HUN Chapter 11: North American Jerusalem Artichoke

The first ray of dawn at Chilko Lake, carrying a hint of chill, penetrated through the crude gaps of the temporary shelter and awakened Lin Yu'an from his sleep.

He opened his eyes, feeling the warmth from the thick sleeping bag beneath him and the cold air outside the bag.

Fortunately, no large predators had visited during the night, only some subtle rustling sounds, probably from some curious small creatures.

"Good morning, guys," Lin Yu'an said to the camera lens, showing a smile that was slightly weary but still gentle.

"This is Lin Yu'an on day two at Chilko Lake. I slept relatively peacefully last night. The shelter is crude, but at least it blocks the wind."

"Today's primary task is to thoroughly survey the surrounding environment, find stable food sources, and begin site selection for building a permanent shelter."

He crawled out of his sleeping bag, quickly put on his jacket and pants, stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, then rekindled the remaining firewood from last night and boiled a pot of hot water in the stainless steel pot.

The scalding hot water dispelled the morning chill and fully awakened him. He didn't rush to eat.

Instead, he first carefully checked several simple alarm mechanisms he had set up around the shelter last night, thin branches stretched taut and connected to small bells.

If anything approached, they would make a slight sound. The mechanisms were intact, which gave him some peace of mind. After hiding the bells back in his space, he continued with today's exploration mission.

Lin Yu'an addressed the camera again, his tone somewhat more relaxed. "Guys, we're going out to see what surprises this land can bring us for breakfast."

He hung the multi-functional knife at his waist, shouldered a pack containing only the water bottle and camera, then also strapped on the American hunting bow and quiver. Although he might not use them today, they provided an extra sense of security.

He decided to first explore upstream along the creek he had discovered yesterday.

As he walked, he explained his reasoning to the camera. "Generally speaking, near the source of streams, ecosystems tend to be richer, and there are more traces of animal activity."

"Moreover, I need to find a more ideal location for building a permanent shelter, preferably on higher, drier ground, while not being too far from water sources and firewood resources."

The early morning primeval forest had air so fresh it was invigorating.

But it was also full of unknown dangers. Lin Yu'an was very careful with each step, his eyes sharply scanning the surroundings, his ears alertly catching any subtle sounds.

He discovered that although this creek ultimately flowed toward the lake, there were few suitable fishing spots around the lake. He would need to walk quite a distance to find appropriate fishing locations.

He frowned at the camera. "It seems direct fishing will be more difficult than I imagined."

"However, I found some fresh animal droppings by the creek, which look like they were left by deer or some kind of small antelope. This at least indicates there are traces of their activity nearby."

He carefully pushed aside dense fern plants and observed the ground closely. Soon, he discovered a series of clear plum-blossom-shaped footprints on relatively gentle muddy ground by the creek.

"Look here!"

He lowered his voice to the camera. "These are white-tailed deer tracks, and judging from the size and depth of the prints, it should be an adult doe, possibly with a fawn. They came here to drink last night or this morning."

This discovery energized Lin Yu'an. White-tailed deer were an excellent protein source. If he could hunt one, it would sustain his food supply for a long time.

But he didn't immediately begin tracking. He knew that with his current equipment and familiarity with this area, rashly tracking large prey would be too risky with low success rates.

He shook his head and continued, "But now isn't the time. I need to first familiarize myself with this area, understand their general activity range and habits, then formulate a detailed hunting plan."

"Today's goal is still focused on small prey and edible plants, while looking for suitable permanent campsite locations."

He continued upstream along the creek, carefully observing the surrounding vegetation as he walked. He found some familiar berries, such as brightly colored North American cranberries and honeyberries, which were natural foods that could supplement vitamins.

Lin Yu'an ate the berries in front of the camera while showing a happy expression. "Guys, it looks like today's surprise breakfast is these berries!"

Additionally, he found some plants that looked like Jerusalem artichokes. After digging them up, they indeed had tubers.

But he didn't immediately harvest them. Instead, he first carefully dug out a small piece with his knife sheath, examined it closely, tasted it with his tongue tip, then confidently marked the location with charcoal on a homemade bark map.

"These tubers are indeed Jerusalem artichokes, rich in starch, with a crisp texture and slight sweetness that can provide good sugars. I'll let them grow for a while longer and come back to harvest them after the shelter is built. They can be roasted or made into soup."

After the stream turned a bend, a relatively open forest clearing appeared before Lin Yu'an.

This clearing had flat terrain, backed by a hillside covered with tall firs, while the south side was a relatively sparse birch forest with abundant sunlight.

Most importantly, it was an appropriate distance from the stream for convenient water access, and there were plenty of dead branches and trees around, providing abundant firewood resources.

"This place... is simply perfect!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes lit up as he quickly walked to the center of the clearing, holding the camera while carefully surveying.

"The terrain is flat and dry, with many trees that can block most cold winds. It's close to water sources, and the view is relatively open, convenient for observing surrounding activity. I think, barring any accidents, the permanent shelter will be built right here!"

He excitedly announced his decision to the camera!

After determining the permanent campsite location, Lin Yu'an began addressing the immediate food problem. He didn't rush to pursue those elusive deer but turned his attention to more easily obtainable small prey.

He recalled several simple and efficient trap-making methods that Old John had taught him.

He found several elastic, slender branches, sharpened them with his multi-functional knife, then cleverly set up several elastic wire snare traps near bushes and small paths where rabbits or squirrels seemed to frequent.

As he set them up, he explained each step in detail to the camera.

"The key to this type of trap lies in camouflage and trigger sensitivity."

"The snares need to be covered with fine grass and soil, leaving only a loop just big enough for small animals to pass through. The trigger branches must have just the right elasticity."

"They need to ensure rapid spring action to tighten the snare when prey makes contact, but not be too sensitive to avoid false triggers from wind and grass movement."

Although he could find some flat stones and sturdy branches to make several simple deadfall traps targeting rodents or smaller birds active on the ground.

After setting up the traps, it was getting late. Lin Yu'an didn't explore further distances but returned to his temporary shelter.

His harvest today wasn't much, just some berries and several mature Jerusalem artichokes, which he steamed and cooked for dinner.

Night fell again.

The temperature was even lower than last night. Lin Yu'an made the fire burn brighter, then crawled into his sleeping bag.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was constantly designing plans for the permanent shelter. He wanted to build a sturdy semi-underground stone house and a small smokehouse.

At the same time, he hoped the traps he'd set would yield results, but he also understood that trap harvests required patient waiting and might yield nothing. In wilderness survival, luck was as important as skill.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a subtle sound different from the wind suddenly came from the bushes not far from his shelter!

Lin Yu'an's eyes snapped open, instantly becoming alert!

He held his breath and listened intently.

The sound was intermittent, clearly the sound of struggling accompanied by surrounding branches swaying! But it didn't sound like something a large animal could produce.

Could it be... the traps had yielded results?

Lin Yu'an's heart jumped. He quickly attached the bear spray to his waist, took the camera and felling axe, and quietly went to investigate.

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