Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

"Come back!"

Bi Fang pulled on the reins, stopping Sanshao in mid-sprint, but due to inertia, the snow sled still slid forward several tens of meters.

The undulating sea nearby was now visible to the naked eye; after a day's travel, they had finally returned to the Greenland seas once more, a far swifter journey than on foot.

Bi Fang took the already prepared tools from the snow sled and unfastened Sanshao's reins, walking to the seaside to begin the now-familiar process of salt extraction.

"I've refined salt several times before, it's still the same old method: filter, evaporate, precipitate, dissolve..."

It was deep into the night when Bi Fang finally collected over half a pot of sea salt after several hours of extraction, sufficient for survival purposes.

Having secured this essential for survival, Bi Fang, exhausted from a day's labor, set about constructing a temporary dwelling to rest in.

By the time they reached the coast it was around seven in the evening, and if they were to travel back overnight, that would mean staying up all night; Bi Fang had no such plans.

Moreover, obtaining salt was the main, yet not the sole, purpose of this trip; Bi Fang also wanted to look around to see if he could catch more game, like reindeer, musk oxen, or even puffins.

"But whatever you do, never rest on the coastline—it's extremely dangerous, as you may well encounter seals, walruses, or even polar bears coming ashore."

"The west coast of Greenland is home to about six species of seals, and if you're sailing through the fjords, they're easy to spot. The weight of these seals ranges from 100 to 300 kilograms depending on the species."

"Besides, the walruses of Greenland are enormous creatures, unlike the seals, and they are often found on the east coast of Greenland Island, near the seabed or the coastline."

"Don't be fooled by how chubby and cute they all look on wildlife shows; in reality, a walrus's tusks can be several meters long and are used for defense, and the males are all over three meters in length and weigh between 1200 and 3000 kilograms."

"Though these creatures move slowly, believe me, an encounter while you are sound asleep is an absolute disaster waiting to happen."

Bi Fang said gravely.

Whether an animal is formidable or not, its weight is an extremely important reference point; all the fierce beasts he mentioned were many times larger than humans.

Perhaps, due to their body structure, they're not too dangerous for a prepared person, but one must still never let their guard down.

[Oh my, are walruses really that chubby? From one to three tons?]

[Well, boy, isn't that heavier than a musk ox?]

[One of those could feed you for quite some time, right?]

[Eat, eat, eat, that's all you think about. Can't you consider their tusks for once (Dog's head)]

[After all, it's the elephant of the sea; outrageous, but not entirely unbelievable.]

Leaving the coastline about a kilometer behind, Bi Fang set up camp on the spot, digging a "top-side excavated snow cave" with Sanshao.

"Top-side excavated snow cave sounds fancy, but it's really just what it says: a hole that can be dug from both the top and side."

"And the final result is all the same: a tunnel leading to an arched chamber. The depth of the snow required for the cave should be the same as that needed for the snow cave, at least one and a half meters deep, with more than three meters being ideal."

"The disadvantage is that you need to cover the hole on top with snow blocks, which is a more complex process than just digging a snow cave."

"However, the main advantage of a top-side excavated snow cave is that two people can dig simultaneously, which speeds up construction, and you don't need to dig snow inside and then carry it out through the passage."

Even though Bi Fang was alone, it was not a problem; he had three dogs! Given a direction, a mere three-meter-long tunnel was a piece of cake for them, and in the end, a space of just about one meter eight squared was enough to house two people.

Bi Fang found a suitable patch of snow with enough depth and compacted the snow overhead with his skis.

"The chamber for sleeping should be located beneath this compacted area, and the compacted snow provides a base for sealing snow blocks. If the compacted snow is relatively shallow, snow from elsewhere should be shoveled on top of it to increase the depth, but we're in the Arctic, where snow is plentiful; other places might require creating a spot to gather snow blocks."

"If you're bringing snow from elsewhere, you don't need to compact it with boots, but you should still use a shovel to press the snow down. As soon as you find the right spot, compact the snow. You'll need to build other parts too, and the compacted snow needs some time to freeze together solidly. Only then can you dig a sturdy snow cave."

"Once you flatten the area, avoid walking on it so you don't create cracks in the snow. This is another task that should be done as soon as possible because the snow blocks become more solid after freezing."

"For example, if you walk a path leading to the snow structure the day before you move camp, you could cut thick, durable snow blocks from this path."

"Wait until the compacted snow has solidified, then dig a hole in the center of the compacted area above the future snow cave. Don't make the hole too wide; it should only allow a person to stand in it and shovel out the snow. The smaller the entrance, the easier it is to plug it with snow blocks."

"Be careful not to immediately stand on the hard snow surface around the entrance. If you do fall into the snow, fill the accidental hole with compacted snow and try to avoid placing snow blocks over this fragile area later on. If the snow is too dry to compact and fill the hole, you can quickly make 'epoxy resin' with water and snow."

"Dig down a few feet, then start digging sideways..."

Bi Fang, while pointing out things to be cautious about, drew a circle and had Sanshao start vigorously digging downward. From start to finish, it took less than an hour to create a shelter that could accommodate one man and three dogs.

The following day, Bi Fang, with the refined sea salt in tow, boarded the snow sled and took a winding route home, attempting to find more traces of animals.

He even saw a polar bear lying on the sea ice; the moment it saw Bi Fang, the bear didn't react at all, perhaps deeming him too far away to catch up with, so it just lay there unconcernedly, much to Bi Fang's relief.

Perhaps that polar bear was eyeing an ice den somewhere close, Bi Fang reflected on the bear's lazy demeanor.

"Shh!"

A huge surge of water suddenly exploded from the ground, shooting high into the sky. Bi Fang, standing on the snow sled, pulled the reins and couldn't help but gaze in amazement.