American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 165 Building the Wall and the First Appearance of Ice Floes!
He moved the second stone aside, found a few stone slabs of suitable thickness from the pile of wedge stones, placed them in the low-lying area, and then put the main wall stone back on.

After repeated additions, subtractions, and adjustments, the top surfaces of the two main wall stones finally reached a roughly horizontal state.

This process was extremely patient; he constantly used large stones as the main body and small stones as auxiliary materials to create a level surface on the uneven ground.

He patiently carried out the construction of the first layer along the three sides of the cave.

If a spot is too low, use a larger stone or add more wedges; if a spot is too high, dig down some soil.

His only goal was to ensure that, once the first layer was completed, the top surfaces of all the stones formed a solid, stable, and basically level "U"-shaped ring.

When the most difficult and tedious first layer was finally completed, it was already past 3 p.m.

At the bottom of the cave, there is a stone circle made of jagged, seemingly chaotic but extremely stable stones.

Without resting, he immediately began building the second layer.

With the first layer as a relatively flat foundation, the subsequent work became much smoother.

He picked up a rectangular stone from the pile of stones on the main wall, carefully examined each of its faces, and mentally simulated how it would fit with the top surface of the stone layer below.

After finding the right spot, he placed the stone steadily on top, strictly adhering to the core principle of dry-laid stone walls: "one stone on top of two."

This rule means that each stone in the upper layer must cross over and press down on the seam between two stones in the lower layer.

This effectively distributes the pressure from above to both sides, thus locking countless individual stones into a uniformly stressed and structurally stable whole.

He kept changing the stone in his hand, sometimes placing it on its side, sometimes on its side, repeatedly probing the top surface of the stone layer below.

Find that one unique position that achieves the maximum contact area and the best bite.

Although they are basically aligned, some stones still wobble slightly.

He would immediately find a few stone flakes of suitable thickness from the pile of wedges, and with a small stone as a hammer, he would forcefully hammer them into all the visible gaps.

As the wedge was inserted, the previously wobbly stone was firmly stuck and could no longer be moved even slightly.

His movements became faster and more skillful with repetition, requiring less thought and trial and error.

With just a feel for the stone and a spatial intuition honed through long training, one can quickly find the most suitable place for each stone.

Lin Yu'an began to simultaneously construct the double-layered wall. He first laid the inner and outer rows of main stones, and then filled the gap in the middle.

Then, mix the previously collected hay and gravel with soil and fill it tightly.

This not only greatly increases the weight and stability of the wall, but the mixture of mud and hay also provides additional insulation.

Time flew by in the monotonous yet powerful repetitive labor.

Aside from a few brief moments of drinking water and eating mussels to replenish his energy, Lin Yu'an didn't stop for a moment.

All attention was focused on the stone wall that was rising inch by inch.

When he reached the stone wall of the shelter, he stopped the usual wall-building and began to work on the base of the fireplace.

He selected several of the most refractory granite blocks as the foundation for the hearth and back wall.

He paid particular attention to the future plan to build the back wall of the fireplace into a slightly sloping arc.

This allows heat to be reflected more effectively into the shelter, rather than being lost directly through the chimney.

Before we knew it, the sky had darkened and it was already six o'clock in the afternoon.

The biting sea breeze began to grow stronger, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

That concludes today's work.

He spoke softly to the camera, his voice visibly weary.

He put down his tools, tidied up the construction area, and gathered the scattered stones aside.

Looking at the stone wall and fireplace base that were already taking shape and were about forty centimeters high, he felt a sense of solid accomplishment.

Although we are still some distance from the goal of waist-high, the most difficult first layer has been completed, and the overall framework has been revealed.

Before starting the fire to cook, he decided to check all the "passive income systems" he had set up that day.

He first walked to the lakeside, where the three flexible automatic fishing rods he had placed high hopes on remained quietly in their taut, wound-up position.

The birch pole, bent under the weight, was brimming with power, but the ingenious "4-shaped" trigger mechanism remained completely still.

He checked each of the underwater baits and found that they were all still intact on the hooks, with no signs of being eaten by small fish.

"It seems the fish aren't very active underwater today," he calmly analyzed to the camera.

"The water temperature is too low, so the fish aren't very hungry, but that's okay. This system works 24 hours a day, so we have plenty of time to wait."

He didn't retract the device; he merely checked the sensitivity of the mechanism before turning and walking towards the coniferous forest.

The light in the forest was even dimmer, so he used his headlamp to check the four sling traps one by one.

As he expected, all the lassos remained hanging silently on the "Rabbit Highway," without any signs of being triggered.

It was another day of two empty-handed attempts, but Lin Yu'an felt no frustration whatsoever. In the wilderness, expecting an immediate return on every effort was unrealistic.

What he did was to continuously increase the probability of success, and then leave the rest to time and luck.

After confirming all the traps, he dragged his weary body back to the makeshift shelter. He skillfully lit a fire and put the mussels into the pot.

While waiting for the water to boil, he sat by the fire, doing nothing but staring blankly at the flickering flames.

A full day of intense labor had almost completely drained his energy.

His body desperately needs rest and recovery.

The water in the pot quickly boiled, and the mussels opened their black shells one by one, releasing a delicious ocean aroma.

Lin Yu'an didn't eat it as eagerly as usual. Instead, he let it cool down a little before slowly picking out the plump clam meat and putting it into his mouth.

Dinner was simple, even a bit monotonous, but for a body that was exhausted, these high-protein foods were the most effective repair agent.

After dinner, he was too lazy to even process the smoked rabbit skin.

He added more firewood to the fire to make sure it would burn until late into the night, and then crawled into his warm sleeping bag.

Almost the instant I closed my eyes, I fell into a deep sleep.

The ninth day has arrived.

When Lin Yu'an opened his eyes again, he turned on the camera and checked the time. The number displayed on the screen startled him—8:00 AM!
He slept for nearly ten hours, which was unprecedented since entering the wilderness.

He could clearly feel that the soreness deep in his body had been relieved by most of it, and his muscles were full of strength again, which was the effect of deep sleep.

But he felt no joy; instead, a strong sense of urgency welled up inside him.

He immediately crawled out of his sleeping bag, and without even having time to tidy up, grabbed his collection bag and rushed to the beach. He had to finish his daily collection before the tide came in completely.

When he reached the shore, the sight before him made his heart sink once again.

On the sea, as far as the eye could see, numerous white objects of varying sizes floated.

As they swelled with the surging tide, they collided with each other, making a crisp "crackling" sound.

"It's ice floes!"

"Things are happening faster than expected."

He frowned and said to the camera in an extremely solemn tone, "The fjord is starting to freeze over. Although it's just some scattered ice floes right now, it's undoubtedly a warning, a final ultimatum from nature."

"It won't be long before these ice floes become larger and denser, and may even completely block the entire fjord, bringing my beachcombing activities to a complete halt. I have to speed things up!"

He quickly entered the intertidal zone, collecting more frantically than ever before, frantically sweeping clusters of mussels and conches into his bag.

At this point, there was no time to be picky; they filled their backpacks with everything, big and small, then dumped them on the shore and continued collecting.

He risked his life to collect mussels for an extra thirty minutes today, and he collected at least 100 kilograms of mussels of all sizes.

He must collect as many mussels as possible, because this window of opportunity, this gift from nature, will be completely closed in ten days at most!
Sustained low temperatures can cause the surface of an entire fjord or bay to freeze completely, forming a thick layer of sea ice.

Once the bay freezes over, the tidal effect will be greatly reduced, and large areas of mudflats will no longer be exposed at low tide.

At this stage, all intertidal harvesting activities will cease completely, and the mussel beds will be sealed under sea ice tens of centimeters or even a meter thick, making them inaccessible!

Lin Yu'an transported all the mussels to the temporary holding tank. The situation there was much better; there was less floating ice, and the holding tank was safe.

He quickly ate a cold breakfast and then rushed to the unfinished construction site.

Inside the cave, the two stone pillars that stood like guards and the fireplace base beside them waited quietly for him.

Lin Yu'an put on gloves and, without a moment's hesitation, immediately threw himself into his work.

After yesterday's hard work, the foundation framework has been laid, but we are still far from completing all the stonework.

His work today begins with the fireplace section, which was interrupted yesterday, and he completes the remaining two back stone walls, as well as the fireplace itself.

The two stone walls at the back are close to the natural rock face, and their construction required a complex leveling process with the two stone walls in front and the rock face itself.

He then poured all his energy into building the fireplace. It was not just a heating device, but the heart of the future shelter.

He selected the largest, smoothest, and most fire-resistant granite for the hearth and inner walls.

He carefully constructed the internal structure of the furnace, building the rear wall into a slightly sloping arc to ensure maximum heat reflection.

He also cleverly designed a platform structure called a "smoke rack" above the furnace, which is a key design that can effectively prevent cold air backflow and improve combustion efficiency.

He was completely absorbed in it, forgetting the passage of time and his physical exhaustion.

In his world, only the perfect harmony between stones remained.

Lunch consisted of a few raw mussels, which quickly replenished my salt and energy before I immediately got back to work.

As evening fell, when he placed the last stone that would form the main body of the fireplace, a sturdy and solid fireplace, full of primitive beauty, took shape.

It has been perfectly integrated with the two stone walls on the east side, and its height is level with the top surface of the stone walls, together forming a complete foundation system.

He also tested the fireplace, and it was pretty good; the smoke didn't scatter but instead rose up along the chimney.

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(This flame is so beautiful, it's as bright red as a monthly pass~)

(End of this chapter)