Tag: Blizzard Survival

Customloper Diaries Day Five: Moose-terious Happenings

Customloper Diaries – Day 5: Moose Standoff, Bullet Disappointment, and Frostbite Gordon Ramsay

Weather: Overcast → blizzard remnants → cold, tense calm
Loot Highlights: 32 revolver bullets (without the revolver), coffee, stew ingredients
Mood: Caffeine-fueled paranoia

◀ Missed Day 4? Read it here  | 
What is Customloper?

Moose-terious Happenings and Bullet Mockery

I wake up cold, hypothermic, and shivering in a shelter that feels like it’s holding back winter by sheer stubbornness. Outside, the air is still heavy with yesterday’s storm. I light a torch—not for light, but for morale—and step outside to grab sticks for a fire.

That’s when I hear it. A low, deliberate snort. Snow crunching under something big. My brain takes about two seconds to put it together: the Moose is still here. Still patrolling. Still grumpy. All I’ve got is a flare gun, three flares, and zero confidence this will be anything but moose-poking practice.

Later research confirmed flare guns actually can scare or even injure moose. At the time, though, I pictured wasting all three shots and ending up as hoof-print art in the snow.

Sidebar: Flare Guns vs Wildlife

  • Wolves: Scared of everything, including your hesitation. Flare gun = instant retreat.
  • Bears: Works if you’re quick and accurate. Miss, and you’ve just upgraded it to “angry bear.”
  • Moose: Vulnerable, but charging moose leave little margin for error. Pray your aim is better than your panic management.

Fire, Coffee, and False Confidence

I retreat inside, break down a couple of stools, and get a fire going. Coffee brews while my temperature climbs from “freezer aisle” to “slightly uncomfortable.” Caffeine courage in place, I decide to make another break for it.

I crack the door. Two cautious steps outside—then I hear it again. This time I actually see the moose, casually stomping away from me like it owns the place. Which, frankly, it does.

I seize the chance to sneak toward the picnic area, hoping I’ll finally find a revolver or rifle. Spoiler: no. Just more snow, more silence, and the nagging sense I’m on borrowed time.

Panic Sprint to Orca

Plan B forms in my head: head to Orca Gas Station and regroup. The snow crunches under my boots, the wind whistles between the trees—and then I hear a noise behind me. Could be the wind. Could be antlers. I don’t check. I just run. Full panic sprint, torch flaring wildly, straight to Orca’s door.

Inside, adrenaline still in overdrive, I make a silent vow: if I live through this, I’ll cook everything I can get my hands on. Meals will be my legacy.

Bullets Without a Gun

The walk back to Grey Mother’s is uneventful, which feels like winning the lottery. I throw myself into cooking: rabbit stew, venison stew, boiling water—anything to nudge my Cooking skill higher. Somewhere in the process, I drop off 32 revolver bullets into storage. The universe clearly thinks this is funny.

Three separate attempts to repair my climbing socks all fail. Morale drops. I sweep Grey Mother’s house again just in case a revolver is hiding in the corner. It’s not.

I end the day reading a book to boost my harvesting skill, the flickering lantern light casting long shadows. Outside, the moose is probably still wandering. Inside, I’m still stubborn, still alive, still armed with only a flare gun and misplaced optimism.

Day 5 Summary

  • Location: Milton Region
  • Finds: 32 revolver bullets, coffee, stew ingredients
  • Wildlife Watch: Persistent moose
  • Conditions: Cold and tense
  • Status: Warm, fed, moose-adjacent

Continue the Journey

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 4: Prybars, Pancake Plans, and the Blizzard Lock-In
Customloper Diaries – Day 6 ▶

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Customloper Diaries Day Four: Locked Trunks, Blizzards, and Pancake Promises

Customloper Diaries – Day 4: Prybars, Pancake Plans, and the Blizzard Lock-In

Weather: Clear morning, moose-level tension, full blizzard finale
Loot Highlights: Prybar, Storm Lantern, memento cache hint, acorns
Mood: Energised → cautious → “nope, not stepping outside”

Missed Day 3? Read it here.  | 
What is Customloper?

Moose Tracks and Memory Trunks

Morning at Paradise Meadows Farm is deceptively calm—blue skies, crisp air, and the kind of silence that makes you think “safe.” Which, as I’ve learned, is usually the universe setting you up for trouble. My goal is simple: get back to Grey Mother’s without freezing, starving, or becoming wildlife entertainment.

Before I even make it to the main road, I spot circling birds. If you’ve read my blog before, you know this usually means a corpse. And corpses mean loot. Sure enough, today’s offering is a prybar lying beside the unlucky owner. I take a respectful moment—then take the prybar. Survival first, sentiment later.

Milton’s Got Loot

With my new tool in hand, I march into Milton like a one-person locksmith service. Every locked trunk and locker I’d previously ignored is now fair game. The results? A couple of sodas, some gloves, and various odds and ends. Not exactly jackpot material, but the sense of clearing my “to-open” list is its own reward.

My real prize comes at Orca Gas Station. Perched on top of a ladder, basking in the weak winter sunlight, is a Storm Lantern. I’d have climbed Mount Timberwolf itself for this. It’s not just light—it’s morale. No more groping around in the dark like an amateur escape artist.

Signs in the Snow

Lantern in my pack, I head toward Milton Park. That’s when I see it—moose rubbings etched into a tree. My mood shifts instantly from “pleasant stroll” to “scan every shadow for large, angry silhouettes.” I haven’t actually seen a moose yet this run, but I’m not eager to test my odds.

Nearby, I gather acorns. They’re a small thing, but they bring me one step closer to Lily’s Pancakes—my long-term culinary goal. The catch? I still need Cooking Level 4. Which means at least seventy cups of tea, or possibly cooking every edible thing on the island. Twice.

Before heading out, I also find a memento cache hint. A promise of future loot, assuming I make it that far. If past runs are anything to go by, the odds are… let’s call them “variable.”

Blizzard Becomes the Boss Fight

By the time I start for my shelter, the snow is falling thicker. A few minutes later, I’m in the middle of a full blizzard. Visibility drops to “couldn’t find your own footprints,” and the wind is howling like it’s trying to blow the entire town off the map. Somewhere out there, I think I hear movement—could be a wolf, could be my imagination. Either way, the door stays closed.

Inside, I get a fire going, boil water, and cook whatever’s left in my pack. The mattress here is old, musty, and about as supportive as a wet paper bag, but compared to freezing to death, it’s luxury. Outside, the storm rages. Inside, I’m dry, warm, and in possession of a prybar, a storm lantern, and a future pancake dream. Could be worse.

Day 4 Summary

  • Location: Milton Region
  • Finds: Prybar, Storm Lantern, memento cache hint, acorns
  • Wildlife Watch: Potential moose spawn
  • Conditions: Blizzard-bound
  • Status: Warm, fed, slightly paranoid—but alive

Continue the Journey

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 3: Charcoal Maps, Rabbit Stew, and a Surprise Wolf Hug
Customloper Diaries – Day 5 ▶

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Customloper Diaries Day Two: Blizzards, Boots, and Baseball Cap Confusion

Customloper Diaries – Day 2: Blizzards, Boots, and Baseball Cap Confusion

Weather: Blizzard with a side of regret

Loot Highlight: Mariner’s Pea Coat, Maple Syrup, Three Matches

Mood: Optimistic, then crushed by cooking requirements

Missed the start of this adventure? Read Day 1 here.

Blizzard-Hopping in Milton

I start the day in Grey Mother’s house, do some quick inventory management, and drop 2.5 litres of water—hydration is important, but weight limits are brutal. I also find a third cooking pot beside the fireplace, which I immediately move to the kitchen like the house-proud survivalist I am.

Outside? Blizzard. Naturally.

First stop: the post office. It gives me nothing but disappointment, but the car loot makes up for it—three matches from four vehicles is an impressive haul in a whiteout.

I hop from building to building, clothes getting wetter, warmth draining faster than my optimism. Still, I find a pair of work boots—a welcome upgrade from my starter footwear.

Weather Clears, Map Expands

Eventually, the blizzard dies down. I whip out some charcoal and start sketching like a freezing Bob Ross, mapping out more of Milton.

The improved visibility leads to some solid loot:

  • Rabbit meat in a freezer
  • A glorious Mariner’s Pea Coat (cue dramatic coat-swirling montage)

Loot, Syrup & Sadness

In another house, I pick up a can opener and a cozy pair of wool long johns. Back at Grey Mother’s, I drop off my spoils—deer and rabbit meat, sticks, and reclaimed wood. My outdoor meat stash is growing nicely.

With some time left in the day, I loot another house and find maple syrup. I get stupidly excited. Lily’s Pancakes are within reach! Or so I think…

Turns out I need Cooking Level 4 and acorn grounds. Who knew pancakes were an advanced skill? The disappointment is real.

Also found: another chunk of deer meat in the freezer. I’ll take it.

Peak Chaos: The Baseball Cap Incident

I end the day attempting to harvest a baseball cap for cloth. Instead, I drop it. Then I drop it again. Then I drop it somewhere else. Apparently, I’ve been out in the cold too long.

Back at base, I drop the last of my meat stash outside, harvest some clothes, fill up on food and drink, and wrap up Day 2. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll make it to that memento cache.

Continue the Journey

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