American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 167 The Permanent Shelter is Completed (with pictures in the text)
Every tired cell seemed to cheer as he picked up another piece of stewed fish, its delicate texture melting in his mouth, a flavor completely different from that of fried or grilled fish.

He ate lunch for a full half hour, finishing all the fish and mussels in the pot, and drinking every last drop of the soup.

He could clearly feel a powerful heat burning in his stomach, which quickly transformed into the energy that would sustain him to continue working in the afternoon.

After eating and drinking his fill, he didn't rest at all and immediately threw himself back into his work.

In the afternoon, when the wall was built to the third layer, a new problem arose: the gaps caused by its natural shape were large enough to fit a finger.

"The warmth of a shelter depends not on how thick the wood is, but on how small the gaps are. Now, I have to finish filling the gaps."

Thanks to the moss he had collected while gathering logs, he placed the damp moss on a flat stone and rubbed it repeatedly with his palm.

Arrange the moss strips into even strips, then take a wooden stick with the tip flattened and stuff the strips little by little into every crevice between the logs.

He started from the inside of the shelter, forcefully pushing the moss in until he felt resistance.

Then go around to the outside and fill it in from the outside in using the same method. The two strands of moss meet and squeeze in the gap, forming an airtight filling layer.

After finishing one layer of wall, he would carefully run his palm along the wall to check for any drafts.

This process is tedious and time-consuming, but the results are remarkable.

The walls, which originally appeared to be somewhat "light-leaking," became seamless and exuded a primitive and profound beauty after being filled with green moss.

At the same time, another project was also underway: the construction of the chimney.

He would mix the prepared soil with hay and water to create a very sticky mud.

He evenly applied the mud to the stones below, paying special attention to applying a thicker layer of mud to the contact surface between the stones and the adjacent log wall.

This not only acts as an adhesive but also forms a fireproof and heat-insulating layer.

When Lin Yu'an placed the last log of the wall, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He had used up all the three meters of logs he had in stock, and the wall had finally reached the height he had set.

He stood at the doorway, needing to bend slightly to enter the shelter, which was not very spacious inside.

The back wall, which is the lowest point, is about 1.2 meters high, while the front wall, which is the highest point, is only about 1.5 meters high. This height was intentional on his part.

"As you can see, this shelter is very low."

He crouched in the center of the shelter and explained to the camera, "In extremely cold environments, space is the enemy."

"Every cubic meter of extra space you build is a burden that requires you to consume extra fuel for heating."

"A low ceiling allows the heat from the fireplace to be concentrated in my living area as much as possible, instead of being wasted on the unused overhead space."

"This height is enough for me to sit up or lie down. Because time is of the essence, this size of shelter is the most suitable option."

He stood in the center of the completed wall and looked around.

A solid stone foundation, heavy logs, a perfectly fitted saddle, gaps filled with moss, and a stone chimney that has become one with the wall.

An unprecedented sense of security washed over me!

"The main wall is finished!" He said to the camera, his voice hoarse but filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Now, only the final and most crucial part remains: constructing the roof!"

But it was getting dark, so Lin Yu'an had to return to the temporary shelter to rest and carry out the final capping work the next day.

The twelfth day.

The weather was gloomy, with low-hanging leaden clouds and an air thick with the impending threat of snow.

A heavy snowfall could arrive at any moment! Therefore, Lin Yu'an did not inspect the traps or collect mussels today.

He had to hurry and put a roof on his shelter before the next snowfall!

"Today, my task is to complete the topping-out ceremony," he said to the camera, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.

“According to my design, this roof will not be a lightweight frame; it will be a horizontal wall in itself.”

"An indestructible barrier made of whole logs laid side by side, it must be able to withstand snow that may be up to a meter thick in the future."

What he needed was timber that was long and strong enough, but not too heavy.

He entered the forest again, this time looking for straight, dead spruce or pine logs with a diameter of about 10-15 centimeters.

He spent the entire morning cutting down and dragging back more than a dozen of these "roof timbers".

The length of these logs exceeded the depth of the shelter, so that eaves could be formed at the front and back.

There are no shortcuts to building this kind of solid roof; it can only be done by laying each section one by one.

The shelter's front wall is 1.5 meters high, and the back wall is 1.2 meters low. This natural slope is designed to allow the roof to drain water smoothly.

Therefore, all the roof logs must be laid vertically from front to back along this slope.

He first struggled to lift one end of the log onto the stone base, then used his shoulder to brace the bottom of the log and exerted a sudden burst of strength, thus sending the heavy log to the top of the wall.

Then, he climbed up the wall and carefully adjusted the position of the log.

Its front end rests firmly on the logs at the top of the front wall, while its rear end rests on the top of the back wall, with both ends extending about 30 centimeters beyond the wall to form eaves.

"Simply putting it on is far from enough."

He explained to the camera, “The winds on the Labrador coast are strong enough to overturn a car, so I had to use the strongest method to lock it to the wall.”

He didn't use the complicated mortise and tenon joints, which were too time-consuming; he chose a more direct approach.

He took out the disassembled cable, intending to use it to secure the logs on the roof. This survival mission would only last about 50 days, and the cable would be sufficient. He also didn't need to worry about corrosion.

He placed the first roof log tightly against the edge of the side wall.

Then, take a short piece of rope and begin tying it to the front end of the log, which is the eaves.

He looped the cable around the roof log from above, then tightened it around the topmost log of the front wall from below, and then pulled it taut.

Use a professional truck driver's knot that tightens as the force increases to secure the rope firmly.

In an instant, the front end of this roof log was firmly "tied" to the front wooden beam by a powerful cable.

Then, he used the same method to firmly fix the back end of the log to the rear beam.

Now, the first roof log, like a bridge, has been completely welded between the front and back walls.

One, two, three... All afternoon, Lin Yu'an tirelessly repeated this process: placing, adjusting, tightening, and binding.

With each new log firmly secured, the sky above him shrank a little, and the light in the shelter dimmed a little.

He stopped working when the roof installation was about a meter away from the chimney.

"Now, I've arrived at the most challenging part of the entire shelter construction process."

He stood on the wall, pointing to the stone chimney structure that was now flush with the wall.

“The vertical roof meets the chimney on the side. I have to create a completely new supporting structure here, otherwise the roof will break off here.”

“My solution is to create a ‘frame within a frame’ on the roof.”

He first laid out the complete roof log right next to this "one-meter safety zone" and secured it firmly with cables.

This log will become the new load-bearing beam. Then, he took two shorter but sturdier logs to serve as horizontal support beams.

He placed one end of the first beam on the roof log that had just been secured, and the other end on the side wall where the chimney was located, and reinforced it with ropes and stones.

The second crossbeam was installed in the same way.

The space between the two crossbeams perfectly frames the location of the chimney, forming a rectangular "skylight".

“With this horizontal frame, I can continue laying the roof that was ‘interrupted’ by the chimney.”

He cut several roof logs into shorter pieces, and then laid these shorter pieces one by one between the new frame and the front and back walls.

Although they are shorter, they have solid support at both ends.

Once all the short timbers were laid and secured, the entire wooden structure of the roof was finally completed.

Only at the location of the chimney was a perfectly secure square opening, surrounded by a wooden frame and stone walls.

Now, he is only beginning to address the issue of the chimney protruding.

He climbed down the wall, moved more refractory stones, and continued to extend the overall structure of the chimney upwards using the dry-laying method.

Walk through the square opening reserved for it until it is about half a meter above the roof level.

Then, he climbed onto the roof and filled all the gaps between the chimney and the surrounding wooden frame with a large amount of mud and gravel mixture.

This forms a thick firebreak made entirely of non-combustible materials.

As evening approached, the sky quickly darkened, the leaden clouds hung low, and a chilling wind and snow filled the air.

When the last roof log was securely tied with cables, the entire wooden structure of the roof was completely closed.

Lin Yu'an easily jumped down from the not-so-high roof and stood at the doorway, looking inside.

Inside the shelter, it was pitch black, with only a sliver of light filtering in from the low doorway.

He needed to bend down and crawl inside, as if entering a cave made of giant rocks and trees.

The air stopped moving, the sound of the wind outside was cut off, leaving only a reassuring silence.

"Guys, I'm not afraid even if it snows now!"

"I only have two steps left: laying the waterproof and insulation layers, and installing a door. Then the shelter will be completely finished!"

"But now, it's time to say goodbye to the past and officially move!"

He didn't linger at his new home, but instead turned and walked towards the temporary shelter, code A, which had been his home for twelve nights.

He skillfully untied the rope, and the huge tarpaulin fell to the ground. He carefully folded the tarpaulin; this vital piece of material was an indispensable line of defense for the roof of their new home.

Then he began moving all his belongings into the newest permanent shelter.

Lin Yu'an hadn't forgotten that today was a very overcast day, and it might snow or sleet tomorrow.

"Guys, it looks like it's going to snow tomorrow, so before I can finally rest, I have to get the most crucial step done—waterproofing."

Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately set to work, using the light of his headlamp.

He climbed onto the newly completed roof and laid the folded waterproof tarpaulin on it.

After the entire tarpaulin was weighed down with several stones and completely secured, his shelter finally had a roof that could withstand wind and rain!
"Alright, the most crucial waterproof layer is now complete."

He jumped down from the roof, dusted off his hands, and said, "The insulation can be laid tomorrow, but tonight, no matter what rains, I'll have a dry place to stay."

Only after doing all this did he finally have time to stand in front of the stone fireplace on which he had placed such high hopes.

He stroked the cold, rough stone surface of the fireplace and said, "Tonight, I will spend my first night here."

"At the same time, it's the best time to test it. I need to know how well it removes smoke and how efficient it is at reflecting heat."

"Although we tested it once before, the flue was shorter then, so we're not sure what the effect will be now that the flue has been lengthened."

He put some dry birch bark and small twigs into the firebox and then lit them with a fire starter.

Flames leaped up quickly, licking the kindling above.

Soon, the flames stabilized and began to burn thicker firewood. Unlike starting a fire in the wild, this time the flames were firmly confined within the stone hearth.

A wisp of smoke rose from the flames, not spreading throughout the shelter as he had feared, but rather being smoothly drawn by an invisible force into the flue above the furnace and disappearing.

Lin Yu'an walked outside the shelter and looked up at the roof. He saw a plume of white smoke rising straight and steadily from the stone chimney, drifting into the gloomy sky.

"Smoke extraction, perfect!" He clenched his fist excitedly.

Back in the shelter, he could clearly feel a warm wave radiating steadily outwards from the fireplace opening.

His design of making the back wall into an arc shape worked; the heat was not absorbed by the wall, but was effectively reflected into the activity space where he was.

Although it was still cold inside the shelter, a small area in front of the fireplace had become warm and cozy.

He spread out his sleeping bag in front of the fireplace and then simply cooked a pot of mussels for dinner.

Beside the warm firelight and flickering flames, in this fortress he had built himself, stone by stone, he had found a safe haven to withstand the entire Labrador winter.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)