[Let's Play] Lost in the Mountains of Death

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to find somewhere away from the mountainside. An earthquake on the mountainside is definitely bad news for our hero.

[SGamerz]

The ground shakes beneath your feet again. You squat down, and an even more violent tremor almost makes you lose your balance. You're very glad you're no near anything that could topple down on you, such as the rocks and boulders from the mountainside.

Earthquakes are not uncommon here: the Andes are on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the tectonic plates that make up Earth's crust meet and collide with one another.

The ground stops shaking. You're aware that there could be another quake at any time, but you can't stay here forever. You need to keep moving. A quick movement catches your eye. Scuttling away from the mountainside is a small grey furry shape - a chinchilla. Maybe it was disturbed by the tremor.

Watching the animal scurry into the distance, you take out your water bottle, but it's empty. You're thirsty, and look around for a water source. There's snow higher up on the mountain. You could make a fire and melt some, Or you could go in search of a stream.

If you decide to melt snow, go to 50.
If you decide to find a stream, go to 89.

And for this section, we finally have an info-dump section - but not one related to our choices. Instead, it's about...

Chinchillas:

- You were lucky to see a chinchilla. They're rare animals in the wild, and they're usually active at dawn and dusk.

- Chinchillas can measure up to about 12 inches (30 cm) long. In the wild, they only live in the Andes in Peru and Chile in groups of up to 100 animals.

- Eagles, pumas, and foxes prey on chinchillas. Chinchillas use a clever trick - they can shed a clump of fur if they were grabbed by a predator, allowing them to get away unharmed.

- They are very agile and can jump up to six feet (1.8 m) high.

- Chinchillas are rare partly because of their very soft, warm coats. They have been hunted for their furs.

So...yay for seeing the rare animal, I guess?

Now where do we get our water?

[Queen of Swords]

Look for a stream rather than going back up the mountain.

[Thaluikhain]

Look for a stream, yeah.

[SGamerz]

Like the previous book, I will only be posting pictures in small batches. Also like the other book, most of the pictures are generic ones reused in multiple pages. It's actually even more apparent in this one. The first 2 pics we would have come across (more than once) look so generic that it's hard to tell which particular sections they ought to apply to:





This one could have been more appropriate for one particular section. It was shown on 2 of the pages we went through but I felt that this could have been quite appropriate for the page where we decided not to investigate some movements behind a rock. We actually narrowly avoided an encounter with a puma, and the animal tracks could have been a hint....except the text made no mention whatsoever of any tracks that we saw and since this picture also appears on several other pages, it's also doubtful whether players would have looked at the picture and think it may be a hint to which is the right choice.



But we do, at least have one pretty specifically relevant picture - the Chinchilla:



****

Now, let's proceed to look for a stream:

You're really thirsty now, and you know there must be a stream around here somewhere - there's no shortage of water in the Andes. There's a lush green forest ahead of you, and you think you can hear the sound of running water, although the high, buffering wind makes it difficult to tell.

You carry one, heading towards the source of the sound.

No info-dump section here either, but we do get yet another generic-looking picture of the scenery:

You don't have much further to go before you find it: a fast-flowing stream, which must be find by meltwater from the mountain.

You are pretty sure that this water will be safe to drink, but you make a fire and boil it anyway. You're already lost, and you don't want to risk getting sick as well.

You drink some of the water once it's cooled a bit, and the hot drink - even though it's just water - makes you feel a bit better. The cracking fire is good for your spirits, too. Once you've filled your water bottle, you put out the fire carefully.

And here, we have another rare (for this playthrough) info-dump page...

Water Needs:

- Even in cold weather, you still need to drink over two pints (1 L) of water per day to replace what you lose by breathing and sweating. - more if you are doing hard work. If you don't drink enough, you're in danger of dehydration, which can kill you. Luckily, there's plenty of water in the Andes.

- It's always a good idea to boil water before drinking it, even if it's from a clear mountain stream like this one. There could be a dead animal in the water farther upstream out of sight.

- You could also melt ice or snow to drink. But don't eat snow without melting it first - if you're already cold, earing snow will make you even colder. And don't eat crushed ice, because it could injure your mouth.

Ahead of you stretches a flat, white, sloping plain of thick snow. Maybe the blizzard was worse here, or perhaps the snow has never melted here. It lies in the shadow of the mountain that towers above you, pointing craggy peaks into the brilliant blue sky. Maybe you should walk across the snow? Your boots are waterproof, and it looks as though it's easy going.

If you decide to change direction and head away from the snow, go to page 54.
If you decide to trudge across the snowy slope, go to page 48.

[Queen of Swords]

Head away from the snow.

[Thaluikhain]

Avoid snow.

Also, we boiled our water and then put it into our bottle? What were we boiling it in if not our bottle? Now, we could have dug a hole in the ground, preferably lined with clay, and then heated some rocks in the fire and then put them in the water to boil it or something, but I think the book would have mentioned if we'd done all that.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to change direction and head away from the snow, as our hero risks sinking beneath it if we choose to cross the snowy slope.

[SGamerz]

Also, we boiled our water and then put it into our bottle? What were we boiling it in if not our bottle?

The opening section mentioned that our starting equipment includes "a container for boiling water". On the other hand, it actually doesn't mention water bottles, but if we have them as well I assume they're separate from said container.

There's a roaring sound behind you. You spin around and suddenly you're very glad that you moved away from the snow - it's rushing down the mountain in an avalanche. You stand up and watch for a while until the snow stops moving and silence descends again. The snow has built up into a huge drift. If you were buried underneath it, the chances of getting out alive seem slim. Thank goodness you decided not to walk across the snow.

The sun's beginning to go down. Soon it will be twilight. Maybe you should build a shelter for the night.

If you decide to build a shelter, go to page 70.
If you decide to carry on, go to page 40.

The indo-dump section opposite is, of course, about

Surviving an Avalanche:

- If you're going skiing or snowboarding, always check for avalanche warnings before you leave. If you can't get avalanche reports, don't head for the slops after a heavy snowfall (which could destabilize the snow underneath it), or if there have been earthquakes.

- If you're caught in an avalanche, try to keep hold of a ski pole, if you have one. You can poke it out of the snow to alert rescuers, as long as you are near enough to the surface.

- Take off your skis, they'll only make things worse.

- Always carry a transceiver, which will tell rescuers where you are.

- As the avalanche draws to a stop, try to make an air space in front of your face by vigorously punching at the snow. It will set hard very quickly.

- Don't shout out unless you're sure rescuers are close by, otherwise you'll be wasting precious air.

[Queen of Swords]

Build a shelter.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to build a shelter, as carrying on in the dark is asking for serious trouble.

[Thaluikhain]

Shelter.

I don't know if they still do, but during the 50s or so, the US military issued people with a length of rope with distance markers and arrows on it to trail behind them in the snow, so if they got buried rescuers could use it to find where they where.

Also, we boiled our water and then put it into our bottle? What were we boiling it in if not our bottle?

The opening section mentioned that our starting equipment includes "a container for boiling water". On the other hand, it actually doesn't mention water bottles, but if we have them as well I assume they're separate from said container.

Ah, so it does, I managed to miss that.

[SGamerz]

In the gathering dusk, there isn't much time for building a shelter. You spot a small opening in the rocks close by, which might mean you won't have to bother. You take a closer look: it's a small, dark cave. It doesn't look very cozy, but it would offer protection from the wind.

Or maybe you should go in search of a different shelter. There are some trees in the distance, and you think it should only take you half an hour or so to reach them.

If you decide to shelter in the cave, go to page 43.
If you decide to walk to the trees, go to page 47.

Even though we'd already seen an info-dump section about building shelters earlier, here's another section with more details on...

Shelter:

- Unless you're somewhere very hot and low on water, shelter should be your first priority in a survival situation. In very cold conditions, you won't last long without protection from the weather.

- Use whatever materials are at hand to make your shelter. On a snow-covered mountainside with no trees, it's possible to make a shelter by cutting snow into blocks. People who live in the Arctic all year round sometimes construct shelters from turf.

- Try not to get your clothing wet in very cold conditions. You might work up a sweat building a shelter so, before you start your hard work, take off the layer of clothing closest to your skin, leaving on a waterproof later. take off the waterproof later when you've finished your hard work and can dry yourself off. Or wear a material that keeps moisture away from your body.

- Whatever type of shelter you have, make sure it has air vents. If it doesn't you'll die.

- Wet clothes can be left outside your shelter overnight. They'll freeze, and in the morning, you can shake off the ice. Keep in mind that they might not be totally dry by morning.

[Thaluikhain]

We have shelter right here, don't go off in the hope we'll find something better before it gets dark.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, try the cave.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to shelter in the cave.

[SGamerz]

You fit into the cave quite snugly. You take out your thermal blankets and wrap them around you. Protected from the wind, you feel much warmer.

The sun has nearly set, and it's getting colder. It would be lovely to have a fire to keep you warm and perhaps make a hot drink. But would it be worth the effort?

If you decide to make a fire, go to page 86.
If you decide not to bother and go to sleep in your shelter, go to page 80.

[Queen of Swords]

Of course we light a fire.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Light a fire.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to light a fire and make a hot drink, as hydration is important to survive.

[Thaluikhain]

Fire, though I'm worried this means we have to go to the forest for wood and take it back.

[SGamerz]

Luckily you've practiced lighting fires many times before your trip to the mountains, so you know how to do it safely and efficiently. You gather together some bar, small twigs, and logs. Your matches have survived undamaged and dry, and you light one on the first try, sheltering it from the wind Soon you have a healthy fire going inside a ring of stones, which will give off heat on when the fire's died down.

You hold out your hands to the fire, feeling pleased with yourself and optimistic about a good night's sleep tonight and finding rescue tomorrow. You heat up some water over he firs an drink it hot, which makes you feel even warmer. Yo go to sleep snig and dry.

Go to page 53.

And we have the relevant info-dump section...

Making a Fire:

- Before you start, gather together everything you'll need: matches, tinder, kindling and fuel.

- Choose an area that's sheltered and dry.

- Light your tinder. Tinder is very dry, flammable material, such as powdered bark, cotton cloth or cotton balls, or the inside of a bird's next. Good tinder will only need a spark to light it.

- Stand your kindling around the tinder in a pyramid. Kindling is small, dry twigs that will burn quickly and easily.

- Gradually add larger pieces of wood. Take care not to add anything too big or too wet in the early stages, or you'll put the fire out.

- If there are stones available, place them in a circle around your fire. The stones will heat up and give off warmth after the fire has gone out, and they'll also stop the fire from spreading out of control. But be careful not to use very wet stones - they can explode!

The dawn light wakes you up and you peer out of your shelter. You're still completely lost and have absolutely no idea which direction is best. You look at the landscape to decide which way to go. You could either climb a gentle slope and walk along higher ground, or go down a slightly steeper slop to lower ground.

If you decide to head for higher ground, go to page 72.
If you decide walking on lower ground would be better, go to page 64.

[Queen of Swords]

Lower ground.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to climb a gentle slope and walk along higher ground, as a steeper slope might cause tripping or landslide problems.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, take the low road (and I'll be in Scotland afore ye)