ManicManiac

@Smol Alien Well chosen.

Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song (Official Audio) - YouTube Alternate Link: Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song | Lyrics (youtube.com)

I spent an hour warming up again and explore down the trail ahead. As I was approaching this corner, I was jump-scared by a bunny. ...and then... another... blizzard. 🤣 I'll be sure to come back to search down there after the storm breaks. I sought shelter inside the mine. I suppose I'll head to the left first. It was soon time to turn around and head back. This mine more expansive than I remember. 🤔 My pack is far too heavy. I decided I would go back to drop off non-essentials back at the exit before pressing my luck. After dropping some weight... I noticed the storm outside had blown over. It was time to go check around the area outside. Mostly just coal on the ground. I decided I would get settled for the night. Once I get rested up... I'll decide whether to test the gassed tunnel or leave well enough alone.

@Leeanda Updated with alternate link

I Think We're Alone Now - YouTube Alternate Link: I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany - Lyrics - YouTube

The recent rash of storms has kept the same tempo... this blizzard blew through in about four hours, but I wasn't about to try that rope and by then it was already about 10 p.m. Early the next morning... I went straight out for the climb. As I gazed up at the eminence that was Blackrock... the chill in the air cut clean to the bone. The first climb was brutal... I ran out of stamina just two meters from the ledge but managed to pull through. The weather was taking a threatening turn again... I slugged down three cups of coffee and got on with the second stretch of the climb. By this time I was already starting to freeze to death. Thankfully there was another cave at the top. A place to warm up... maybe even nap for an hour or so. After getting warmed up a bit... I took a look around near the climb. It's a gorgeous view from here... I have a feeling I'll be back to visit here again before I leave. 🤔 The wind was still biting cold. I had to get back to the cave to warm up a little more. Being now on the other side of this narrow ravine... perhaps I'll find the other side of that collapsed bridge.

The weather this morning is bitter cold... maybe even threatening another blizzard. However, I'm not content to wait and see. I as nearly half frozen by the time I got there, but I got to No Road Cave to warm up. Fool's Corner... well, it's just around the corner. 😋 By the time I'd warmed up again, it was nearing noon and the biting wind & snow had died down. Now I just had to deal with Fool's Coner once again. I just have to be patient. If I start crawling ahead right as this wolf turns away... I should be able to keep tight to the rockface and reach the climbing point without having to resort to pitching a stone as a distraction. I find it's always a good idea to drop some stones at the top and bottom of any climb. This serves two purposes... The first, is it lightens our pack. The second, it gives us a means of defense/distraction after any climb or decent. I see at least two wolves out there in the mist further downstream... I wanted to head upriver first... I'm keen to see what might be blow the collapsed bridge. The short answer is... not much. However, every little bit helps... and let me tell you, I think this was a fantastic find. I was hoping to find some way to get to the mine... it's just past noon now. Hopefully, I'll find something before nightfall, or at least some shelter. The small ravine I explored when I first got to Blackrock didn't have anything at all for shelter, so I suppose it's possible I might have put myself in a bad way. I suppose that again... time will tell. It seems as though I can goat down... but I'm not sure I could get back up. This decision is really more of a commitment. I probably should have kept a rock or two with me (I'd meant to) but must have absent mindedly just dropped them all out of my pocket at the top of the climb. Oh well... I'll make it work or I'll get mauled. I was really expecting to at least find a stone or two along the shore, but so far, I have not. I'm not too nervous about it... but it does mean I'll have to spend more time watching how they prowl their territory if I'm going to find a way to slip past them. Over on the right side... there looks to be a climbing rope. Over on the left side... I'm willing to bet my life there's a cave. It looks like I'm about to indeed bet my life, since I am not willing to head up the rope unless I confirm a cave and its contents. It looks like the best bet is to swing wide to the right... this way I get better visibility without trying to deal with the fact that I'm upwind right now... or the blind corner that I've been trying to inch my way around. I'll have a much better vantage if I look back on it from over by that climbing rope. There is a cave... now I will have to get over there. Still no stones to be found anywhere down here. Yes, I do have the revolver, but I have not loaded it yet... and I shouldn't have too now. I do see a goating opportunity over on the right... should be able to circumvent these two wolves without a fuss. Finally, some rocks... okay, I feel better now. Now if I botch my approach, then I can always distract them. 🤭 A flare... very cute. 😋 Hmm... as I crawled into the cave to look around... I heard the winds kick up very quickly. When I turned around, I could see that a blizzard had struck with alarming speed. I guess I'll be holing up here for the night then.

With every update it does tend to be the same story. It always seems as though we have several folks make a ruckus about things they don't like, or they want/demand changed (as though they themselves were personally commissioning the update ). It has to be frustrating for Hinterland to put so much hard work, time, effort, resources, passion, heart & soul into The Long Dark... just face such negative onslaughts from a relative few with nearly every single update cycle. I find I have to say this with each update: I feel that Hinterland has earned a lot of good will. I think they deserve all the support we can give them. As always, thank you Hinterland. Thank you for more than 9 years of one of my very favorite games. I have spent more time on Great Bear Island than any other game world (by a rather significant margin).

No... Cabin Fever is just fine. I think it should continue to stay put.

Part of me thinks I might be able to make it across that gap on the right if I get a running start... but I'm not looking to risk that today. ...Cliff Cave was also a bear den... Nope, not sleeping here tonight. From here... I decided I would head for either Wedge Cave or No Road Cave. Another night at Wedge Cave. 🤭 Tomorrow I'll make for Fool's Corner (again).

The storm finally broke just about an hour before sundown. Not sure how far I will get, but ideally, I'll head for a cave along.

Sun's going down soon... but the storm is still raging outside. I guess I'll have to resume my exploration of the footpaths tomorrow.

@Leeanda Fare enough... I do hope some of those visual effects associated with some afflictions and glimmer fog will one day be accessibility options that could be toggled (not the effects of the afflictions themselves... just the visual distortions) for those whom those visual effects may cause issues for. As for the recipes... I'm really looking forward to finally devoting time to experimenting with them all as well.

@Leeanda I've been noticing that. 🤔 I appreciate that not all of the recipes have buff/de-buff tradeoffs. Still not sure exactly how I feel about it, but then again, I've also not cooked up any of them yet to experiment with.

While waiting out the storm I decided to flip through my journal. Wait... Lily's Pancakes will give me a headache? 🤔

@Leeanda True... you're right.

@Leeanda Yes... the frequency is rather alarming, but at least the duration seems shorter. As for this recent rash of storms... it seems that 4-6 hours feels like the trend I've been seeing.

Stepped inside, just to warm up... then I'll continue on through the stone arch and started hunting for ways down to the riverbanks. Blizzard hit... I had to fall back to Foreman's Clearcut. Oh well, I have plenty of food on hand. So, I if I have to spend the night... I can afford to.

Thankfully the storm would blow itself out sometime in midmorning. Time to scout for Timberwolves... and work on exploring the footpaths. It looks like the Timberwolves had moved on... at least from the curve ahead. Might even have the chance to go back and check that car I had to skip previously. Also... finally earned my last Merrit Badge this morning. This pack looks like it's moved on as well... I don't like it when I don't know where they are. 🤔 Since the way looked clear, I decided I would head for Foreman's Clearcut to warm up. After that I would work my way up the footpaths from Cook's Farm back to Whistling Perch. I need to be looking for a better way down to the river - Fool's Corner was going to be the last resort. On the way, I do also need to confirm at least one bear's den.

It was a good day to just sit and organize stuff anyway. 🤭

After a quick sort and stow... I decided to indeed risk a night hike. The only Timberwolves to watch out for were on the turn in the road right here by Bricklayer's Retreat. The stretch all the way to the end of the road, should be clear. There they are... it should be soothing sailing from here. ...When I committed to this night hike, I admit I hadn't taken this possibility into account. It was getting deadly dark. However, I was reasonably confident that the road was clear. I decided if it gets so dark that I can't make out the road ahead... then I've got my trusty Spelunker's Lantern to light the way. I stopped just long enough to pick up the last of the gear and supplies. I was tempted to just bed down here for the night... but I was on pace to get back just a little before midnight. I decided that if I was going to risk the night hike, that I should push for the maximum gain. I was able to just barely make out the edges of the road, and I was able to use what silhouettes of the trees I could perceive to estimate when I needed to get low and get off the road to avoid a deadly dark Timberwolf ambush. Thankfully my nighttime sense of direction rang true. I sat crouched here for just a moment and could hear the paws of the Timberwolves scraping and rooting around in the snow. They were close... but I was able to slip by undetected. I made it back to Bricklayer's Reteat (and just before midnight as I'd estimated). However, after six hours rest, I woke to this... A blizzard had struck early that morning. The night hike true had been worth the risk, and I came out far ahead of what I otherwise would have had I not.

Once the storm abated... I didn't have much time to make it back to Bricklayer's Retreat before nightfall. Those treacherous Timberwolves... so they don't just roam between different territories like they sometimes do in Bleak Inlet... it seems this is the same pack... but now they are prowling on the curve right near Bricklayer's Retreat. Had I not been keeping a keen eye out; they would have certainly ambushed me. I'd managed to get back just as the sun set. I am debating a night hike to finish the task, now that I know where the Timberwolves are (and aren't).

While waiting out the storm in No Road Cave... I've had awhile to think about the next route. Since I'm already backtracking all the way to Bricklayer's Retreat, I figure I'll take the opportunity to finish up exploring the back trails between Cook's Farm all the way up to Fool's Corner. From there... I think I'll use the Fool's Corner climb to get down and explore along that stretch of the river. If neither of those routes seem profitable... then I suppose I'll just go back to following the road (but of course in the opposite direction). Now, I just have to wait for the storm to break.

With everything I'd found along the way... my pack was now weighing in a little over 66 kg. and I could barely move. I decided I it was time to haul some the gear and supplies back to Bricklayer's Retreat. I knew I'd be making two trips... but I only dropped weight of the pack down to 55 kg. This gave me enough mobility while being crouched that I figured coming back for just 10 kgs would make for a much faster second trip. All was pretty much going as expected. However, it looked like the Timberwolves that were prowling in front of No Road Cave... were gone. As I was crawling past (just to be on the safe side)... a blizzard hit. For now, I'm going to have to hole-up here. At least until the storm passes anyway. 😒

I decided that there was enough daylight to risk taking a look at what was further up the road. Oh no. I was mistaken... about a lot. I was much closer to the end of the road than I thought. I thought I might be able to reach the mine. I also thought perhaps I might bet another opportunity to get down the river below. I should have known Great Bear Island wasn't going to make it that easy. Well, I was already there, so I figured I may as well look around before heading back for shelter. Looked like a good vantage point... Hmm... definitely no good way to get down or across. It looks like Fool's Corner was the right spot to get down after all. 🤔 Following the train tracks backwards, I came across this. Hmm... if Hushed River Valley taught me anything... it's to check out around scrub brush. There's usually a path or out of the way nook to check out.