Bushcraft Begins: Nana's Snow-Shoveling Ordeal
I parked in the bushcraft training ground lot and turned off the engine. The car was still warm from the heater. Hmm, wonder if it'll take a bit longer? It's been a few days since I returned from that uninhabited island camping trip. First things first. I got an earful. A big one. She laid into me with a voice on the verge of tears, ranting this and that, and I had nothing to say in my defense. Gotta tone down the Taebaek trips from now on. Not that I'm saying I won't do them at all.
And then there was Im Nana's quinzhee, born from pure survival instinct. The quality was insane. Honestly, better than anything I'd ever made. The campground owner even grabbed her as she was packing up to leave and begged her not to destroy it. "Can't you just leave it there? The kids would love it." Thanks to that, Nana's quinzhee became a landmark at the campground or something. Hearing about it stirred something inside me. Pride as a veteran camper? Or some primal urge toward the wild?
I used to be obsessed with survival camping back in the day. Wandering the mountains with just a knife and a fire steel. Looks like my cooldown's finally up. Time to show her the real wilderness. Of course, I prepared thoroughly. First up: stamina. ...Yeah. Honestly, that's a weak point. No matter how much I grind at the gym, I can't build ironclad endurance overnight. But with sheer willpower, I can probably tough it out for a day.
Second: Maximus. I opened the pet carrier crossbag on the passenger seat. Sturdy base with a soft cushion—serves as a travel kennel too.
"Maximus, you okay in there?"
"Woof!"
Maximus poked his head out and wagged his tail. Not leaving him behind this time. Can't film another tearful family reunion. I even packed a dog warming mat. And finally, the most crucial third item. The star of this camping trip: labor.
Bushcraft. Sounds all romantic like "enjoying nature," but really, it's nonstop manual labor. Chopping wood, trimming it, digging earth, clearing snow. No way I can handle all that with my current fitness level. Plus, it eats up tons of time. If I go all out, it'll take days. So I absolutely need someone to lend a hand.
I pulled out my smartphone and hit the call button. Ring ring. Click.
[Hello?]
"I'm at the parking lot."
[Okay! Heading out now!]
Her voice brimmed with energy. Perfect. Who, you ask? "Areum~!" There she was in the distance, a familiar silhouette. Bundled in a thick puffer jacket, striding over briskly. Yep, Im Nana, obviously. Me chopping wood, laying groundsheets, piling snow all by myself? No chance. Especially heading into the mountains. Nana came running, waving her hand, her face beaming innocently. Any lingering grudge from last time? Gone. Her lack of grudges is top-tier.
"Hey! Is that all your gear?"
"Yup! Bushcraft, right? Minimal gear is the cool way!"
She patted her single backpack. She knew the theme was bushcraft. But... her idea of bushcraft was probably just those romantic YouTube vids. Campfire, grilling meat, all peaceful vibes. No clue about the brutal physical grind behind it.
Heh heh... I couldn't stop smirking.
"Hey Maximus~!"
"Woof!"
Nana greeted Maximus, who was peeking out of the bag. He wagged happily too. So blissfully clueless. Sorry, but that smile's probably the last one you'll flash.
I started the car. Destination: Hongcheon in Gangwon-do. I asked Kim Manho for a "remote snowy mountain valley with no people," and he scored the perfect spot. Private land, no civilians, snow piled high untouched. Nana had no idea. She didn't know she was heading back into Gangwon's deep mountains. Or that hellish snow-clearing awaited.
"...Areum?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are we... climbing the mountain?"
We'd been hiking for 30 minutes since parking at the base and shouldering our packs. Her face was full of questions. No wonder—we'd left the car at the foot and were trudging up on foot.
"Told you, bushcraft."
"I know, but... this deep into the mountains?"
"Duh. What is bushcraft? Bush + craft. Skills for surviving in the woods. Gotta go to the woods, obviously."
I answered casually, keeping up the pace. Truth is, I was struggling too. My thighs felt like they were exploding. But I couldn't show weakness. If I did, no leverage to boss her around later.
"Something feels... off."
Nana tilted her head but followed without complaint. Her stamina's unreal. I'm dragging my pack like a sled 'cause I'm beat, but she's hauling one her size without slowing down.
Impressive, for real.
Maximus was peeking out from the side bag in my arms, sniffing around curiously. Thought about sledding him, but the trail's too rough. So I'm carrying him—doubling the shoulder strain.
We climbed a while longer. The scenery shifted. Bare trees everywhere, ground blanketed in white snow. Pristine snowfield. Snow depth was no joke—knees-deep with every step.
"Why's there... so much snow here?"
"Gangwon-do... Hongcheon gets tons... huff... huff..."
I panted out the answer. Finally, the spot. Midway up the slope, flat-ish terrain. Trees all around blocking wind—godsent base camp.
"Whew... We're here. This area's perfect for base."
I stretched and scanned. Ideal. Snow height just right, plenty of dead trees nearby. Nana dropped her pack and looked around.
"Areum."
"Yeah?"
"This is weird... No tent? Where do we sleep?"
...You're asking that now? Our gear: sleeping bags, mats, a slab of meat, basic cookware. No tent.
"Why wouldn't there be a place? Right here."
I gestured around. Nana followed my hand. Just white snow and bare trees.
"Here... there's nothing? Just snow and trees..."
"Exactly!"
I clapped. "Snow and trees! That's our building material."
"...?"
Nana still looked lost. "We're making a base now. Using natural stuff."
"Base...?"
"Yup. No tent—instead, snow and wood for our shelter. That's real bushcraft."
Nana's jaw dropped. She'd suspected but didn't think we'd actually build a house.
"Okay, what do you see next to us?"
"Snow...?"
"How much snow?"
"Not counting the path... waist-high..."
Right. Nearly a meter deep. Except the owner's occasional trail, everything buried. Pitching a tent here? Way harder. Clearing and compacting alone takes forever. So, reverse thinking. Don't clear snow—use it. Igloos or quinzees take too long. But a snow trench—hollowing out existing snow? Less effort, half the time. Relatively speaking, anyway.
"Today's goal: compact snow base, stack wood on top for a trench shelter!"
"...How?"
I rummaged in my pack, equipping an item. Folding field shovel. And a lightweight plastic snow shovel. Shing. Handed the snow shovel to Nana.
"Here."
She took it blankly, staring from shovel to me and back.
"What... with this?"
I gripped my field shovel, pointed at the snow pile ahead, and smiled sweetly.
"Dig."
"...Dig what?"
"Snow."
Nana's eyes twitched.
"Go, Nanasaur! Snow clearing!"
"Hey! You wanna get yelled at?!"
Gyaaah! Monster attacking the landowner!
Squelch, squelch. The quiet valley echoed with shoveling.
"Huff... huff... Nana, how's your side...?"
I glanced back. Whoa, she nailed it. Looked back at my spot. Progress, but tons left. Hers? Like a whiteboard. How'd she make it so flat?
"...Nanasaur. This side too, please."
"Sigh... wanna get chewed out again?"
Nooo... Can't risk that. The terror flashed back. Can't get buried upside-down in snow again.
"Okay then... here, torch."
"Huh? For fire?"
"No, melt the walls a bit. Makes ice crystals for sturdier walls."
Truth is, it'd hold without. Just... hate seeing her slack while I work. Even if she did more.
Whatever. Heh heh. After about two hours, we had a rectangular space big enough for two. Neat square shelter base. Now top with wood, sheets, ropes to secure. Other steps too, but... ugh, beat. That'd wreck me. Time for wood prep?
Shing. Offered the hand axe to Nana.
"...?"
"Go, Nanasaur! Wood chopping!"
And I got buried upside-down in the snow again.