American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 100 Choices in Purchasing Land
Lin Yu'an continued, "There is an invisible connection between everyone, a tacit understanding to fight against this wilderness together, which is completely different from the feeling of being thrown into the wilderness alone."

David's eyes lit up! This was exactly what he wanted! Lin Yu'an didn't utter any exaggerated words like "very shocking" or "very spectacular".

Instead, it offers a profound insight full of philosophical meaning.

He immediately winked at photographer Mike, signaling him to give Lin Yu-an a close-up.

Stan, who had been engrossed in his meal, stopped eating when he heard this. He glanced at Lin Yu'an, and the scrutiny in his eyes seemed to have lessened, replaced by something subtle.

After lunch, the convoy set off again.

When they crossed the 66°33′ North latitude marker and officially entered the Arctic Circle, everyone was somewhat excited.

After several more hours of bumpy travel, they finally arrived at their destination—Wiesman—in the evening.

This legendary town is less of a town and more of a settlement scattered throughout the Koyokuk Valley.

A dozen or so log cabins of varying sizes and styles are scattered throughout the snowy forest, with considerable distances between them.

There were no shops, no restaurants, only the tranquil white snow and the smoke rising from the chimneys.

Stan parked the car in front of what appeared to be his own wooden house and turned off the engine.

"That's all for today. Tomorrow at dawn, I'll take you to see the land."

Jack drove to a cabin that the production crew had rented in advance as a temporary base.

"Alright, guys, we're here." Jack parked the car.

"We'll stay here tonight. Lin, how was your first official meeting with Stan?"

Lin Yu'an unbuckled his seatbelt and looked out the window at the Stan family home, which was lit with warm-colored lights not far away.

He calmly said, "It's clear he's a respectable person. Perhaps I'll need to earn his approval through my actions."

Director David listened from the side and nodded in satisfaction.

After spending the past two days with Lin Yu'an, he was certain that Richard had not misjudged him.

This man named Lin Yu'an possesses a composure and wisdom beyond his years.

He couldn't wait to see what it would be like when this man started to make his mark on this land.

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn painted the peaks of the Brooks Range a pale pink, Lin Yu'an had already woken up.

In March, the nights in Wiesman were still long and cold, and the thermometer outside the cabin showed minus twenty-five degrees Celsius.

He put on thick clothes, went outside, and took a deep breath of the cold, pure air, feeling a sharp, refreshing sensation in his lungs.

In the distance, straight plumes of smoke were already rising from Stan's chimney.

Soon after, Jack and the film crew got up and got ready.

David and Mike were dressed like two clumsy bears, clearly not used to this level of cold.

Good morning, Lin. How did you sleep last night? Did you hear any wolves howling?

David breathed out white puffs of air as he adjusted his hat.

"She slept very well and quietly."

He did hear faint wolf howls in the distance, but the sound was not frightening to him; rather, it was like a lullaby that belonged to this land.

Just then, a deep rumble came from afar.

Stan and Jack drove two snowmobiles, towing a cargo sled behind them, and stopped in front of their cabin.

He rode one himself, while the other was clearly reserved for them.

Stan remained as concise as ever, taking two enormous snowshoes off the cargo sled and throwing them on the ground.

He said to Lin Yu'an, "Put these on. The car can't go where we're going."

Then he pointed to the empty snowmobile.

"Do you know how to drive this thing?"

"meeting."

Lin Yu'an didn't say much. Robert's farm also had similar vehicles, and he was already very familiar with them.

"Good, keep up with me."

After Stan finished speaking, he put on his goggles, started the snowmobile, and sped off first.

Lin Yu'an also got on the snowmobile, with David on the back, twisted the throttle, and the machine roared as it steadily followed Stan.

Director David gestured to cinematographer Mike, who immediately sat on the back of another snowmobile driven by Jack and focused the camera firmly on Lin Yu-an and Stan.

Two snowmobiles traced graceful arcs across the thick snow as they sped deeper into the valley.

Springtime in Alaska in March is just a phrase written in a book.

Looking around, the whole world was covered with thick, pure white snow.

Stan led the way; his driving skills were nothing short of an art, always managing to precisely avoid potholes and fallen trees hidden by snow.

They walked through a dense forest and finally stopped on a relatively open river terrace.

"This is the alternative 'Plot A'."

"Fifty acres, stretching from the river bend over there all the way to the foot of that ridge."

Stan gestured with his gloved fingers to indicate the general area.

Everyone got out of the car, put on snowshoes, and stepped into the knee-deep snow to begin their on-site survey. The snow was so thick that it was impossible to see the true appearance of the land.

David looked at the vast expanse of white land, somewhat perplexed. He turned to Stan and asked, "Stan, how do we judge the quality of this land at this time of year?" Stan glanced at him, seemingly finding the question unprofessional. He didn't answer but instead looked at Lin Yu'an.

Lin Yu'an didn't say anything. He took off his tactical backpack, took out a small entrenching tool, and started digging snow in several different locations.

The snow layer was very thick; he dug nearly half a meter deep before he could reach the soil below, which was frozen as hard as rock.

It took a lot of effort to get a little bit of frozen soil, which I then felt in my palm and smelled.

"The soil is good; it's black soil and very fertile," he made his initial assessment.

He then walked to several huge spruce trees and carefully examined the traces of snow around the base of the trunks.

"The terrain here is indeed low-lying."

He pointed to a faint, slightly dark mark on the tree trunk and said, "Look here, this should be the highest water level left by the rising river when the snow melted last spring."

“If we build houses here, there is a risk of them being flooded.”

He walked to the riverbank again, braving the biting cold wind, to observe the frozen river surface and the terrain on the opposite bank.

"The water flow of this tributary should be quite large in the summer, providing ample water and making it convenient for mooring boats."

"But at the same time, this also means there will be a lot of mosquitoes in the summer."

Stan remained silent as he watched Lin Yu'an's actions unfold.

When he heard the word "mosquito," the corners of his usually placid face seemed to turn up slightly.

After surveying plot A, the group went to plot B, which was significantly higher and offered excellent views overlooking the entire valley.

Lin Yu'an also conducted a survey and found that the trees here were significantly sparser and smaller than those in plot A.

"The wind is stronger here."

He stood facing the wind for a while, feeling the direction and intensity of the wind.

“Building a house requires better consideration of wind resistance design. Timber resources are indeed a problem. If we want to build a large log cabin, we may need to transport timber from elsewhere, which will increase costs considerably.”

“Where is the water?” David asked.

Lin Yu'an walked to a relatively gentle slope.

"The vegetation here suggests that the groundwater level is not deep, but to determine the exact depth, we need specialized equipment to survey it. Drilling a well is necessary."

They spent the entire morning visiting all the candidate sites.

Wherever Lin Yu'an went, he would conduct meticulous observations and analyses, taking into account everything from the direction of sunlight, wind direction, water potential, potential risks, to available resources.

His professionalism and meticulousness earned the secret admiration of director David and cinematographer Mike.

Back at Jack's rented cabin, David eagerly asked Lin Yu'an, "Lin, after looking at these plots of land, have you made your choice?"

Lin Yu'an did not answer immediately. He imported the videos and photos he had taken with his action camera into his laptop and compared and analyzed them again with satellite maps.

Stan walked in at some point, poured himself a cup of hot coffee, and leaned against the door, watching Lin Yu'an operate it.

After a long while, Lin Yu'an raised his head, his gaze resolute.

"I choose plot A."

This choice surprised both Jack and David.

“But Lin, the terrain there is too low, there is a risk of flooding, and there are mosquitoes in the summer…” Jack warned.

"Risks can be managed and avoided."

Lin Yu-an explained, "I can choose to build the house on higher ground and do a good job of flood prevention. As for mosquitoes, I believe there are ways to deal with them."

"Moreover, the advantages of Plot A are irreplaceable—abundant water resources and high-quality timber."

He pointed to the river on the map: "Especially here. Being near a river not only means convenience, but also access to fishery resources and an important waterway."

"In summer, I can use a boat; in winter, the frozen river is the flattest road."

He then pointed to the dense forest: "And here is the most crucial timber resource. Plot A has enough timber for me to build the main house, warehouse, dog kennel, and even more ancillary buildings."

"This will save me hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs and incalculable shipping hassles."

“In contrast, while Plot B is safe, everything needs to be obtained from outside, so it is not truly self-sufficient.”

He paused for a moment, then concluded, "What I need is not a comfortable haven, but a foundation that allows me to create everything from nothing. And Plot A gave me that possibility."

After he finished speaking, the entire wooden house fell silent.

David and Jack were both deep in thought, impressed by Lin Yu'an's clear and logical plan.

At this moment, Stan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Kid, you're right."

He took a sip of coffee, and for the first time, a hint of approval appeared in his hoarse voice.

"Only cowards would prioritize comfort. This land respects the strong who dare to challenge it."

He put down his coffee cup, looked at Lin Yu'an and said, "At the bend of the river in Plot A, there is a small plateau with the highest elevation, where the birch trees grow best."

"Build your house there, and the river won't flood you. In the summer, you can brew Labrador tea with the wind at your back, which will repel half of the mosquitoes. The rest is up to your own skills."

After saying that, Stan turned around and walked out of the cabin towards his pickup truck.

Director David pumped his fist excitedly. He knew that Lin Yu-an had won the first recognition from this Alaskan legend!

(End of this chapter)