Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 512 - 11: Searching for a Campsite

After finishing the selection, Chen Wen opened his eyes.

He looked around and then started heading towards Great Slave Lake through the forest.

"The most important thing now is to find a suitable campsite."

Chen Wen said to the drone following him: "When living alone in the wilderness, as part of a long-term survival show, choosing the campsite is crucial."

"I intend to set up the campsite in the forest, in areas with varying terrain, which will make it easier for me to build a shelter."

Regarding the choice of shelter, Chen Wen ultimately combined his first two plans: a semi-dugout and a log cabin.

As for the rather tricky third option, it depends on whether a suitable shelter can be found before.

An unwitting black bear shows up.

"For campsite selection, there are three main aspects to consider."

Chen Wen said while walking, as he had been practicing this part these days.

In the wilderness survival show, there’s no commentary, so it all relies on the participant’s own talking.

So when it’s time to explain your purpose, you still need to say it out loud.

Chen Wen began to explain his basis for choosing a campsite: "First, I think it should be close to water. Water is essential for survival, and if it’s too far, fetching and storing water would become an extremely torturous task, so when I choose a shelter, it must be in a place relatively close to water."

"Second, it should be wind-protected. The wind at Great Slave Lake is still quite strong, especially after winter sets in, with biting cold winds. If you don’t find a wind-sheltered area, the cold wind will be pretty unbearable."

"Regarding wind-sheltered areas, I have a few recommended places, such as dense forests, depressions, areas near leeward slopes, natural caves, and bear-dug dens."

There seemed to be some strange things mixed in.

Listening to Chen Wen’s words, the monitoring officer showed a puzzled expression.

But Chen Wen continued: "People might think they heard it wrong, bear-dug dens? Do these creatures really dig? Let me tell you, bears, especially American black bears, are quite adept at digging."

"These guys have strong claws, making it very easy for them to dig into the soil. So if you find a bear-dug den, feel free to stay there. That place wouldn’t be bad at all."

The monitoring officer scratched his head and exchanged glances with Lin Jiawei.

Lin Jiawei awkwardly averted his gaze.

Damn, the issue isn’t whether the bears can dig or not.

The issue is if you occupy a bear’s territory, won’t the bear mess with you?

Chen Wen continued speaking: "As for bears, to put it bluntly, these creatures are roughly the size of a large dog, and with sufficient weapons, I can easily hunt down a black bear, so I’m not worried about their threat."

"However, if there are multiple bears working together, then it’s wise to avoid confrontation."

Finishing talking about bears, Chen Wen continued discussing the choice of shelter: "The third point is to check the surrounding animal situation. When selecting a campsite, you definitely shouldn’t set up near wolf packs or grizzly bears, or one day you’ll be torn apart in your sleep. Also, you can’t choose to reside near a snake den; I don’t think anyone would want to wake up in the middle of the night to find a snake coiled on their head."

After listening to Chen Wen through simultaneous translation software, the monitoring officer commented with admiration: "He’s truly a humorous contestant!"

Lin Jiawei chuckled awkwardly twice from behind, not daring to join the conversation.

...

Chen Wen, carrying the box, walked about five hundred meters, reaching the vicinity of Great Slave Lake.

Looking at the lake surface about fifty meters away, Chen Wen didn’t go closer.

He surveyed the surrounding environment.

From here to the lake surface, it’s a gentle slope.

One can see the lakeshore at a glance.

Far better than the cliffs and the rocky lakeshore not far ahead.

Therefore, Chen Wen leaned towards setting up a shelter in this area.

He left the box and tools in place, taking out an axe and a long spear.

Then, Chen Wen headed into the nearby woods.

He planned to first find a suitable camping spot nearby before doing anything else.

This camping spot didn’t need to be perfect, but it needed to withstand until the end of the survival.

There were quite a few camping spots that met this criterion.

After walking in the forest for about half an hour, Chen Wen found three relatively suitable camping spots.

The first one is very close to the lake surface, where you can see the lakeshore upon standing up.

The advantages and disadvantages are very apparent.

The advantage is being close to water, having a good view, easy for fishing, and large trees around to escape danger.

But the disadvantage is not being wind-protected, and it’s easy for predators to discover.

The second spot is within the forest, and only the distant lake surface is visible from here.

The advantage is that the surrounding trees are dense, providing wind protection.

There are no major flaws, but Chen Wen felt that the feng shui of the place was not good.

Of course, Chen Wen didn’t understand feng shui, he just felt uncomfortable here.

Standing there for a while, he felt a chill.

Perhaps it’s because the trees are too dense here.

Blocking sunlight while making it difficult for moisture to evaporate.

The third place is deeper in the forest.

No significant advantages, nor any apparent disadvantages.

It’s a mediocre choice.

Chen Wen thought for a moment and decided to walk sideways.

If no suitable place can be found, he’ll settle for the third spot.

...

While Chen Wen was searching for a campsite, most of the other contestants had also started looking for campsites.

Everyone’s choices were similar.

First, being close to water, as no one brought a canteen this time to conserve supplies.

Second, wind protection — nobody wants cold wind blowing into their shelter in the middle of winter.

Soon, Adam found a slope.

Based on the prevailing winter winds mentioned in the information, he chose the leeward side of the slope as his base for building a shelter.

Others also gradually found suitable places.

However, Hua Yun’s choice was different from most.

According to Chen Wen’s previous plan and her own judgment.

She used a small cart to carry her supplies and box, carrying a bow and arrow while looking for a suitable place and prey simultaneously.

Soon, Hua Yun made a discovery.

About fifty meters away, there was a sizable squirrel on a tree.

Bending the bow, preparing the arrow, and shoot!

With a swoosh, the squirrel fell to the ground.

Hua Yun quickly walked a few steps, retrieving the squirrel and arrow from the dense shrubbery.

She only had nine arrows in total, losing one would be a loss.

With the first prey in hand, Hua Yun’s tension instantly disappeared.

Following her pre-set plan, she began her unique roaming survival style.

...

Back to Chen Wen.

He walked for about ten minutes.

Through [Extreme Vision], Chen Wen noticed a terrain variation ahead towards his right.

Squinting his eyes carefully for a moment, he discovered what seemed to be a small mound there.

Without hesitation, Chen Wen quickly went over.

Two minutes later.

Chen Wen arrived near the mound.

The terrain here was still relatively gentle, different from the deep forests far from Great Slave Lake.

There, hills and ridges were more abundant.

But here was a mound about seven to eight meters high.

After walking around the mound, Chen Wen made a delightful discovery.

On the leeward side of the mound, there was a depression.

"Wow, this place is really great!"

Chen Wen said, entering the depression.

The depression was about fifteen square meters in total, and it was an irregular egg shape.

The deepest part was in the middle, roughly one meter deep, presenting a funnel shape.

There was no accumulated water inside, but the leaves were piled up and quite damp.

"This place is nice, with clear advantages, wind protection, and fits well with the shelter I plan to build next."

But looking around, Chen Wen also noticed the flaws here.

The flaws here were more apparent and more dangerous!