American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 156 Shelter, Retreating to the Beach!
Next, he neatly stacked four spruce logs on the inside of the row of logs, forming a sturdy and beautiful log wall about forty centimeters off the ground.

Then, using the same method, the same structure was built on the other side of the shelter before they began to work on the edges of the tarpaulin.

He stretched the bottom of the tarpaulin outwards, just enough to cover the top of the two low spruce walls.

Then, using tripwires and sharpened ground spikes, and by tightening the truck driver's knot, each hanging point of the tarpaulin was pulled diagonally downwards and stretched as taut as a drumhead.

An A-frame shelter with an extremely complete structure and a sturdy low wall at the bottom was erected in just over two hours.

But this is not the end; the most crucial heating system is still not complete.

Lin Yu-an said to the camera, "In Labrador at night, a good fire source is more important than a good roof."

He went to a spot about one and a half meters in front of the shelter's entrance and cleared away all the vegetation and humus from the ground.

The exposed, moist soil layer formed a fire pit about one meter long and half a meter wide.

Then he went into the woods and sawed a few thicker, dry spruce logs.

He piled the damp wood outside the hearth, parallel to the opening of the shelter, to form a heat-reflective wall about half a meter high.

"This design is the most efficient radiant heating system."

"The rock wall behind the shelter is the first reflective wall, and the wooden wall we just built is the second one."

"Once I light the long fire in the middle, its heat will be repeatedly reflected by these two walls, and then continuously flow into the place where I sleep, forming a warm heat radiation channel."

After doing all that, he began to improve the interior. He laid a large amount of spruce branches thickly on the shelter floor to form an insulation layer about twenty centimeters thick, which served as a mattress.

They then stuffed even finer branches and leaves into the back of the A-frame, completely sealing it off.

After finishing all that, night had completely fallen, and he finally crawled into the small, temporary shelter that was enclosed on three sides and open on one side.

Then, using magnesium rods and birch bark, they lit the long, narrow fire, and the flames rose, bathing the entire shelter in a warm orange glow.

He could clearly feel waves of heat emanating from both the fire in front of him and the rock wall behind him, enveloping him.

Lin Yu'an then unfolded his top-of-the-line Western mountaineering sleeping bag, crawled inside, and the 850 fill power goose down quickly locked in his body heat.

He lay in the darkness, watching the flickering flames ahead and listening to the howling sea wind outside, yet his mind was calmer than ever before.

The journey to the Frozen Throne has only just begun!
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After a warm and peaceful first night, Lin Yu'an was awakened by the clear cries of seagulls in the distance.

He opened his eyes, and the first rays of morning light were streaming through the opening in the A-frame, bathing the interior of the shelter in a soft golden hue.

The long fire ahead had gone out, leaving only embers still warm, but the sleeping bag maintained a relatively comfortable temperature, making it impossible to feel the harsh cold outside.

He pulled open his sleeping bag, stepped out of the shelter, and took a deep breath of the cold, fresh air.

He opened the GoPro on his chest and said to the camera, "Good morning, everyone. It's 6:30 in the morning, the first rays of sunlight in Labrador."

“I slept very well last night. The temporary shelter has been more effective than I expected.”

"Today, our primary task is to solve the food problem and to conduct a more detailed exploration of this territory."

"The coastline, in particular, needs to be explored. The most lucrative hunting ground on this coastline is the intertidal zone after the tide recedes."

He didn't set off immediately, but instead went to the shore first, carefully observing the water stains on the rocks, and then looked up at the position of the moon.

"The most important thing for surviving on the coast is to understand the patterns of the tides."

He explained to the camera: "I did some research before I came here. The Labrador coast has a semi-diurnal tide, which means there are two high tides and two low tides every day."

"Each tidal cycle takes about 12 hours and 25 minutes. The current position of the moon and the height of the tide line tell me that the lowest tide this morning will probably occur around 9:30."

"The tides recede and rise, each taking about six hours. I can't wait until the very last moment of low tide to go down, nor can I linger after the tide has started to rise."

"The one or two hours before and after the lowest tide, that is, from about 8:30 to 10:30, are when the tide is most stable and the exposed mudflat area is the largest."

"Therefore, the safest approach is to enter an hour before the lowest tide and evacuate an hour after the lowest tide."

"This means that these two hours are the golden window of opportunity for me to safely enter the intertidal zone for exploration."

"If I miss this opportunity, it will be very dangerous once the tide starts to rise rapidly. I must seize this chance!"

During the two-plus hours of waiting for the tide to recede, Lin Yu'an was not idle either.

Lin Yu-an first went to the shore of the freshwater lake, filled his MSR stainless steel pot with clean drinking water, and put it on the fire to boil.

Then, he began to organize his gathering gear for the day, taking out the compression storage bag from his top-of-the-line Western mountaineering sleeping bag from his backpack.

"This bag is made of ultra-lightweight waterproof nylon material and is very sturdy."

He took out his sleeping bag, put it in the shelter, and then showed the empty storage bag to the camera.

"If we find anything after the tide goes out, it's a perfect reusable shopping bag, much more efficient than carrying it in clothes."

He also kept the Damascus hunting knife with a deer antler handle, forged by old George himself, firmly tied to his waist.

This knife will be the core tool he uses to process all of today's gains.

Around nine o'clock, the tide had receded far, revealing large areas of slippery black rocks and shallow tidal pools.

Lin Yu'an put on his high-top waterproof and slip-resistant heavy-duty hiking boots, picked up the sleeping bag storage bag, and walked towards the depths of the coastline.

As the tide slowly receded, a flat, brand-new world of mudflats appeared before his eyes!
He didn't waste time on the rocks right next to the land, but went straight to the area where the tide had receded the furthest and the water was just beginning to rise.

“Look here.” He pointed to an area covered by shallow seawater, filled with pebbles and gravel.

"This is where the real treasure is located."

He bent down, reached into the cold seawater, and scooped up a large handful of things—clumps of blue mussels whose shells shimmered with a deep blue luster in the sunlight!
“Unlike the varieties that are attached to rocks and need to be pried off with force,” he said, showing the mussel in his hand to the camera.

"Many of these mussels on the Labrador coast live on gravel beds in the subtidal zone."

"When the tide goes out, we can just pick them up like this. It's like nature is feeding us!"

He waded through the seawater, bending over repeatedly to scoop handfuls of plump mussels from the bottom and put them into his sleeping bag's storage pouch.

At first, the mussels he found were of average size, about five or six centimeters long.

But the deeper he went into the receding tide, the greater the surprises became!
"Wow! Look at this!" he suddenly exclaimed excitedly, scooping a cluster of exceptionally large mussels from the water. The largest one was almost half the length of his palm, with a thick shell and an astonishing weight.

"This is already a pretty good size; the meat inside must be very succulent."

He carefully placed the cluster of "trophies" into his storage bag and continued exploring.

Beneath a huge reef that has just been washed by the sea, the water has formed a bay, which seems to be a natural nutrient-rich area!
He reached into the shadows beneath the rocks and touched a larger, denser bed of mussels!
The mussels here are all a size bigger than the ones we just saw! Each one looks like a tiny black treasure.

"My God! This place is practically a mussel buffet!" Lin Yu'an's face was filled with uncontrollable pure joy.

He no longer picked them up handful by handful, but used both hands at the same time, like a tireless harvester, scooping up clusters of heavy mussels and continuously filling them into his storage bag.

The storage bag became visibly full and heavy, and soon it was almost half full.

"It's so addictive! This is the joy of beachcombing. You never know where the next surprise is, and you always want to bring everything you see home."

Lin Yu'an placed the storage bag on a rock and began to sort through the mussels. He only selected those that were medium to large in size and had tightly closed shells. He would throw the ones that were too small back to their original place.

“We only take what we need and cannot exhaust the resources; this is the law of coexisting with nature. Besides, there are so many large mussels now, and it's not time to eat such small ones yet.”

After sorting, his storage bag was filled with at least four or five pounds of high-quality mussels.

While collecting mussels, he made another new discovery.

In some tidal pools surrounded by huge rocks, where the seawater cannot be completely drained even at low tide, large amounts of brown seaweed grow.

They swayed gently with the slight movement of the seawater, looking like a miniature underwater forest.

“Fucus vesiculosus.” He immediately recognized this seaweed, which is extremely common along the North Atlantic coast.

He crouched down and observed carefully. The leaves of this seaweed were flat and forked, and its most distinctive feature was the presence of small, olive-sized, gas-filled sacs on the leaves.

It is these tiny air sacs that allow them to float during high tide, maximizing their exposure to sunlight.

He drew the Damascus hunting knife that old George had forged for him from his waist, and the blade easily sliced ​​through a clump of seaweed, cutting off several sections of the lighter-colored and more tender tips.

“This stuff is practically like sea vegetables from the North Atlantic,” he said, showing off his prize to the camera.

“First of all, it’s an excellent food.” He popped an air sac, and a small stream of sticky juice flowed out.

"It is rich in iodine, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements. In the winter when plant-based foods are scarce, this is a lifesaver vitamin pill."

He put the seaweed into the collection bag and placed it together with the shiny black mussels.

"The cooking method is also very simple. You can cook it with mussels in a soup. Its natural gelatin will make the soup thicker and more delicious."

"Or you can dry it, grind it into powder, and sprinkle it on grilled meat as a natural flavor enhancer."

But its value goes far beyond that.

Lin Yu'an stood up, looked at the clumps of seaweed further away, and added, "In many ancient coastal cultures, it was also an important herb and tool."

"Dried seaweed can be used to make tea, which is said to relieve joint pain. Moreover, it is also a natural weather forecaster."

He pointed to the air bladders and explained, "These air bladders are very sensitive to air humidity; in dry, sunny weather, they become shriveled and hard."

"Before a storm arrives, the air humidity increases, and they absorb moisture, becoming soft and elastic."

Of course, it's not entirely without risk.

"Most importantly, the collection location is crucial. It must be a tidal pool that is far from human activity and has clear water."

“If they are near ports or docks, they are likely to accumulate heavy metals and pollutants in the water, which would be poison rather than a tonic.”

After sharing this valuable knowledge with the audience behind the camera, Lin Yu-an's collection bag had become quite heavy.

It contains not only enough mussels for a hearty meal, but also seaweed that provides key vitamins and flavor.

On this seemingly barren Labrador coast, all you need is enough knowledge and a keen eye for discovery.

Nature always prepares abundant gifts for you in the most unexpected corners!

As he was focused on collecting, an object that shimmered in the sunlight caught his attention.

He stepped forward and picked something up from a pile of seaweed and driftwood that had washed ashore: an empty mineral water bottle with its cap still intact!
"Wow! Look what I found!" He held the unexpected "treasure" up to the camera, his face beaming with genuine joy.

"This makes me even happier than finding gold!"

"To the civilized world, this might just be a piece of junk, but to me in the wilderness, it's an extremely important tool!"

"From now on, this will be my personal water bottle. I can fill it with water and carry it with me so that I can explore further."

"During exploration and hunting that requires frequent movement, a lightweight water bottle can greatly conserve my energy and ensure that I can replenish my water at any time."

After the tide receded to its lowest point, it stayed there for only a short time before slowly rising again.

Lin Yu'an knew that he only had one or two hours each day to collect samples between low and high tide.

With a bag full of his harvest and the precious plastic water bottle, he safely returned to the shelter before the tide flooded the path he had come from.

Back at camp, he rekindled the long fire.

He first used fresh water to carefully rinse the mussels clean, and then used the back of a knife to scrape off the attached substances from the shells.

Then, he put them in a metal pot, without adding a drop of water, directly covered the pot with the lid, and placed it on the fire to "dry boil".

He explained, "This is the best way to process mussels, using their own moisture to steam them."

"This preserves the freshness to the greatest extent and makes their flesh firmer."

Soon, a crackling sound came from the pot, as the mussels opened their black shells one by one under the high temperature.

An extremely fresh and pure ocean scent permeated the entire camp.

He poured the steamed mussels into a makeshift plate made of tree bark, leaving a layer of white broth at the bottom of the pot. He then added some fresh water and seaweed to the pot and continued to simmer.

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