story Will told me.

I did also find a couple of clues for hidden caches stashed around the region...

[Leeanda]

Highly unusual to be wolf free at the shed,even I get one or two..  

The right side of that bridge is an instakill by the way....  I imagine both sides are but I'm not going to test it.😁. 

I forgot Methuselah was there,it's nice to remember it😊

[ManicManiac]

I don't know if it was eerie atmosphere of the Maintenance Yard... or the unsettling message written in red paint on the wall... but I had another horrible nightmare.

[conanjaguar]

1 hour ago, ManicManiac said:

I don't know if it was eerie atmosphere of the Maintenance Yard... or the unsettling message written in red paint on the wall... but I had another horrible nightmare.

 

  Hide contents

 

Ah… Dead Space. That brings back memories…

[ManicManiac]

Accompaniment: Blonde Redhead - For the Damaged Coda

I got up early, to try and make the most of the day.  As it turns out... I was just very lucky on the way in yesterday, because today was just wolves and bad weather.

The wolves have apparently returned...

...and the weather starts taking a turn right after.  I guess I'm staying in the Maintenance Shed today. 😒

This is the second battery I've found on the run so far... 68% of Great Bear Island explored; only two batteries found.  That could be a real problem later on.  🤔

...mood...

Getting as much done as I can cleaning out the Shed and getting the area organized.
I was hoping to get more exploring done, but the weather isn't so inconvenient.  I did need to get situated, so today was as good a day as any.

[Leeanda]

Not a lucky day  then... But I suppose it wouldn't be tld if it was nice and quiet when you need it🙂

The battery situation is a bit odd, don't lopers get more than that.  

Edited May 28, 2023 by Leeanda

[ManicManiac]

When I'd gone to bed... I did have some 10% dogfood.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it got me sick, but I had more than plenty of antibiotics.  However, this does mean that I'd need to be especially careful today.  🤔

[ManicManiac]

I got a relatively early start... I wanted to visit the ravine below the Broken Bridge and perhaps the ridgeline leading around towards the lake.  I had to duck the two wolves in the front of the Maintenance Yard, but the side path I took down to the Creek was all clear.

Thankfully I'd found a rope in the Maintenance Shed... so I quickly deployed the rope and make my way down into the ravine.

There was so much death in this narrow ravine...

After managing to pull myself up the climb, I decided to look for the clue I'd found on the way in.

I decided to check the first cave... however, quickly found out it was a bear den (because the bear was on it's way back home when I had decided to slip inside and take a look around).

It was risky, but I managed to escape sticking close to the ridge line and heading back to the right.  The bear had spotted me and followed me most of the way back toward the Maintenance Yard, but I did eventually out pace it.  

I had to deal with the two wolves out front again but managed to sneak past without issue.

The rest of the evening I decided to cook some found food and brew the coffee I'd found along the way.

Not a very busy day... but a good day just the same.

[Leeanda]

How is the coffee challenge going..?   I know it can take a while to get most of the badges.

Nice to see your fan again..only maybe not that close.

[conanjaguar]

It always creeps me out to see a ravaged wolf carcass. I don’t think a bear would mess with wolves unless it was really  hungry… and the other options aren’t very pleasant.

[ManicManiac]

Sometime midmorning, I was ready try and finish exploring around the lake/creek and on up to the Lodge.  However, it wasn't until far too late into the day, that I realized that I didn't bring much water with me.  Which had the potential to be a problem (since I didn't pick up any sticks along the way today).

Weather was looking clear... if I could get up to and fully explore the lodge before dark; it'll be a good day.

Hmm... at least four, or perhaps even five wolves prowling around the bridge... 🤔

...which was all well and good... because my intention was to get underneath it. 🤭

I don't remember if I've ever managed to goat up that fallen tree before.  Nice out of the way place... but not much to find here. 🤭

Since I'd already gotten by the wolves by slipping past under the bridge... I could then access it from the other side.  I just had to keep low and listen for the one who wanders closest to the bridge to sound like it was moving farther away.

Which worked just fine... failing that I could have tossed a stone to draw them off, but it didn't come to that.

 

As I made my way further up the slope, I spotted a likely spot to goat a little beyond the beaten path... found a nice vista.

 

 

Neat.  This is now only the third accessible battery that I've found on Great Bear Island... still that number seems low considering the number of vehicles I've searched.  🤔

Hmm... the region really seems to want me to have a revolver.  I'd already found one... and now this one sitting in the back seat of this car.

Oh!  I think this is the first time in literal years that I've actually found a rifle in a rifle rack.  

This place is eerie already... but the basement, more so. 

Horseshoes are supposed to be lucky... with my luck lately, I'm not sure I believe it.  Which I suppose is just as well... it seems I can't pick it up, even if I wanted to.

On to the second floor...

I had to use my lantern just to make sure I didn't miss anything tucked away in corners and under furniture.  After getting that done, crawled into a nearby bed for the night.

While I'm running a bit heavy... a goodly portion of that is the rope that I'd found in the basement, and I get that deployed in the morning.  Excluding the rope then, the pack is about 37kg.  I may just try to haul that the long way around to the Rickety Food Bridge tomorrow.   However, I'll have to think about that some more.

[Leeanda]

The bear/corpse pic looks like a murder scene😁.   Which it might just have been ...

Yay a battery..  and two weapons.     It does seem to have got  darker ,and creepier in the lodge.

 

[ManicManiac]

Nice... 🤭😄

 

[ManicManiac]

I checked through my pack and was determined to try and finish exploring Broken Railroad today.  I decided that once I deployed the rope out behind the Lodge, I'd still be comfortably encumbered (meaning while the pack was going to be a little heavy... it wasn't going to slow me down in any meaningful way).  So having decided that, I was not going to bother setting up a secondary encampment up at the Lodge... I was going to haul it all back to the Maintenance Shed.  

I didn't have a rope to deploy (I'd already set it up behind the lodge), but truth be told... I didn't need it, and I wasn't planning to use this spot a shortcut to get back to the lodge.  I'm not really likely to even be back this way anytime soon.

I was able to goat my way down easily enough. 
At first, it looked like the coast was clear... but as I was sneaking my way back to the Maintenance Shed, I head the patter of skulking paws.   

I saw so many more oak trees on the route today than I would have expected.

I spent the rest of the day sorting through and stowing gear and supplies.  I did start a fire to while away a few hours boiling water... but I didn't really need to; I just wasn't tired because I was subsidizing my lack of water with coffee.

I'm not sure if I should wait until morning... or go on a night-hike to make a push for Milton Basin. 🤔

[ManicManiac]

 

I did find another hidden cache while exploring Broken Railroad... but the note & key seems to have failed to appear.

[Leeanda]

I don't know about stalker but I get a lot of aurora at broken railroad... 

Was there no wolf at the climb down ,there used to be a regular one up there .

[ManicManiac]

@Leeanda
As I remember, there is at least a couple wolves that would normally be prowling around that area outside the fence line.  I think that day I was just very lucky that the wolves were off skulking in other areas.  That spot below the climb down from Rickety Foot Bridge is certainly in the normal rotation of territory they frequent.

[Leeanda]

Just now, ManicManiac said:

@Leeanda
As I remember, there is at least a couple wolves that would normally be prowling around that area outside the fence line.  I think that day I was just very lucky that the wolves were off skulking in other areas.  That spot below the climb down from Rickety Foot Bridge is certainly in the normal rotation of territory they frequent.

I meant above there ,between the rickety bridge and the climb down..sorry for the confusion.

[ManicManiac]

@Leeanda
Oh... well in that case, I imagine the same is true.  Just lucky that I the wolves were all out prowling other territories in the region.

Which now that I think about it... Broken Railroad has been far kinder to me this run than I generally recall. 🤭

Edited June 7, 2023 by ManicManiac

[Leeanda]

1 minute ago, ManicManiac said:

@Leeanda
Oh... well in that case, I imagine the same is true.  Just lucky that I the wolves were all out prowling other territories in the region.

Which now that I think about it... Broken Railroad has been far kinder to me this run that I generally recall. 🤭

That's a good thing though...😊.  

 

I just remember that there was always one up there but the last year or so I haven't seen any.

[ManicManiac]

@Leeanda
With the predator paths/spawn points getting refreshed (and perhaps that's already started, I don't know), perhaps they will maybe become somewhat more dynamic.

Edited June 7, 2023 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

I don't know about stalker but I get a lot of aurora at broken railroad...

I forgot this bit... Honestly, I don't know what the Aurora frequency feels like in Broken Railroad.
However, I owe that to only having been in the region maybe a total of five (?) days now.  

Though, if Broken Railroad keeps being kind to me... I may have to reevaluate where it sits on my region rankings list. 🤭

[Leeanda]

It does seem to be on your side, .  I do wonder though if adding the new area has affected it in some way...    There seems to be a few more aurora than usual in general ..  

At least you're maul free and not stuck in a blizzard .. but some might say that's better than aurora's.

[ManicManiac]

It's been a while since I checked over my region route.
(Updated to include The Far Territory)

 

Each day getting closer to the Far Territory.
Between Bleak Inlet and Blackrock... I do have to decide if I'm going to bring a weapon with me. 

🤔 I'll have to think about it some more.

Part of me feels like it's just a wise decision... just dealing with the Cannery alone feels like it justifies bringing a weapon of some kind.  

Another part of me wonders if I can weather that onslaught with nothing but a pocket full of rocks.

🤔...

[ManicManiac]

In either case, I suppose I have a couple more regions to think it over.

Depending on how late in the morning it is when I get up... I may delay heading to the Milton Basin (via Forlorn Muskeg).  If it's late in the afternoon by the time I get there.  I think I will likely hole-up in the cave near the short climb out, and head to Moutain Town in earnest early the next morning.

I'll have to see how it goes...