ManicManiac

@Third Try You know what else is close to Vancouver Island? Great Bear Rainforest - Wikipedia

A Shot In The Dark - YouTube Alternate: 8. A Shot in the Dark - Henry Mancini - YouTube

My favorite shoot taken in Blackrock (so far) and it's not even really featuring the terrain... I thought the subtle Solar Halo was just gorgeous.

The storm finally let up... I wasted no time. There are so many goating opportunities here in Blackrock... and clearly many side paths to take note of. Every little bit helps. Okay... here's a good shelter for the night. A nice warm cave. Still not entirely sure how my clothes got so soaked the other day... but they held up much better (as generally expected) today. Tomorrow, I'm not sure if I want to scout further up the road or take a peek at what up the climbing rope right outside the cave. Either way, I get to sleep soundly tonight... nice and warm. 😄

Agreed. My sentiments exactly.

@Moosemaster Not at all... as a community I think it's good for us to lookout for each other when we can.

@Moosemaster For what it's worth... there's options out there if folks feel the need. Example: Betterhelp.com Please don't take offense, I know it can be a sensitive subject. I'm sure most of the folks in the community would only wish you well; and that you find your spark again.

🥳 Played chicken with a blizzard and won. I just got to the point where I'm starting to very slowly warm up without a need for a fire. I'm still stuck in the truck... but at least I was able to wait out the brunt of it without using up more of the precious few sticks I have on hand. Wow... just sitting in the truck isn't the most engaging thing, but don't often resort to just "passing time." At least it's given me a lot of time to plan. When the storm abaits... I'm going to have to make a break for it. I'd rather not spend another night in this truck.

@Moosemaster I always make each run a sort of personal challenge. I like to chronicle them here as well. This keeps the game fresh for me because I'm always pushing the boundaries of what I think I can do... and sometimes even what the game is capable of. It keeps the struggle alive... and serves to sharpen my skills playing the game. Both I find satisfying. I suppose I'm also one those people who thrive in a sandbox style situation... where "make your own story/make your own fun" is actually very enjoyable for me. I mean, if you're just bored with it... then perhaps these things won't be of interest. On another note... it may be worth consideration. How are you feeling overall? I don't mean for you to answer that (please don't, as I'm not here to pry)... just perhaps something to think about. Loss of interest in things one used to find enjoyable, or a general sense of malaise/ennui can sometimes be a symptom of depression. I'm not saying that's the case... I'm just saying that if perhaps you're in a funk of some kind perhaps that's where some of the drop off in interest could maybe be coming into play. In either case, I hope you find something to rekindle your spark (as you put it).

@Leeanda As a general rule, no. I find I don't really have a need keep one in my pack. I usually store the ones I find at one of my encampments... and if I feel like doing something that requires a specific tool, then I'll go pick one up. I don't keep a knife on hand because I don't rend to get into struggles; nor have I been harvesting frozen carcasses. I don't keep a hatchet on hand because I tend to get all the firewood I need by picking up sticks or breaking down branches by hand. I don't tend to bother with limbs, found I generally don't need them.

I think I've decided that when the storm breaks... I'll continue in the same direction, and keep working my way along between the ridgeline and the road. I don't really recall what's where, but it seems better to keep pushing on rather than spend more time backtracking a second time. If the temperature will lift just 2 more degrees... I'll be able to tank the blizzard without having to expend a match or firewood. As I was looking through my pack... I realized that I still have not yet even loaded the revolver. Hopefully it will stay that way. The thing that worries me a little is that the prybar is in poor condition. I've had to use it quite a bit more than I would have expected already... and I feel like it's going to be an important tool to have here. I kind of regret not switching it out for a new one at one of my other encampments before coming here. Now I just have to hope I find another one. 🤭

Okay, two blizzards in under 24 hours while hole-up in a barn. Thank goodness the truck is here for a little added insulation. I admit the situation is a bit demoralizing when I don't know exactly where I'm headed... and that I still have to watch out for Timberwolves too. This blizzard just started this morning... and I'm already starting to get cold sitting in the truck. Looks like I'll need another fire. I'm not sure if I should follow the ridge line, the apparent trail that seems to lead down to the small ravine above the falls, or if I should get back to the bridge and explore in the other direction. I suppose I have a few hours huddled next to the burn barrel to think about it. 🤔 You know I didn't notice it earlier... but there's a rabbit hopping around out there. What a Boss!

Managed to get everything dried out, and after the storm passed... I was able to look around the area a little bit more (mostly looking to find more sticks). I found a good goating opportunity... but I was not sure it would really lead anywhere. It was a nice view though. I managed a decent night's sleep in the truck... I was hoping that the next morning would make for a better day to go out and explore... Instead, another blizzard struck. 😖 I'm already starting to get cold inside the truck. I can't let myself get pinned down for too much longer... but I don't know the area well enough to tank the blizzard for the sake of finding a better shelter. I might have enough coal and sticks to weather this blizzard, but after that... I'll have no way to keep warm. When the storm breaks, I will have to make a move or risk a slow death by exposure.

My first morning in Blackrock. I did a bit of a sort and stow... which kept me in the barn until about midmorning. However... apparently it's bitterly cold in Blackrock until past noon. I managed to get back to the Blocked Bridge, but then I needed to sit in a car to try and recover a little warmth. This is also when I found out my outer layer was also soaking wet. I hadn't been out that long. Granted the snow was heavy... or didn't my clothing dry out at all overnight? I will have to check on this later. I managed to get back down to the bottom of the small ravine... but I'm perpetually in danger of freezing. I would have thought that it might have warmed up by afternoon. Apparently, I was mistaken. Between the heavy snow fall and having soaking wet clothing... there's just no getting warm. Okay... so the end of the small ravine (at least this far) is another dead-end. On the way back out... I got a bit of a surprise. I didn't know wolves and timberwolves would occupy the same area. So now I know for certain that I have both to worry about. As I was making my way back up the slope... a blizzard hit. I'd already lost condition due to the cold; this was not helpful. I essentially made a beeline to try to get back to the barn. Thankfully, I was able to keep my bearings. I stood there freezing trying to get the fire barrel going (failed four consecutive times). I've got a little bit of coal and about 50-60 sticks on hand. If the weather is going to be this bad... my current choice of encampment is going to be untenable. For now, I just have to survive the blizzard and another night. Tomorrow... I have to find a real shelter where I can get warm without having to "burn" through resources. I need to figure out how my clothing apparently got so wet, so quickly... I have a feeling that they didn't dry at all while I was sleeping in the truck last night. I just wasn't out long enough in the snowfall for account for how soaked through my outer layer was (at least not in such a short time being out in the snowfall). I'll also have to use the fire to make sure they dry this time. I admit, this first full day in Blackrock has me a bit shaken. At this point, I'd assumed I was pretty well armored against the cold... but the day's weather just cut right through it. I have to think more about why... so I can adapt. 🤔

I think tomorrow, I'll spend the day searching the bottom of that ravine... and explore beyond that tight crawlspace. As far as I could see the coast was clear... and I have enough supplies on hand to burn a day or two down there, even if I don't find anything at all.

@CobraGeneral The admins comb through this thread to pick their candidates for #ScreenshotSaturday

@Leeanda It was really satisfying to find some of those little out of the way spots that are workable as shelters.

Worth noting: As I got situated for the evening... I began to think that this place is ideal enough that perhaps I can use it as an encampment where I can stash things for later. It's close enough to an exit... so far seems a relatively safe area. My pack is already getting a bit heavy... so lightening the burden may be a good idea at this point anyway. I have the sticks and coal stashed in the suitcase there in the truck bed. At least for tonight the cooking pot. If I need a fire to keep warm, I'll likely also use it to bolster my water supply.

I have less than half the day to try to find shelter in Blackrock... I remember almost nothing about it, so this will definitely feel like a new struggle rather quickly. First order of business is going to have to be to look for a shallow cave or something... Off to the right is a dead end... but the bridge looks like it might be promising. I'm not wild about going down in this this little ravine/chasm. Over to the left is clearly the way down into the small ravine... but I kind of want to look around some more first. This little cubby hole is nice... but not protected enough to serve as good shelter. At least not without significant risk. Moving on. Near the bridge itself is this truck trapped under boulders. This is honestly a fairly viable option for shelter. While perhaps not perfect, it is work able. However, there's still a few hours of daylight left... so I want to keep pressing on. If push comes to shove, I'll come back here to hole-up for the night, but I'd like to try to go find something better. This looks like a goating opportunity... And I was correct. However, it's possibly a one-way trip up... so I'll come back to test it out more later. Turns out the bridge is as blocked as the name suggests. I don't see a conventional way to get across. Perhaps that coating opportunity might be a way across, but I'd like to see it from the other side first. The last thing I need now (so close to the end of my trip down Memory Lane) is to get myself stuck someplace. From the bridge the way off to the right in the small ravine... looks like a dead end, but I'll still want to go see for myself. One never knows, there might be a nice cave down there. 🤭 Sure enough... dead-end and no cave for shelter. Moving on. To the left is another nice little cubbyhole... and even (albeit a tight squeeze) way continue on along the river. However, it's getting close to evening now, and I'm not sure if I'd find a place to rest down here in the small ravine. Perhaps for now, I'll backtrack and try the way up the slope. Halfway up the slope... found another decent cubbyhole. Moving on... Ah... the other end of the road. To my right ought to the be bridge. Not sure which direction I should go. 🤔 Since I do have at least some frame of reference to the bridge, I guess I'll start there and hunt for shelter that way. Heading to the right... I do indeed find the other side of the bridge. Inside that overturned semi-trailer is also a good spot for a stopover. Easy place to put down and maintain a campfire. It would do in a pinch. Continuing along the ridgeline... I see the remanence of what looks like a farm. I think I even see a barn that has survived. I know there are Timberwolves out there somewhere... but I don't really know where. I have to be cautious, but I'm also running out of daylight. 🤔 The weather has been getting more threatening... I think I have enough sticks on hand to keep a fire going through most of a night if I had to. I want to at least look around what looks like a ruined farmhouse and barn before I decided where to try and hole-up for the evening. Looks like perhaps the inmates exacted some revenge on what I came to find out was the "Jailer's Residence." Though, their credit... they left the doghouse alone. 🤭 ...a covered shelter and a car for a little insulation, AND a burn barrel right next to the car?! Yes. I think this is going to be where I hunker down for the night.

Some good theory work going on here.

As was mentioned earlier in the thread:

Some favorites from the second half of my last visit to Ash Canyon:

Well chosen shots.

Thankfully the storm blew itself out overnight. Sleeping in one-hour intervals made sure I could keep an eye on the fire... and make sure I stayed warm. Thankfully, the blizzard was relatively short. Now there's just the matter of making the climb and getting past the wolf prowling round the bend. The wind is brutally cold this morning... still has the bite of the blizzard that preceded it. It took a handful of rocks... but I was able to keep the wolf distracted enough this time to slip past undetected. I decided to take a short nap in this truck... when I wake, I'll head into Blackrock.

@AdamvR I never said you made accusations... and your sarcastic thanks seems meant to provoke reaction, which I will not give you. I will not be drawn into an argument with you, and as I've said... better to let the admins address your concerns. I've said my peace... and have no wish to get into a protracted argument/debate over "what may have been intended" vs "how it comes across to others." So... I doubt I will be participating in the conversation any further beyond this point.