Gooner77

Keg 2 | Day 43 Up in the morning today 48% health. I scroll through my journal and the last day at 100% health was Day 21. Collecting sticks around the barn as I have been away for a few days. It’s easy going and lots of them have spawned. I take torches from the fire and collect all the way to the broken tower. Setup a warming fire and dodge wolfy while collecting sticks for the afternoon. With a torch in hand I scout the cave, 5 coal have fallen from the miracle ceiling, what a nice surprise. As night falls and an aurora starts I play cat and mouse with a wolfy to keep him pushed back away from the area I am working. I can hear a wind pick up and I pull 3 torches and sprint back to the barn. I have to keep this fire going for now. I make it back to the forge and have 54 sticks on me from the afternoon and evening run. I load up the fire, 52 = 8hours 23min. I still have a stash on the ground and the 5 + 1 coal and there is of course the crate I never needed by the safe (strong will power in rationing), I’ll use you now. I look around and remember the locker, open it up and find another 30 sticks stashed in there, when did I drop these? I don’t recall but I don’t ask many more questions. I ration by eating just 4 cattails tonight, drink and go to sleep for 10 hours.

Keg 2 | Day 42 Needing to find a new source of sticks I head out in the early morning hours fully rested in the dark to the far end of the cave at Hat Creek. I collect sticks in FLT of -31C all along the face of the hill to the cave North of Poachers Camp. Amazingly with the wind chill taken out it is -24C in the front of the cave and +0C at the back of the cave. Hypo risk of 18% getting here. I set about collecting sticks on the cold morning temps around the cave with alternating warm-ups at the fire. No wolves around which is nice but it gets very foggy as the sun peaks over the horizon. The 10 minutes for a branch takes down about 85% of my temp bar so I leave the bushes for now – I can’t afford much more health loss from cold. By noon the 10 minute branch is taking about 55% of my temp bar so I can almost upgrade to bushes. I collect four cattails that I ran past in the early morning due to cold, I can spend the time now to harvest them. I push out a little farther on my last stick run and cover most of the hill north of the cave. I find 17 sticks in a goldmine of untouched bounty. I now have 91 sticks and a few coal left on me which will cover my sleep and more if I can make it back. My energy levels are below 25%. I travel to Poachers and am already cold when arriving. I make a warming fire and wait to fill my temp bar which drains me down to ~5% energy. More than 2 hours are left on the fire when I am ready to leave, that’s a lot of torches to pull! I pull as many as I can and harvest them directly into sticks before leaving to save weight. Of course as soon as I leave the train car with 7 minutes left on the fire a strong wind comes up and blows my torch out. I rush back to my fire to see if I can rescue the embers, I can see the glow of the fire at the entrance and as I round the corner the flame is snuffed out right before my eyes. There are no embers to revive in the fire barrel like there are at a campfire? I learn something new about the TLD all the time. Screw it, wind and all I need to sleep and now that I am completely exhausted, overburdened and low on ideas I turn to my get out of jail free card – STIM TIME! Can I make it all the way to Spence’s? I have never really used stims much in any other gameplay so the colours are a new experience for me. I make it all the way to the arch rock before the shed and docks and I gained the 15%?? Health bonus so that’s good news. A final slow crawl up to the barn and I light a torch and then the forge fire for 10 hours of sleep. I have 16 cattails so 5 are used up for a full 10 hours of healing. Still have lots of water so that’s not a problem. Will see what tomorrow brings.

Three more hours of work before I can get home to try this.

Keg 2 | Day 41 I pass time in the cave to warm-up until the warmer part of the afternoon. I’m checking to see if I can sleep without fire. I am able to grab a couple of hours sleep without fire and still am able to warm-up my temp bar, that is exciting to learn maybe for the next run. I break down a bush, sleep for another hour then break out the flare to guarantee some sleep. Fire started and fueled with 8 hours of sticks I still have 6 coals left for an emergency. Cattails for dinner and I sleep for about 9 hours waking up fully rested. I am able to take 5 or 6 high % torches and collect 10 cat tails from the plastic container here at camp. I need to find a way to collect so more firewood up here, it’s a long way from more than 1 or 2 good stick spots and I am finding it hard to stay afloat.

Keg 2 | Day 40 Wake up and the weather is blowing really hard, just over an hour left on the fire. I load up the fire with a few sticks and sleep 2 more hours to see if the -45C FLT will pass. I wake up and its calmer, -24C FLT. Not much left for clothing to keep me warm. Repair my 91% shelter back to 100% takes 3 sticks. Wind picks up even more into a full blown blizzard. I nurse the fire along although it stays protected from the wind cutting across the entrance to this cave area. With 13 min left on the fire I take the torch and run to the cave hoping it stays lit. I make it there without it going out, and head inside, load up all my cattails there on the floor and search through for coal/sticks. I exit the cave at the creek and take my last torch towards the radio tower. I scare a wolf off a couple of times with lit fires and set up a fire next to the crate there. After 30min I add a coal to warm up then break down the crate. I use the remaining time to get as much warmth as possible and take the last few minutes out of the fire as a torch. I drop down off the edge and notice a corpse and backpack that I haven’t looted. Another can opener is sort of redundant at this point in the challenge. Collecting sticks as much as possible below the hill and then up the creek again. Down to my last torch I race through the cave to see if I can make it. With the last couple % I try and start a fire but as I was rushed I used the reclaimed wood which had a worse % chance than if I tried with a stick. I failed. My fire starting now consists of just the flare & 2 matches. I warm up in the cave and alternate breaking down branches and bushes outside as the sun comes up on Day 41. I travel to the shelter and at -10C FLT I sleep for 1 hour without fire without getting hypo.

Keg 2 | Day 39 48min left on the fire, -14C FLT in the mid afternoon, we’ll see what we can do with this new camp. Add a little fuel to the fire and collect most of the loose sticks on the ridge as well as break down a bush. I load up the fire with 4 hours of fuel and take a torch down off the ridge to wolf alley below. This place proves once again to be the hottest ticket in town for stick gathering. I collect a couple of litres of water left behind at an old fire by the low blind and then to my stack of sticks that I had dropped on my trip here from Spences when I was overloaded. 21 sticks plus 6L of water. Hello wolfy, you almost surprised me hiding behind that tree. It was time to build a fire to warm up anyways so as not to let the torch go. Fire start was unsuccessful so I quickly mountain goat back to the shelter and fire and it has well over 2h left on it. I pass time in the shelter to warm up and clear the hypo risk. I drop 10 cat tails in the back pack as well as all my cured guts and hides. 10L of water dropped on the ground and some of my 55 sticks in the plastic container. Another couple stick runs alternating warming up at the shelter and the fire stays above 4 hours with backup sticks on the ground. Fully exhausted now I stoke the fire up to 8 hours and feed and water myself for bed. 10 hours and off we go.

Keg 2 | Day 38 Today is the day I’ve decided to make a move up to Marsh Ridge. I have used up nearly all the bushes within a sprint of the barn at Spence’s and need a change of scenery. I have 4 cloth ready to go so I can tear up my last sweater and make a shelter and possibly sleep without fire during the warmer parts of the day. Weather didn’t look too good this morning, 4 hours left on the fire. I sleep for a couple more hours to get make stamina. Wake up and it is a full on blizzard. Won’t be leaving until this ends. Full exposure without any clothes gives FLT of -65C. I pass another hour and wind has died down, with clothes now it is -13C FLT. I heat my second to last rosehip tea and drink it for the warmth bonus. Last torch from the fire and I leave this place to possible never come back. I am freezing before I make it to the low blind. Hypo risk is over 50% by the time I make it to the cave. I pass time by a fire started in the cave. My last cloth needed to make the 5 I scrounge from my only sweater. That’s it now, only crafted clothes, my 40%ish ski jacket and boots. It’s hard to find a spot for the snow shelter in the semi-protected cave. There is not much for flat ground. After building I test it out, air temp is -12C inside and I feel like -5C with bed bonus it would be -2C. Not exactly what I had hoped for as far as temp goes, I guess will have to run a fire during sleep hours here too. I run back to the cave and stoke the fire up for 3 hours and grab the lantern for a run through the cave, hope we find some coal. Nothing was found so I’ll have to make a go of the fire with my current supplies. I warm up by the fire and then grab my fuel and head to the shelter. 5 cat tails and water with the fire burning and head to bed for 10 hours. I make it all the way to morning without the fire burning out.

Keg 2 | Day 37 Above 60% this morning and time has passed enough to go pick up some cured guts and hides at the bunkhouse cave. FLT is -14C so I make it all the way there with half temp meter use. I start a quick fire anyways to warm up slightly using the inside/outside cave fire set before. The hides will be used to fix my current gear back to 100% for the next phase of my survival here in FM. With just 4 or 5 sticks on the fire the back cave FLT is +13C. Collecting a few more sticks I hear the sound no interloper wants and it is a storm gusting in. I wonder if this torch will hold to get back to the barn or even back to cave at this point. Did I have enough time left on the fire back at the forge to just charge back and hope for the best? I take off in a sprint as the temperature drop is remarkable. I made it all the way here with half temp loss and I’m already at hypo risk before the bunkhouses. I decide to toss a lit 47% torch in a protected spot behind some rocks and light another torch to take me back to Spence’s. This way if it blows out on the last leg I will retreat to the wind protected area and light a fire if needed. I make it back and still 1hour 32min on the fire, what was I so worried about? I add a bit to the fire, eat a few cat tails and pull out my tackle for a bit of a repair session. Success twice in a row, both the rabbit hat and mitts are back to 100% and the tackle down to 17%. I made a spare tackle though but I likely won’t need it unless I scrounge together enough hides for another pair of pants. Two deer skin pants would be every Keg Stand dream kit. Here is my water hoarding problem – but now it is time to move some of these supplies to another base. Things have been getting a little thin here at the barn food wise so I’ve decided to make a transition to Marsh Ridge. Tonight I will shuttle a bunch of water as far in that direction as I can. I drop all but the essentials from my pack in the storage box and away we go past bear island. It’s not too far away but it’s a start. I’ve included a pic of my safe connection to bear island from Spence’s where I have laid down some cat tail heads to mark the strong ice. I can use the crack as reference but it makes me feel better with the marks there so I am 100% sure. I make a couple more trips for sticks and then eat 5 cat tails to fill my belly (47 left). Of to bed for 10 winks.

Keg 2 | Day 36 Of course with all the extra time sitting at poachers in the wind it is well into night when I wake up. I don’t think I am back to 50% condition, more like low 40%s. Checking up on my fuel supply, I have 151 sticks on the ground, 14 coal and 2 more matches to go deep. Another rush trip up towards the tower behind the barn. A good haul of sticks there tonight along with 1 branch broken down per trip. 2 branches broken down gives me small hypo risk and a little more condition loss. A few more runs thru the night and I have built my stockpile to 186 sticks all with 20min or shorter runs from the fire. I add 34 sticks to the fire and get ~9 hours of time to sleep. I pick up my last 0.5kg deer steak and other than that I have just 40+ cat tails for nourishment. 10hours of sleep time logged and done - You have survived 36 days 6 hours 51 minutes.

In FM on interloper I have generally had -5C at the warmest with just starting gear in the first few days. I have found a ski jacket and a mackinaw and had a +0C which was amazing.

Keg 2 | Day 35 Start today at 71% condition, 43 cat tails in stash and of note my pants are now 8%, not much use there now. 2% on my thermal underwear is giving me a whopping +0.0C bonus. No more socks, they are long gone. Boots at 50%, outer sweater at 19% = +0.1C and thin wool sweater at 47% for +0.5C. FLT is -13C with only 2 down arrows so I move up the hill above the barn and collect fallen sticks. Pretty good haul today in a short trip, wolf doesn’t let me get closer to the tower cave area. I warm up by the fire harvesting my thermal underwear. I break down 2 shrubs in good weather underneath the dock towards bunkhouses. My heart skips as I hear a wolf walking during the 20min, good thing I am crouched. Back to the fire to warm up then out for another cold trip past the bunkhouses for loose sticks and burned out torches. Time to try a less traveled route tonight, past the high blind and along an island path. I find 4 still unharvested cat tails as my temp drops to nil, have I never been here before? 11 more cat tails makes 15 total and 5 rose hip bushes untouched, what a haul. I’m in sight of poaches and my torch is almost out as I look at starting the fire, if it fails I will lose a match but if I try to drop it and light another maybe I will be too late. I decide for the relight and just catch it in time – should not have cut that one so close as I had lots of torches. Rose hip tea to warm on the fire, craft some more for later and add a coal to really warm from this hypo risk. Down to almost 40% condition. It is now a beautiful starry night in the muskeg. So clear you can see almost every corner of the region. Wind has come up now so I test a torch to see if it staying lit. Surprisingly it does even though by my experience this must be right on the borderline of getting snuffed out. I also test the FLT at -38C and while walking on level ground in front of the box car just past the fallen logs on the hill I sprain a wrist, this is rage inducing. I top up the fire to contemplate my next move. Rush for home or wait out the night and wind and get completely exhausted? I eat and drink so I don’t lose any more condition then pass 4 hours checking each hour for the wind to subside. Finally, the sun is up and it looks passable for travel. I warm a reishi tea and set out with exhaustion almost on me. Technically this is probably day 36 but we’ll let it run until I get some sleep. Make it back cold, tired and hungry but always a welcoming site that forge and barn. I sleep for an hour to cure hypo risk then throw one coal on the fire and eat cat tails and drink up to max and set to bed for 10 more hours.

I have never really paid much attention to when the condition goes down. I'll watch for boiling dry or if it's just how many liters made.

IRL been super busy this last week, sorry for not posting. Back at the adventure recollection and been able to do some video watching and story writing - enjoy. Keg 2 | Day 34 Wake up is in the late afternoon. Trip to Marsh Ridge is quiet and uneventful and I make it all the way to the mountain goat climb before my warmup drink expires. I am hungry and could use a rabbit as they have respawned up here but I forgot to load a rock into my inventory. Oh well, I will find some in the cave after I transfer this torch to a fire. I’ve got my lantern and good supply of water here from prior trips. I search the entire cave and find 11 sticks and 2 coals have dropped in to the game for me to use. I warm up by a fire and take 2 stones for a rabbit hunt. I miss my first throw, been some time since that happened. The second kill though we got another backflipper. Back to the cave fire to warmup and harvest some meat. Warmed up enough to go back out for the third and final rabbit. I collect sticks on the return to the cave. Campfire has glitched into the floor and I now only have 1 cooking spot instead of 2. Harvest a bunch of meat and break down bushes when I am warm. After the meat is taken I contemplate what to do with the 3 carcasses. Do I take any of the guts and hides or is this the point of diminishing returns where I can no longer see much point it prepping supplies for curing and future clothing fabrication? I eat all the meat for 70% on the food meter as I don’t want to smell on the trip home. Fog has come in pretty thick by now but I know the way almost from tree to tree in this soup. For me navigating in the fog is also about the elevation and the contours of the land that help more than anything. I remember when I have to go up and down a hill or into a small valley as these are some good points of reference to stay oriented. I sprint a bit and manage to agro a wolf that I can’t see down by the ice. He’s out there somewhere in this vile mist. Do you see him in this pic? I remember that I kept one carcass so I drop it as bait and make out quickly towards the train cars. Somehow the wolf path after eating the bait is not in the opposite direction as I had hoped but she is actually paralleling me near the top of the ridge. How long will she go before she gets hungry again and decides to track me down for another meal? I don’t see another living thing on the rest of the trek but I do hear breathing off to my right at bear island, don’t stop to check it out, just keep moving as I have 35% hypo risk. I start an extra fire as I warm up and grab level 4 fire starting bonus – that will certainly help in the long run to minimize fuel usage. I have a few extra torches but I don’t want to break them all down as it is not every fire that you get 47%ers. I still have enough calories in store for 10 hours so I drink up to full satiation and sleep.

Keg 2 | Day 33 This day begins after my painful walk back on a broken/sprained ankle. 1 match used means 3 will be left. I am loaded with more than a nights worth of sticks. I sleep for 4 hours to heal all the sprains. My day/night cycle is being pushed around and it’s the earlier consistency that has extended this run as far as it has gone so far, I need to get back to sleeping during the cold morning hours. I have 75% fatigue and it’s about 2am so time to get to work. 6 hours 40 min left on the forge and it is blowing and cold with wolves down by the boathouses. I’ll try to go the opposite direction to the hill above for safer stick collecting. Break down 6 ruined torches by the fire to warm up. One of my cans now is 0% and ruined as well. I am sprinting around like a madman to get all the way out to bushes to break down and get back with minimal loss of health. Bushes are my lifeline out here as they are net fire positive generally. The best part is you can sprint all the way to the bush and then after the 20min breaking down you can sprint all the way back to the fire. I’ve managed after a few sprint runs to wear myself down to 20% stamina and can now sleep for nearly 10 hours. A 0.5kg steak and a cat tail for dinner or is this breakfast? And off to bed. Condition back up to around 70%.

Keg 2 | Day 32 Weather is nice right now, just -14C FLT. 4 matches still in the pack and 48 min left on the fire, time to make a plan for the day/night. Pull some torches, add a second coal to the pack and 5 more cat tails to make it lucky #13. Off towards low blind and I catch a glimpse of 2 unharvested cat tails, or did they regrow now that I’ve been here so long? I guess there is just so much ground to cover sometimes you find yourself on a new path. I try my luck at “wolf alley” between the train cars and Marsh Ridge near the zone edge. I creep up a small hill and I think I can hear a gentle crunch of snow so I stop to listen more carefully. One wolf to my right behind a tree, a second wolf to my left is wrapping behind me along my scent trail. Looks like I might be cornered and will have to drop a fire but there is a narrow escape behind me as I drop off a small ledge back towards the blind. The wolf runs to chase me down so I find a useful fire spot quickly (next to a bush) and light it up. After scaring away the wolf and breaking down the bush I can add a coal and really start to warm myself. The fog is playing on my nerves knowing that 2 wolves are just up and over the hill in front of me. How much do I risk for some measly sticks? I pass time to bring my temp bar all the way up to max. Only 2 down arrows, this equates to about 40min away from the fire without taking condition loss. 2 bushes or 4 branches are possible. I walk away from the fire and up the hill I catch a glimpse of grey fur. As quickly as I see it though it runs yelping away doing 180 degrees from me. This must be the low chance of wolves being scared away when they see humans even though I do not have the wolf or bear coat to improve these odds. I’m sure glad I did come up here, stick jackpot on the edge of Wolf Alley. I collect all but 3 on this trip as a wolf interrupts me once again. I beeline back to the fire at a sprint with the wet slobbery growls right on my heels. I roll the dice for a trip to get the last of them, lucky too as I find some more reishi as well. This is Wolf Alley, enter at your own risk! Dusk is coming, I am already overloaded with the plethora of sticks today – 130 in total. Now as long as mister bear sticks to his ice route I should be able to transfer all this loot back home in peace. I pull 4 torches and start moving away from the fire. Almost on cue I can hear the blowing wind pick up, is a blizzard coming in the next few minutes? I don’t even make it to the train cars before the torch is out, that will cost me another match. Temp has dropped suddenly to 3 down arrows, no time to check the FLT. Still running along the ice and small sidewall and I hear the terrible snapping sound of my ankle (and my wrist for good measure). This situation has gone from bad to worse in a hurry; all this fatigue to burn and now no sprinting. Limp back home without seeing any more wildlife. Light a torch for the fire start, 3 matches and 1 flare remain. Time to heal up from this 55% condition, and 20% hypo risk, although that was not too bad for the trip back in that storm.

Keg 2 | Day 31 Awake about 8pm after that short nap. Not going anywhere until this weather clears, may as well take advantage of the cold to finish sleeping. 10 more hours and it is about just before morning. Fully rested and 4 hours 49 min left on the fire, must have been a very cold sleep. FTL of -25C outside the barn, light fog but decent visibility out to collect sticks. I break down branches and find loose sticks on the ground all around the barn. I manage to attract the attention of a fluffy furball on the hill towards the broken tower and I high tail it back to safety. All this sprinting has used half the fatigue so I eat a 0.5kg steak and 5 more hours sleeping, what a lazy day.

Keg 2 | Day 30 Wake up 72% condition, what to do today? Jeans down to 20% and thermal down to 17%, won’t be much longer on these 2 items. Boots still holding pretty well at 55%. I dream of deer skin boots but the killer will be the 20 hours crafting with fishing tackle because no more sewing kit. Wind is roaring today so start out staying close by the fire collecting. Wind finally dies down and take a tea for warm up bonus and head in the direction of the bunkhouses. Cold by the first cave so start a fire and warm up. 2nd cave for another warm up and then on to Muskeg Overlook. Start fire and wait 30 min and add a coal for a 4 hour fire to do faster warm-ups while collecting. Might get some rabbit meat as well. I find all 3 respawned here and I hit 3/3 while also getting condition loss from cold. The fire looks so good when you are out in the cold like this. I harvest, cook and eat to stem the condition loss. I don’t think I want to carry much meat back with me to camp for fear of a furry meat seeking missile. The sun comes up and my day/night cycle is off by several hours. I should be sleeping by now but still have a long way back to Spence’s. Fog is thick and don’t really feel like traveling blind through it but my fatigue is down below 20%. 80+ sticks, plus all the hides and guts is a good nights work but I am now fatigued and overburdened and have a long walk back – this is going to hurt. It’s almost a carbon copy of what killed Keg 1. I remember not to push forward in the cold and take my warmup breaks as fatigue will not kill me so fast as the temperature (I have about 40% condition as I leave the fire with 5 torches). The sky is clear and the wolves are howling so there is a good sense of where they are right now. My warming drink allows me to skip the first cave warmup and push forward to the bunkhouse cave which is where I want the guts and hides dropped anyways. No wolf here either and temp still 60%+. Damn, sprained ankle on a slight side hill. Made it back and with a few more treasures picked up along the way making a total of 99 sticks left for my slumber fire. I sleep 4 hours to see if I can make use of some of the night to reset my sleep cycle but I awake to a new day and a blizzard to great me.

Keg 2 | Day 29 Wake to a beautiful afternoon, clear and sunny 3pm or so and 90% condition and FLT -10C. Somewhat leisurely collect sticks around the homestead for the afternoon. Pull some torches and head off towards Poachers tonight as I can’t rest on yesterdays success – this fire must always be fed. Aurora starts and night falls and the temperatures dip quickly down as well after I get the barrel fire lit and stoked up. I find some rosehip bushes by the bear cave but I don’t want to get any closer to green angry bear. I warm up at the fire and then take the other side of the hill to get to the warmup cave. Sticks are everywhere, it’s almost like the wind is blowing them off the trees as fast as I can pick them up. Couple more scrubs and warm-ups. Wind has picked up a bit so I leave a few extra minutes on the fire in case my torch blows out and I have to run back. Returns from tonight is 66 sticks plus all the time spent in the train car. Overall it’s probably about net evens or maybe a little bit to the positive.

I’m actually just taking screen shots from VLC player as I write the story.

Keg 2 | Day 28 I wake up to the roar of a blizzard just outside the relative safety of the barn. 95% condition and feeling good about supplies at the moment. 3 hours 32 min left on the fire. FLT is -32C outside. Nothing to do in this weather except organize my floor. Those water bottles are all over the place, stack and make rows to pass the time. The blizzard finally lets up and is “only” -15C out, almost dusk. Time for a trek over past bear island, I take a good stockpile of torches and head out. Lucrative stick collecting over by the low blind, I drop a stash on the ground and continue on closer to the bottom of the ledge below Marsh Ridge. The is a wolf patrolling the ice towards Hat Creek so I detour back and mountain goat up the cliff and set a warming fire up in the ridge cave. I tour the cave almost to the creek side and back, a couple sticks but the real find was 8 coals! So exciting to stockpile an entire nights fuel in 20 minutes. A hide and 2 guts are waiting my the cave mouth and they go in my backpack for the trip home. Still have some more energy so I set a warming fire at the bottom of the cliff by 3 branches and a bush. I’m a little nervous because I am right in the middle of wolf alley but high risk/high rewards are possible here with all the available fuel. I catch a glimpse of a deer off by the ice so maybe it is safe tonight. 105 sticks and 7 coal left have me overburdened, and this is not even counting my dropped stash by the blind. It’s a slow walk back once I pick up the stash however it is quiet and uneventful. It’s cost me some condition in the cold but 145 sticks will take care of that in a hurry. Load the forge fire up for 9 hours (64 sticks used) and the steak dinners are waiting for me – 10 more days worth if I can make it that long. 7 more coal to the pile and I have 24 total, I’ve become a hoarder.

Keg 2 | Day 27 Wake to over 3 hours on the fire and 80% condition. Loaded up with torches and water at camp I draw down the fire. Time for a deer hunt as I noticed one close by camp today; need a few calories to keep me going. I can hear wolves howling in the distance and I know there is almost always one by the broken tower. That’s where I am pushing the buck towards. One false start and he runs back towards the barn, I circle around a second time and get him lined up better this time. Finally I get the deer and wolf lined up and I jump up from my crouch and run towards him, pushing him in just the right direction. Looks like a for sure kill. I set up a safety fire and then toss my torch and scare her away towards the cave. Second fire up and roaring and I get to work with the harvest. I harvest 1kg first out of 6.8kg total and put it on to cook and then take the hide and drop it in the cave. After another 0.5kg a strong wind starts up and I get a little bit worried about my unprotected fire. Alternating between breaking down nearby branches and harvesting the carcass maximizes my temp meter usage and keeps the fire going. I test a torch in the wind to see if I can make it back to Spence’s if this keeps up, seems like it’s okay. I take both guts and drop them in the cave right beside the hide. Pick up 12 0.5kg steaks, another raw bait piece and head off into the fog, wolf is somewhere out there. A growl and I set my bait down and back away. As soon as she takes it I will make my break. Safe back at the forge I am pretty tired from a long cooking day. I eat 0.5kg and fill the fire up to 9 hours, polish off 2 cat tails and hit the sack.

Let me know what you think is going to happen.

Was there a firestriker spawn in Forlorn Muskeg? I think it must be gone as I have never found it on my Keg Stand runs. That would change the game.

Keg 2 | Day 26 65% condition, awake and absolutely perfect weather. I drink a warming tea which will give me max temp for 40 min. With 1 down arrow I should be good for almost 3 hours collecting. I plan to search all along the south of FM. Along the way there is my can full of boiled water - almost forgot about you. I even find some cattails still left out there! Last torch, better get a fire started soon. There are so many bushes and sticks I could be here for a while – I am near the far end of FM by the ML tunnel. Wow, FLT is only -4C around dusk. Collect over 90 sticks; take 4 torches from the warm-up fire and head towards Poachers careful to take a wide arc around an aurora bear that is glowing green. No stopping at the barrel, it is warm enough to push on. Halfway back and green wolf is interested in me. I’ve got my trusty torch fire source so I quickly drop a fire and push her back across the ice just a hypo afflicts me. The fire worked but now #2 wolf is coming at me as I try and make a break. No safe ice route so I hug close to the fire and stoke it. I risk a weak ice run after #2 bounces on the fire as they were directly blocking the safe path. She doesn’t give up the pursuit all the way to the dock. What a beautiful aurora night with moon as I crest the hill at Spence’s, this is why I love the game, absolute terror of 2 stalking aurora wolves followed by the scene before me now. 104 sticks is my final tally as I light up the forge fire for the night. I eat one of my last two 0.5kg deer steaks and a couple cattails and settle into bed for 10 hours.

Keg 2 | Day 25 1 hour 19 min on the fire, 53% condition, FLT -11C outside the barn. 2.37 hours left for pants, 1 fir log on the fire and that should almost be done finally! Warmth bonus up to +9C, this probably concludes the extent of crafted clothing for Keg 2. I can’t see getting enough deer hides for boots or another pair of pants. I sleep for an hour to save my session as I have been up too long IRL. Back at it another day, I wake up and come to realize that this pants mission has left me seriously depleted of fuel stores. Fuel: 1 fir wood, 17 sticks and maybe 13-15 coal on the ground. Supplies: 46 cat tails, 1 cloth, 1 gut, sardines, 6 pills, flare, 3 torches, line, 2 hooks, 1 fishing tackle, 13% can, 2 other cans, 1 stim, 4 matches, 18L water, 0.5kg steak and another 0.6kg steak on the ground towards the broken tower. Useless gear: 4 scrap metal & 3 leather Clothes: 100% deer pants, 26% jeans, 85% rabbit hat, 88% mitts, 57% ski jacket, 38% sweater, 39% thermals, 60% think wool sweater, 60% work boots Shorter day breaking down fuel near the barn. I need to reset my wakeup time, so lots of sprinting allows me to sleep around 3-4 am. I sleep for 8 hours.