American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 112 Legendary Figure Old George

Lin Yu'an remained calm and released the clutch, stopping the winch from pulling.

He quickly walked to a previously set-up turning pulley, untied the steel cable from its original straight path, and hooked it into the pulley fixed to the large tree on the side.

He started the winch again. This time, the steel cable applied force from the side, cleverly pulling the front end of the huge log to the side and precisely bypassing the rock.

He said to David, who had caught up, "Look now, the direction of the pull has changed."

"That's amazing!" David exclaimed, speechless.

Throughout the transportation process, the terrain and pre-arranged pulleys were used to continuously adjust the path of the logs.

David and Mike became his temporary assistants, and the two were also very interested in this novel experience.

"David, keep an eye on that pulley over there. Shout if the cable is about to jump out!"

"Mike, watch your step, that slope is very steep!"

After nearly two hours of arduous effort, the heaviest and longest 12-meter main beam was finally successfully dragged to the timber storage area next to the foundation.

When Lin Yu'an untied the wooden chains on the log, both he and David had beads of sweat on their foreheads.

"Alright, the toughest one is done."

Lin Yu'an took a breath, but didn't rest for long.

He said to David, “We have to hurry. We must get the rest of the pieces back before dark and complete our goal of one tree today.”

Over the next few hours, Lin Yu'an demonstrated astonishing efficiency.

With the experience gained the first time, the transportation of the subsequent four-meter-long logs became much faster.

Lin Yu'an began to repeat the process of laying out steel cables, dragging them, and dismantling them over and over again.

As evening fell, the last log of the day was delivered and placed in the storage area.

On the first day of Lin Yu-an's "100-day plan", he successfully completed the day's task by handling the felling and transportation of a giant tree.

They returned to the tent and added firewood to the huge cast-iron furnace, continuing to fill the entire shelter with warmth.

To replenish his energy after a long day, he decided to cook a big dinner.

"David, Mike, don't turn off the camera yet. I'm going to start cooking, which can also be used as footage."

Upon hearing this, David immediately got up from his cot and pulled Mike outside to stand in front of Lin Yu'an.

He was taking out flour, moose meat, and various bottles and jars of seasonings he had never seen before from the supply box.

In front of the camera, he kneaded the dough, then chopped the onions he bought in the city and mixed them with the seasonings.

He then rolled the dough into thin sheets, sprinkled chopped onions and spread oil on them, rolled them up, and rolled them out again.

Finally, he placed a wok on the cast iron stove, brushed it with oil, and put the scallion pancakes in to bake.

With a "sizzle," the dough came into contact with the hot pan, and the aroma of the dough was instantly released.

Soon, scallion pancakes with a golden-brown, crispy exterior and distinct layers inside were ready to be made.

Meanwhile, a large iron pot with a combined stove and cookware outside was simmering, with steaming hot moose meat and potatoes—a simple dinner in the Alaskan wilderness.

"Oh my God, Lin!"

David took a big bite of the crispy scallion pancake and closed his eyes in bliss.

"This...this Chinese pizza smells amazing! How did you come up with the idea to make it?"

Lin Yu'an smiled and said, "It's not what I thought of. In China, this is a very common way of cooking food."

After dinner, David and Mike were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open, and Mike fell asleep quickly.

But Lin Yu-an and David did not rest immediately; they continued filming.

Lin Yu'an took out his professional tools and began to meticulously maintain his Stilt chainsaw.

For professional chainsaws, daily maintenance after each day's work is crucial.

He first removed the outer casing and carefully cleaned away the wood chips accumulated on the heat sink and air filter with a small brush.

Keep the air filter clean at all times, otherwise it will affect the engine's intake efficiency and lead to a decrease in power.

He then removed the guide plate and chain, and used kerosene to clean off the remaining resin and dirt.

Finally, they took out a round file and a metal angle gauge with angular markings.

He used an angle gauge to hold one of the blade teeth in place, and then used a file to push the file forward at a fixed angle, once, twice, three times.

When David replaced Mike to record Lin Yu-an maintaining the chainsaw, he looked at the huge logs next to the camp and raised a new question.

"Lin, the timber has arrived, but we need to stack it into walls. I see that the timber in many log cabins has flat top and bottom surfaces, like building blocks. How do we do that?"

"And these logs all need to be peeled, right? That looks like a huge undertaking."

Lin Yu'an put down the chainsaw and replied, "That's right. Before stacking, I still need to peel and flatten the skin."

"You're referring to a more mainstream construction method now, which involves processing logs into flat 'D' or square shapes, making them easier and more stable to stack."

"But to complete this task, the efficiency of cutting with chainsaw attachments alone is too low; we need more specialized equipment."

"If there were a portable band saw, that would be the real magic weapon to turn these logs into standard building materials."

“As for peeling, that’s much simpler.” Lin Yu’an walked to the supply box and took out a finely crafted metal accessory.

A small planer-like blade head can be fixed to the front end of the chainsaw guide plate, and it has two rotating planer blades.

"This is a chainsaw accessory bark peeler. It uses the power of the chainsaw chain to drive the blade to rotate at high speed, which can peel off the bark of trees quickly, just like peeling an apple. It is dozens of times more efficient than using a manual bark peeler."

He said to David, "Tomorrow, my Steel chainsaw will transform. It will no longer be just a tool for cutting down trees, but a multi-functional bark peeler! I'll demonstrate it for you tomorrow, and you'll understand."

The next morning, after having a high-calorie breakfast in the warm tent, Lin Yu'an's 100-day plan officially began for the second day.

Today's task is not just about physical exertion, but also includes a wood processing task that requires skill.

Instead of immediately heading towards the massive logs that had been brought back yesterday, he returned to his stockpile of supplies and took out a metal accessory that looked quite sophisticated.

David and Michael immediately followed and began filming.

Lin Yu-an showed one of the accessories to the camera: "This is a chainsaw bark peeler, which allows us to quickly peel off the bark of trees."

Lin Yu'an first skillfully removed the original guide plate and chain from the Stilt chainsaw, and then steadily and quickly installed the peeler attachment.

The entire installation process took only a few minutes, and he was as skilled as a veteran carpenter.

He started the modified chainsaw, the engine roaring again. He walked to a four-meter-long log used as a wall and gently aimed the high-speed rotating bark at the rough bark.

"Zi-"

With a sharp scraping sound, large chunks of bark and white sawdust were instantly thrown out, revealing the smooth, white wood underneath!

Lin Yu'an controlled the chainsaw, moving it slowly from one end of the log to the other at a steady pace.

Wherever he walked, the rough bark of the trees was "peeled" away layer by layer, as if a giant automatic pencil sharpener was peeling the skin off a pencil.

Soon, the bark of a four-meter-long spruce log was completely stripped away.

"That's about it, that's considered peeling done." Lin Yu'an turned off the chainsaw and inspected the smooth surface of the wood.

David's voice was filled with amazement: "This is faster than me peeling potatoes! If I used traditional tools, it would probably take an entire afternoon to peel just one!"

“Yes, David, it is indeed slower to use traditional tools.”

"That's the charm and significance of modern machinery: it can liberate us from repetitive manual labor and allow us to focus more on more technical work."

Over the next few hours, he used the same method to strip the bark from all the logs that had been brought back the day before.

Several white logs, exuding the fresh scent of pine resin, suddenly appeared beside the campsite.

Just as they were discussing the follow-up plans for the day, the sound of an engine came from afar.

The visitor was none other than his old friend Stan! He was driving an all-terrain motorcycle today, clearly having come specifically to check on Lin Yu'an's progress.

When he saw the mountain of white, peeled logs piled up beside the camp, even his usually calm face showed obvious surprise.

"Lin, you're making great progress. You've even peeled the bark off the trees."

Stan jumped off the ATV, walked to a treated log, and ran his hand over the smooth surface of the wood, as if looking for any details he had overlooked.

"Just proceeding normally, Stan. Want a coffee?"

"of course."

As everyone sat around the fire, Lin Yu'an posed his problem to this "local expert."

“Stan, I’ve run into a problem. I want to cut these pieces of wood to be flat on both sides, but I’m missing a band saw.”

Stan smiled, as if he had been waiting for him to say that.

“I was just about to tell you this. When I came here, I was thinking about what you were planning to do next when you build the house.”

He took a sip of hot coffee, and his tone became serious.

"Lin, your carpentry work looks beautiful now, but what about the foundation?"

Stan astutely pointed out the biggest challenge in building houses in the far north: permafrost.

“If you don’t handle the foundation properly on this frozen ground, your log cabin will fall apart in less than two years.”

David's heart skipped a beat; he immediately realized that this was yet another enormous challenge worth recording!
Lin Yu'an, however, remained calm. He nodded and said, "You're right, Stan. This is also my biggest headache in the next step."

“I’ve checked the information, and it says that we need to drive deep piles below the active permafrost layer to create an independent foundation.”

"But this project, especially the part about transporting concrete raw materials, is really difficult to do by myself and this small loader alone."

"My original plan was to wait until summer came and large vehicles could come in before finding other people to help."

Stan put down his coffee cup, looked at Lin Yu'an, and said slowly.

"It doesn't have to be that late. There's an old guy in town called Old George. He was a professional in construction when he was young. He worked in the oil fields on the north slope for twenty years."

"No one knows better than him how to deal with the permafrost here."

Stan paused, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes: "Besides, he also has a priceless portable band saw, which is exactly what you need right now."

This information gave Lin Yu-an and David a real boost!
Stan stood up and dusted himself off.

“Come on, kid, stop arguing with this blockhead. I’ll take you to visit him; it’s time for you to meet the other neighbors.”

Whether you can get him to agree to help you and lend you his prized wood saw depends on your own abilities.

(End of this chapter)