American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 163 Preparation of the Shelter Foundation

After finishing that high-calorie rabbit meat feast, Lin Yu'an felt a comforting warmth spreading from his stomach to his limbs and bones!

The pure fat and protein provided by this meal are the energy reserves he needs for the high-intensity physical exertion he will be engaged in later.

Without resting, he drank a few sips of water to replenish his fluids and then headed straight for the dug pit.

The afternoon sun pierced through the sparse clouds, casting a soft light, but the temperature still hovered around zero degrees Celsius.

Time was of the essence; he had to lay the most solid first step and the foundation for the entire shelter project before nightfall.

In a shelter project designed to last just over 50 days, he had to confront a fatal problem: dampness.

Lin Yu-an stood in front of the cave, facing the camera, explaining his design blueprint like a professional architect.

"In a semi-subterranean building, moisture from the ground will constantly seep upwards."

"If wood is in direct contact with the soil, moisture will quickly soak the walls and interior space, taking away precious heat. In Labrador winters, dampness is equivalent to hypothermia."

“The prevailing winds in Labrador winters are strong northwesterly winds, so my back wall directly utilizes this northwest-facing natural rock face.”

"This means that my entrance must face southeast, so that it can avoid the prevailing winds and receive the precious sunshine in the morning."

"Therefore, I plan to first build a moisture barrier with stones, and then build a complete, enclosed 'U'-shaped foundation platform with stones."

"At the same time, it provides an absolutely stable platform for the roof that will support the future. The top surfaces of the east, west, and south walls must remain absolutely level."

"This provides a zero-error starting point for subsequent carpentry work. Only on this solid platform can I quickly and accurately build the wooden wall above."

The core of this decision is the replacement of energy.

Using our current physical strength to complete a completely standardized stone platform can greatly reduce the difficulty of the subsequent carpentry stage.

It can also save you from consuming more calories in the future to combat dampness and cold.

His goal was to build a waist-high foundation wall on the east, west, and south sides of the cave using dry-laying methods.

Then, a space for an entrance will be reserved on the south wall facing southeast.

This work began with meticulous planning of the materials.

He walked to the pile of stones that had been carefully sorted and stacked during the previous excavation and began a second round of sifting.

This is no longer a simple matter of moving objects, but a rigorous classification task based on experience and an understanding of physical structures.

"To build a solid dry-laid stone wall, we need three different types of stone."

He struggled to move the stones while explaining to the camera.

"The first type is the cornerstone."

Using a wooden crowbar as a lever, he painstakingly separated a relatively flat-bottomed piece of granite, almost the size of two and a half basketballs, from the pile of stones.

"They are the load-bearing foundation of the entire foundation, and must be large and stable enough. Each piece must be deeply embedded in the soil at the bottom of the pit to prevent any form of settlement or displacement."

"The second type is the main wall stone."

He pointed to a large pile of medium-sized stones of various shapes and said, "These will form the main part of the wall, and ideally the main wall stone should have a certain thickness."

"And there must be at least one relatively flat surface, so that it is easy to stack them layer by layer. Stones of various shapes are needed to interlock and lock together."

"Finally, and also the most numerous and crucial, are the wedge stones."

“In dry-laid stone walls, no large shaking is allowed. These small stone pieces are used to fill all the visible gaps between the large stones.”

"And make height adjustments to ensure that each main wall stone is absolutely stable after placement and will not wobble."

For the next hour or so, Lin Yu'an was completely immersed in this tedious sorting work.

He sorted and transported the selected stones to the construction area of ​​the underground pit.

He painstakingly moved more than a dozen huge foundation stones to the edges of the three sides of the cave using the principles of leverage and rolling.

He neatly arranged the main wall stone and countless wedge stones according to their size within easy reach.

"Not enough, far from enough."

After counting and sorting the pile of stones, he said to the camera, "Most of what we dug out of the cave were rubble and small to medium-sized stones. The number of stones that can actually be used as foundation stones and main wall stones is seriously insufficient."

Without wasting any time, he immediately put on his crowbar and gloves and began his "quarrying journey".

He then focused his attention on the hillsides and dried-up streambeds around the shelter, eroded by glaciers and flowing water—the real market for building materials in nature.

He first came to a gently sloping hillside, where many rocks of different sizes were scattered on the ground.

After repeated prying and adjustments, he finally managed to peel the stubborn stones completely out of the frozen soil.

Instead of moving the stones, he piled the qualified stones he had mined on the spot in an open and easily accessible place on the hillside.

For the next few hours, he continued searching for a mine on the hillside.

On the hillside, the pile of building materials he had personally mined was growing larger and larger at a visible rate.

When he felt that he had enough main wall stones, he turned his attention to the dried-up streambed.

The stones here have been eroded by flowing water over the years, making them mostly round and smooth, and unsuitable for direct use as bricks.

But what he needed was just a small portion of these stones, those schists that had been polished extremely flat by the water flow.

"These are our best wedges."

As he rummaged through the streambed, he explained, “They come in all thicknesses, from one centimeter to five or six centimeters, and are perfect for leveling and filling gaps.”

As darkness fell, orange-red sunset clouds appeared on the distant sea.

Lin Yu'an's quarrying work was finally coming to an end. Looking at the two piles of stones on the hillside and by the stream, a tired but satisfied expression appeared on his face.

They selected the first batch of foundation stones and main wall stones necessary for construction the following morning and painstakingly transported them back to the cave.

He then returned to camp and immediately started a fire to cook. In the cold air, a warm flame quickly flickered in the stone stove, illuminating his face, which was smeared with sweat and dust.

After a full day of intense physical exertion, his body desperately needed a lot of protein and calories to repair and replenish itself.

Roasted rabbit meat is fragrant, but it is dry and tough, and a lot of the precious meat juices are lost during the cooking process.

Tonight, he decided to try a more nourishing cooking method that would maximize the use of all the nutrients—stewing rabbit.

He used his Damascus hunting knife to cleanly and efficiently cut the rabbit that was left over from yesterday into several large pieces, following the structure of the bones.

Then, put them all into the MSR stainless steel pot that had been blackened by smoking, add fresh water, just enough to cover the rabbit meat.

He then steadily placed the pot on the fire.

While waiting for the water to boil, he took out a few broad-leaved cattail roots that he had dug up a few days ago from the storage next to him.

He used a knife to scrape off the rough outer skin of the rootstock, revealing the snow-white, starchy flesh inside. He then cut it into thick slices, intending to throw it into the pot just before it was done cooking.

Cattail root is an excellent source of carbohydrates, and it becomes soft and tender after stewing, making the soup thicker.

He then took a small handful of frost-bitten cranberries from the collection bag.

Instead of throwing it directly into the pot, he first chopped it up with a knife, squeezed out the sweet and sour red juice, and added it to the soup along with the pulp.

"The fruit acids in cranberries can have a similar effect to cooking wine, effectively removing the earthy smell from rabbit meat and making the meat more tender."

Soon, the water in the pot began to boil, and a layer of grayish blood foam floated to the surface.

Lin Yu'an used a thin piece of wood as a skimming spoon to carefully skim off all the foam.

He didn't just stand by the fire waiting; it would take at least an hour and a half to stew the tough rabbit meat until it was tender.

He had other plans for this precious time.

He adjusted the fire to medium heat, ensuring the broth in the pot remained at a gentle simmer, then got up and began processing the two intact rabbit skins.

His icy stream water washed away the remaining blood and bits of meat from the rabbit skin, then he wrung it out forcefully.

Without rabbit brains as a natural tanning agent, he could only use another effective method—smoking.

He first used the Damascus hunting knife to carefully scrape away all the remaining fat and fascia from the leather side of the two rabbit skins until the leather was clean and smooth.

After processing, he strung the two rabbit skins together with a rope, making them into a shape similar to a "pocket".

Then it is suspended on a horizontal bar supported by a tripod, about one meter above the ground.

Next, he dug a small fire pit directly below the "leather bag" and found some semi-dry, oily pine wood and moss.

He first used the embers in the fire to ignite the materials, and when they began to emit choking white smoke, he immediately covered most of the fire pit with damp moss, leaving only one smoke outlet.

"The smoking tanning method uses formaldehyde and phenolic substances in the smoke to fix the collagen fibers in the leather and prevent them from hardening and rotting after drying."

He explained to the camera, "At the same time, smoking can also give leather a certain degree of water resistance and insect repellency."

Thick smoke billowed up, continuously pouring into the upside-down "leather bag," completely enveloping the two rabbit skins.

He needs to let this process last for several hours, which coincides with the time he spends stewing the meat and eating.

After setting up the fumigation equipment, he began preparing for tomorrow's stonework.

He took out the hard Arkansas stone that Stan had given him, and the logging axe.

While the meat was stewing, he patiently began to sharpen the axe, restoring it to its best condition.

The fine whetstone slowly glided across the hard steel, making a "shh...shh..." sound, along with the whooshing sound of the wind.

There were also the sounds of simmering in the pot and the hissing from the smoking pit.

They intertwine to form a unique melody belonging to the wilderness, tranquil yet full of power!
Time slips away quietly while you're focused on your work.

An hour later, the broth in the pot had reduced by half, and then he added the cattail root and some sea salt.

A rich, complex aroma, a blend of meaty, sweet, and slightly tart fruit scents, filled the entire camp.

Thirty minutes later, Lin Yu'an put down his work and walked to the pot, which had become somewhat sticky.

He gently poked the largest piece of rabbit meat in the pot with his chopsticks, and the chopsticks went in with almost no resistance.

"All right."

He took the pot off the fire and set it aside to cool slightly.

First, take a sip of the hot soup. The first thing you notice is a faint meaty smell, followed by the texture of cattail root, similar to potato starch.

Finally, the perfect touch of tartness from the cranberries balances all the flavors, making the soup rich yet palatable.

A warm current slid down my throat into my stomach, instantly dispelling the fatigue and chill that had accumulated throughout the day.

Then he began to enjoy the main course.

After being simmered for a long time, the rabbit meat absorbs the delicious broth and becomes extremely tender, easily falling off the bone with a gentle touch of chopsticks.

He ate quickly, drinking the soup and eating the meat in large gulps, finishing the entire pot of stew.

This is not just a dinner, but a timely energy boost.

After finishing his meal, he inspected the smoked rabbit skin. The smoke had turned the skin into a beautiful, uneven golden color.

But the tanning process is not yet complete; it will continue tomorrow.

After doing all this, he finally felt an irresistible drowsiness wash over him.

Tomorrow will be an even tougher day.

(End of this chapter)