#asa scorched earth

[trench-surfer]

Ark Ascended Scenery | Ruins of Nosti

[nylusion]

The lasso in ARK: Survival Ascended can restrict a surprising amount of creatures! Watch as TriZon & Xycor experiment to see what they can catch in live episode 44 of our playthrough!

[glitchedjackalopes]

Arco in the moonlight

[rippedstitch-s]

S C O R C H E D E A R T H .

Below the cut is a moment in the life of ASA HOLLAND, in his 4th floor apartment in Manhattan.

Please be aware of all trigger warnings before proceeding.

tw // murder, blood, gore, torture mention, medical malpractice

--- - -- --

Scorched earth.

His ribs are a burning church and the devil's set it on fire.

But the same hands pouring the kerosene are the ones that chase away the fumes. Tug his heart free and out just in time. Crisped by the lick of the flame, but alive.

Very much alive.

Too alive.

He feels everything too much.

It's a burden, now.

He yearns and aches and the pangs are now bullets. He staggers from each shot, but he stands. Leaning and frail, dripping black ichor onto a ceaseless floor.

Still stands.

There is blackness behind his eyes now. The shine of light, the reflection of sweetness, has faded like a candle burnt for too long.

The wick's been doused out in its own hot wax.

Consumed and encased.

Consumed is a good word for it - the way he’s trapped in mania. The enticing fingers of long shadows, the snapshot of puddles of blood. It's scorched into retinas.

Red likes to filter over his vision like he’s sitting in that darkroom. The photos hung in the darkness are unintelligible- just as black as everything else. Maybe bodies, maybe parts, but disembodied.

Every face is blotted into smudges like charcoal.

An illustrator sees art in the slaughtered and mangled. In the gnarled scab across his chest, the twisted fingers beneath ink and bandage. 

And absolutely in the demon who kisses and cleans him.

A lover who brings him to fever, then wipes his sweat-stained brow. Drains the bad blood from his body in his sickbed.

Medicinal, the comfort it brings.

Depraved, the thoughts it tugs through.

It's chiaroscuro; the shadows deep within the planes of his lover's face - dark, bold blots, no light until suddenly there's plenty. Whereas in his own, the cross-hatching of fine ink across Asa's nose, mouth, cheeks. Thin lines in meticulous detail. The building up of shade.

Forms of black and white, so different but a similar medium. fit for a gallery, perhaps a museum. 

Meant to be studied, really.

It’s in this creativity that his mania sits and holds out its hands. As the scratchy lines come in a fervor from charcoals and pastels, as blood drips from a lip bitten too hard and for too long in concentration. 

The mania smiles, and collects his pieces into an embrace.

It’s not too hard to connect the twisted body of his father scrawled on drafting paper to the ink blot that grows around him. 

Abysm, after abysm, after abysm. 

But with its arms it becomes...

Still. So still.

There’s no buzzing and pounding in his head. The oil spill has coated everything and muted it all in molasses. 

It's floating. No pain.

No pleasure, either. It just... is.

A finger finally traces the blood that’s streaked into graphite and chalky dust, realizing it’s there for the first time.

Thick, sap-like on his fingers as he traces another drop and watches it peter out into nothing. A streak of alizarin crimson - an artist's palette. Acrylics. Oils.

Such material is easy enough to find, if he wants it. If he searches for it. The texture is far better than most paints.

It's so still.

Has the clock stopped ticking on the wall, or is he deep in a state again? Is it the batteries, or is he... batty?

....he didn't used to be, did he?

It's his father's fault. In his hopes of avoiding his son's insanity, he ensured it and came face to face with it.

Conor Holland died for his crimes against his son. As he should have.

Dr. Hartley. Torture. Medical malpractice. Defunct equipment. Killed. As he should have been.

Romeo Valtori. Apartment manager... rude. Misogynistic. Disgusting. Killed as well. Goodbye.

Maybe it's not so difficult to find people who deserve it. Just squint and there they are.

Laid out in funny little rows.

More red for a palette. More bodies for the ink blot on the kaleidoscope. More peace, more stillness.

A win win.

The church's charred remains fall. Debris everywhere. An explosion of fire and brimstone.

Yet his heart beats, thrums in the hands of a killer. A lover. He holds it so carefully for someone so cruel.

A ribcage can be rebuilt - the church can be reconstructed.

And the burning just smells like winter, and hydroquinone, and a night wrapped in silk sheets.

Peace. Stillness.

[thetabbybadger]

Ooooo so I never really played a lot of Scorched Earth on og Ark but they just released it on ASA and dang, this is Ark: Hard Mode huh 😱😭

[titanomarchy]

ASA: Scorched Earth sessions 2 & 3

Session 2 was fairly uneventful. Session 3 is mostly resource harvesting and base maintenance.

I found and tamed an adult Ceratosaurus (C. Punctura) this morning. The process of taming them is interesting. You have to extract the toxin from their spines, mixing it with blood that is then fed to one of your creatures. As a Cerato attacks your drugged creature, the Cerato gets drugged from their own venom. Once its fully intoxicated, you then hand-feed them meat. That part had me on edge. I wasn't sure how long that state would last, and I definitely didn't have enough of the serum to do so again. But it did last enough, and now I have a powerful ally. I'm borrowing its essence, both to level it and keep it safe until I can find it a mate.

Fun fact, the Cerato- part of Ceratosaurus is from the same root as keratin.

I've got the outside of the house more or less situated, just a few more things to add. I've got some small patios and benches to relax and enjoy the terrain as best as possible. I'm rearranging the crafting stations for better flow, though I won't be able to move the fabricator or the forge anytime soon. Metal collection for the industrial forge is almost complete. I'll have to find a good place for it though, those things are huge.

I used the form of the Cerato to use the dunes to travel to the Blue obelisk. Killed a sandworm along the way, got attacked by a few rock elementals. They're essentially golems, but lie in wait disguised as boulders. Cerato can't effectively deal with them, their stony hide is too tough. I did see a mountainous region with plenty of wild Ceratos, but I'm afraid I didn't mark it down on my map. I essentially traveled in as straight of a line as I could from Blue back home to Green. I did get enough spines to make another infusion though, so that's a plus.

I found out that the Titanomyrma queen is a surprisingly good mount for harvesting. She's fast and can fly with good control. It does mean taking her away from the nest though. I harvested a bunch of cactus sap to make more clay later, stuck it in the fridge to preserve it as best as I can.

Finished up this session with some fishing. I've been using leech blood I pillaged from the bandits. Eventually my supply will be used up though. I might be able to get more from the sandworms. Or more pillaging. I also have sap I can use, so no real concerns there.

Session 3

Spent most of the time so far writing the previous section and letting the ore reserves finish refining. Need that metal, and I didn't leave enough fuel for when I was away.

Hold on, there's a terror bird outside the window. It didn't do any lasting damage, but that was annoying.

Going to use up some extra resources and make some gunpowder. Can't make bullets though- that takes metal. I do need to go harvest sand to make that clay. I think I'll finish up the outside, then start on a second floor. Maybe I'll put the industrial forge there, keep it safe from the sandstorms.

Another terror bird tried the thing where crows pull on the tails of other animals to mess with them, but to one of my Leonis. Oof. That bird is so dead. And now another bandit raid. I was getting suspicious that they haven't been around in a while. My Leonis pride should take care of them. Maybe I'll get another titanomyrma dedicated to defending the area. I'll have to pillage to get the required materials though.

Had an Ovis sheep walk right up to my doorstep. Fortunately I had exactly one of the item I needed to tame it. (See above about pillaging). Not that shearing sheep is particularly useful in a desert...

Honestly, I've been spending so much time writing this I'm not sure I'm going to get much done today. Gunpowder done, I should have just enough metal to build the industrial forge. Making clay right now to finish out the building. I should move my crops off of the roof to make room for the forge.

When I said before that Titanomyrma was great for going harvesting, I understated. Was able to fly out and gather a huge sum of ore. And the ant queen that I tamed wasn't too impressive of a specimen.

Went to harvest wood and got another bandit raid. Got leech blood for fishing though, so its not too bad. I suppose I could put out the sign that stops their attacks, but its very convenient to have supplies delivered right to my door.

I had the idea to recruit some of the humans here, the ones skilled with bows. I remembered seeing plentiful villages out in the dunes. But when I went out there, I was attacked by not one, not two, but FIVE worms. Cerato dealt with them easily.

I've got plenty of leech blood, and I don't want to waste it. Off to go fishing.

[I know I can get the ability to build trains and railway tracks if I buy the Bob's Tall Tales DLC, but I wonder what that's like before I buy]

[Stress from work, and lack of sleep, has caused me to build up quite a lot of fatigue. Ugh.]

[drimogemons]

guh i want a small group to play asa: scorched earth with............. whenever it RELEASES...

scorched earth is my fav mapppp despite how annoying it is to start out

[thetoxicgamer]

Ark remaster delayed, now early access, but cheaper

The popular dino survival game's Unreal Engine 5 Ark remaster will now be released in early access, according to developer Studio Wildcard, who has also announced that the release of Ark Survival Ascended will be postponed until October. The Island will be released initially, followed by Scorched Earth in December, and the remaining maps in 2024. Ark Survival Ascended will likewise be released in sections. “With what we’ve learned about remastering The Island from the ground-up, it wouldn’t be feasible to complete Scorched Earth to a standard we’re happy with,” Studio Wildcard announces on its blog. “We had initially planned to ship with more content on day one, but that won’t be happening.” As such, the team is also slightly lowering the game’s launch price point to $45 (down from $60), with an extra discount for those who pick it up at release. The remaster was initially announced as a way for the team to familiarize itself with Unreal Engine 5 development before Ark 2. It was then reframed slightly, with the team responding to negative feedback by instead bundling all the expansions into one package, which would be priced at the aforementioned $60. Now, with the delay from August to October, you’ll get the package for $45, or a discounted $40 if you buy in when the game releases in early access. However, as mentioned above, you’ll just get access to The Island initially – Studio Wildcard’s current plan is “that Scorched Earth will be coming to ASA in December this year, Ragnarok and Aberration will follow in Q1 2024, and the rest of the maps beyond then.” All of this still appears to have rankled the ire of the game’s normally dedicated playerbase, who have devolved from its initial disappointment and anger that the remaster, which was initially expected to be a free update, is instead a full-price paid product. Instead, the predominant tone right now appears to be a joking one – in particular, the Ark subreddit is currently full of memes about the latest update. In particular, fans point to the latest weapon comparison image shared as part of the update, which shows a club, bow and arrows, and tools in the original Survival Evolved’s UE4 engine alongside the new-look Survival Ascended equivalent. “They’re the same picture,” one post remarks, in reference to the popular meme of Pam from The Office US. “We know you’re excited, curious, and skeptical; we understand,” Studio Wildcard says. “Our plan is to show gameplay close to the launch of ASA, as that’ll be when it’s completely ready and will best represent the final product, so you’ll have to stay tuned until then.” It also confirms that, to match the delay, the Ark Survival Evolved official network will now be shut down on September 30, 2023 instead. In addition to this, the delay to Scorched Earth means that you won’t be able to transfer your server when Survival Ascended launches; instead, server transfers “will become enabled when Scorched Earth releases in December.” Ark Survival Ascended releases in October 2023 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S at an early access price of $44.99, with a launch discount bringing it to $39.99 at release. The game is planned to stay in early access until “late 2024 once all the content has finished its next-generation remastering.” For now, you can play the original Ark Survival Evolved via PC Game Pass, if you have an active subscription to Microsoft’s game library. Ark 2 is planned to join it there, but there’s currently no confirmation whether Survival Ascended will be on the service. We’ve got more of the best dinosaur games on PC if you love a bit of prehistoric frivolity, or you can check out the best Ark mods for plenty of ways to enhance your game right now. Read the full article

[dfroza]

A great and terrible Judgment will befall earth

at some point.

this is its cleansing of sin.

(with rebirth carried in its wings)

John wrote of this in the book of Revelation with Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the closing book of the New Testament

[Chapter 8]

When the Lamb cracked open the seventh and final seal, a great silence filled all heaven penetrating everything for about half an hour. Then I saw seven heavenly messengers, the ones who stand before God, receive seven trumpets.

An eighth messenger came and stood before the altar carrying a golden censer. He received a large portion of incense to complement the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that sits in front of the throne. From the hand of the eighth messenger, the smoke of the incense mixed with the prayers of God’s people and billowed up before God. The messenger filled the censer with fiery coals from the altar and cast it upon the earth, causing a great commotion of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The seven heavenly messengers raised the seven trumpets and prepared to sound them.

The first messenger sounded his trumpet, and a blast of hail and fire mixed with blood was cast down to the earth. As a result, one-third of the land was set ablaze, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was scorched.

The second messenger sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, with bright flames of burning fire, was cast into the sea. As a result, one-third of the sea turned into blood, one-third of the living sea creatures died, and one-third of the ships were obliterated.

The third messenger sounded his trumpet, and a great star called Wormwood dropped out of heaven, flaming like a torch as it fell on one-third of the rivers and the springs. As a result, one-third of the waters turned bitter like the herb wormwood so that many people died from the poisonous bitter waters.

The fourth messenger sounded his trumpet, and one-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars were darkened. As a result, one-third of their light flickered and failed. For one-third of the day, the sun did not shine; and likewise for one-third of the night, the moon and stars did not give their light.

Then I saw an eagle flying through midheaven, and I heard it cry with a loud voice.

Eagle: Woe, woe, woe—horror, disaster, and calamity—to the earth dwellers! The rest of the trumpet blasts from the last three messengers are about to sound.

The Book of Revelation, Chapter 8 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 19th chapter of 2nd Chronicles that takes a look at the appointing of righteous judges over the people:

Then Jehoshaphat returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. When he arrived, Jehu (the son of Hanani the seer whom Asa imprisoned for predicting wars against Judah) greeted the king.

Jehu: Should you aid the wicked and align yourself with those who hate the Eternal? If you do, you will bring the wrath of the Eternal upon yourself. In spite of helping God’s enemies, there is still some good in you—you did remove the Asherah idols from Judah and seek the True God.

Unlike his father Asa, Jehoshaphat did not punish the seer for his message. Instead, the king dedicated himself to drawing his nation closer to the Eternal One, the True God of their ancestors. He lived in Jerusalem, but he traveled among his people from Beersheba in the South to the hill country of Ephraim in the North. Jehoshaphat, whose name means “the Lord judges,” appointed judges throughout the land—in the fortified cities of Judah, one at a time.

Jehoshaphat (to the judges): When you are rendering your judgments, consider them carefully. When you judge, you are representing the Eternal, who is with you when you render a verdict, not man or any institution. Be guided by your fear of Him. Act carefully because the Eternal One, our True God, is never associated with unrighteousness, partiality, or bribery.

In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed judges from three specific groups: the Levites, the priests, and the tribal leaders of Israel. They enacted the Eternal’s judgments and presided over the daily disputes among the citizens of Jerusalem.

Jehoshaphat (commissioning his judges): You will faithfully and wholeheartedly perform these duties in the fear of the Eternal: instruct your brothers about the various laws (so they and you will be innocent before the Eternal and all of you will avoid His anger) whenever any city dweller brings you subjective cases where the right decisions are not apparent, cases where you must choose who is justified in bloodshed or how to interpret the laws and commandments. Amariah, the chief priest, will be in charge of all that pertains to the Eternal; Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael and leader of the Judahites, will be in charge of all that pertains to governance; and the Levites will be your officers. If you act decisively, then the Eternal is a part of your good actions.

The Book of 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 19 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Tuesday, february 16 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A post by John Parsons about faith vs. fear:

“And now abides faith, hope, love; these three” (1 Cor. 13:13). The opposite of faith is fear; of hope, despair; and of love, indifference. Fear is the “default mode” of the soul that dwells in darkness. This is because the “fallen” soul regards the empirical world and its flux as ultimately real -- and therefore “sees in order to believe.” The life of faith, on the other hand, looks beyond the realm of appearances to behold an abiding glory -- and therefore “believes in order to see.” How we choose to see is ultimately a spiritual decision for which we are each responsible....

In the geo-political world there are more seemingly good reasons to be afraid today than in any time since the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Every day the media indoctrinates people about threats of various kinds: plagues (e.g., the bird flu, swine flu, coronavirus, etc.), natural disasters, economic uncertainties, terrorist plots, and so on. In short, by choosing to engage the “culture of fear” (with its ongoing propaganda campaigns from both the right and left wing perspectives) induces a sense of dread and anxiety (as someone once said, “FEAR” is "False Education Appearing Real"). Just as a lie-detector can physiologically sense when people are telling lies, so our souls can sense when we are believing them... There is no neutral ground here, no “transcendent” place of the soul where we can rise above the realm of contrary truth claims: We will either be set free by the truth or else we will live in fear. As Yeshua said, the “Truth shall set you free.”

Of course this isn’t easy, and the temptation to yield to fear is ongoing. The test of our faith is of more value to the Lord than our material or emotional comfort, however, and therefore we will all experience tribulation of various kinds. This is the way we obtain heart (i.e., courage). Several years ago I wrote a Hebrew meditation (“Fear Thou Not”) that reminded us that the most frequently occurring commandment in Scripture is simply al tirah (אַל־תִּירָא), “don’t be afraid.” If living without fear were easy, it would be of little spiritual worth, but since it requires all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, it is therefore considered precious. Faith requires, in short, an infinite (and divinely given) passion. And it is part of God’s plan for us to be “in but not of” the world system, to be alienated, to be misunderstood, to be persecuted... We are called to “take up the cross” and die daily. Following Yeshua means sacrificing ourselves along the way.

Ultimately worldly fear distills to the fear of death, or rather, fear of “the one who has the power of death, namely the devil” (Heb. 2:14-15). If we come to peace with our own finitude, our own mortality, and our eventual end in the Messiah, however, then death has no more power over us. Perhaps this is part of the reason why those who sincerely live the Christian faith are so hated in communist countries or in other places of absolutist secular ideologies. If you are delivered from the greatest threat that man can menace over you, you are free to be a voice crying in the wilderness. The life of truth is something the humanist and atheist can never comprehend.

Fear is the antithesis of faith, though living without fear is certainly not easy. After all, how do we naturally choose to be unafraid of what we in fact fear? Is this power within our conscious control? Only by a miracle are we set free from fear... Indeed, true faith working within the heart is one of the greatest miracles of God. May it please God to impart to each of us real courage that comes from Heaven itself... Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

2.15.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

February 16, 2021

All Things Well

“And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” (Mark 7:37)

Jesus indeed “hath done all things well.” One strong evidence of His deity is this very fact. No matter how carefully we study His deeds, we can find no flaw in any of them—no deficiency, nothing He should have done differently or left undone. He never had to apologize or express regrets, as we often at least ought to do. He was always master of every situation. Peter said that He just “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

The same truth would apply—perhaps even more emphatically— to His words. He never had to speculate or equivocate: “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22). Jesus never guessed about anything or merely expressed an opinion, as we frequently do. He never suggested a “possible” interpretation. Everything He taught was with absolute authority, for He was (and is) the very Word of God (John 1:1, 14).

His words occasionally were harsh and judgmental when dealing with hypocrisy and false teaching (e.g., Matthew 23:29-33), but more often were kind and forgiving. In fact, “all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luke 4:22). Even the soldiers sent to arrest Jesus returned empty-handed, for as they said: “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46).

Indeed, “his word was with power” (Luke 4:32). He was “Jesus of Nazareth...a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). In fact, He was more than a man; He was the perfect man and the only-begotten Son of God! HMM

and a Tuesday tweet by illumiNations:

@IlluminationsBT: #translationtuesday Our voyage in the history of Bible translation continues ...

1450 - Gutenberg invents the printing press in Germany, allowing for the printing of Bibles.

2.16.21 • 10:56am • Twitter

[trench-surfer]

Desert Moon

[nylusion]

Building a greenhouse in ARK: Survival Ascended is very beneficial for taming! Tune in as TriZon & Xycor build a greenhouse for their plants in live episode 39 of our playthrough!

[putres-cente]

Once, she was a witch, dressed as a bird, and her wings were wide and spreaded over the scorched earth.

Uma vez, ela usou sapatilhas de baile cobertas de ouro, como o ouro das imagens santas que queimou-lhe a pele quando ela ousou aproximar-se e deitar-se sobre elas. Em sua boca em carne viva, a doçura dos morangos e das petúnias, rezando pelo alívio da água benta sobre a sua testa.

As asas falsas que o demônio lhe deu serviram para costurar-lhe as escápulas, arrebentadas do último desastre. Uma vez, isso há muito tempo, ela usou penas de ganso nos cabelos e nos ombros, nas mangas de seu vestido, mesmo que os magos tivessem lhe dito que o branco não lhe caía bem e lhe emprestava um ar doente e pastoso. 

O homem de negro aproximou-se e ele era aquele que havia cruzado o rio com ela, em barcos enormes e encantados, com velas finas de fios de prata, cantando para ela dormir nas travessias atormentadas, dessa vez e muitas outras vezes. Todas as vezes que ele aproximou-se dela, a ferida de sal e pimenta que ele havia esculpido em seu ventre ardia e a cada vez que ele navegou para longe, na água amarga e amaldiçoada, sua pele de papiro e teia de aranha refez-se nova no lugar da cicatriz ardente.

No templo das abelhas que a fizeram rainha da magia e do nada, os pequenos homens cantam pois o século velho já se faz por terminar - e o que virá há de ser magnífico e dourado, como a maçã de Adão, como a perdição eterna e deliciosa que atravessa os mares e dilacera o coração da bruxa que foi e que será.

As luzes do novo século já brilham no céu da aurora e desfalecem a pele do homem de negro, manchando-lhe o peito aberto como borras de café em papel amarelado. Ele abre os olhos dourados e dentro de si está toda a velhice deste mundo que não toca em lugar nenhum a novidade do século.

A bruxa renasce entre as penas de ganso que uma vez a estrangularam e o sol que o homem de negro uma vez fez brilhar sobre ela ilumina agora sua renascença.

É o ano da graça de nosso senhor da cruz dos pássaros de mil e novecentos, segundo se conta o tempo em Constantinopla.

[bundokislife]

Let’s talk about BMC!

BMC stands for Basic Mountaineering Course. Everyone who wants to start hiking should be knowledgeable about the basics in mountaineering.  Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC), as the name suggests, it teaches you the basics of mountaineering. The curriculum has a basic layout which includes fitness training, safety, teambuilding, LNT principles, camping, etc. I will just explain and enumerate here the vital parts of BMC and its importance in every mountaineer. And as the time goes on, I will discuss every topic in every blog post that I will create.

These are the topics that BMC composed of: 1. What is mountaineering? 2. Mountaineering in the Philippines 3. Basic Equipments 4. Preparation 5. Organizing a Climb 6. Trail Movements 7. Camp Management 8. Ropemanship 9. Basic Emergency Care 10. Other Things to Do

So before I moved on to this,I will discuss first the definition of mountaineering and its origin.

The term mountaineering describes the sport of mountain climbing. While some scholars identify mountaineering-related activities as climbing (rock and ice) and trekking up mountains, others are also adding backpacking, hiking, skiing, via ferrata and wilderness activities, and still others state that mountaineering activities also include indoor climbing, sport climbing and bouldering. However most of the scholars, the term mountaineering understand as a climbing (which now refers to adventure climbing or sports climbing) and trekking (hill walking in 'exotic' places). Hiking in the mountains can also be a simple form of mountaineering when it involves scrambling, or short stretches of the more basic grades of rock climbing, as well as crossing glaciers.

While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed big mountains it has branched into specializations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists of three (3) areas: rock-craft, snow-craft, and skiing, depending on whether the route chosen is over rock, snow or ice. All require experience, athletic ability, and technical knowledge to maintain safety.

Mountaineering is often called Alpinism, especially in European languages, which implies climbing with difficulty such high and often snow and ice-covered mountains as the Alps. A mountaineer with such great skill is called an Alpinist. The word alpinism was born in the 19th century to refer to climbing for the purpose of enjoying climbing itself as a sport or recreation, distinct from merely climbing while hunting or as a religious pilgrimage that had been done generally at that time.

Mountaineering in the Philippines

Mountaineering could mean different things to different people. One regards it asa sport, while another says it is a hobby, a pastime, or a diversion. Regardless of varying impressions, mountaineering can be defined as a physical and mental activitythat requires skills, experience, common sense, and guts in ascending and descendingmountains.It is a physical activity because it demands kilometers of trekking in variousterrain that may sometimes be steep, slippery and wet, eroded and flaky. It requireskilograms of backpack that must be carried from the base to the summit and vice versa.It exacts exposure to occasional inclement weather that may play between a humidafternoon to a torrential rainy night.

On remote occasions, hail storm, thunderstorm, andlightning are experienced. It may require scaling a vertical wall, hanging on the side of acliff, hopping to the other side of a crevice, treading to the other bank of the river,exploring the less-oxygen atmosphere of a cave, and breathing in thin air at high-altitudes.In the entire stretch of the trek, the mind must be attentive of the conditionsaround it. It must be mindful of safety and calculating with risks. The mind is required togive sound judgements because lapses may inconvenience and, to a certain extent,endanger the individual and the group. It involves mental conditioning to plod on evenwhen the body has exhausted its limit, to gorge on even if the food looks yucky, to hopefor the campsite at the nearing bend, and to pray for the weather to turn out nice. Onharsh conditions, it is only the power of the mind to create wonderment in the face of stress and danger that keeps sanity intact.

Climbing mountains safely demands that one should be equipped with the basicskills associated with the great outdoors. The mountain is a repository of surprises thatmay prove to be nightmarish for someone unprepared for it. You cannot afford to leaveeverything to fate when you could have prepared in advance to avert the occurrence of a crisis. And what better way to prevent or manage a crisis than by preparing andcontinuously retooling oneself before it comes.Though Philippine mountaineering destinations are friendly to novice climbers, itis still advisable to acquire knowledge about the basics such as fitness, breathing,walking, and packing.

Furthermore, it helps to be acquainted with cooking, route-finding,low-impact climbing, search and rescue, first aid, rappelling, rock-climbing, caving,swimming, camp management, trail signs, survival techniques that are found by readingbooks, undergoing seminar-training, or watching documentaries. Some of these skillswere taught during scouting. More specialized ones are offered by mountaineeringgroups and government units.You may have amassed and simulated all the skills from books, seminars, anddocumentaries, but if you have not experienced climbing a mountain, you must prepare to climb one now or you will just end up shortchanged. Techniques are best honed anddeveloped by actually experiencing them. As they say, experience is the best teacher.No amount of literature, documentaries, and stories can match the elationbrought about by experiencing for oneself the joys and travails of climbing a mountain.From afar, a mountain is just a landscape.

But inside it nestles a landscape of fulfillmentthat is succinctly unique to each individual experiencing it.A mountain is survived not by skills and experience alone but largely by commonsense. It entails that you must be practical with your decisions on your most basicmovements such as stepping, sitting, attending to call of nature, breathing, standing,sleeping, jumping, bending, and carrying, to mention a few. When to rest, which leg topull the body, which ground to step on, which way to take in face of a fork, which plantto grab for a grip, and where to refill water are just a few of the decisions that commonsense should settle. Mountaineering presents you with many variables to scrutinize for abetter judgement. Many of these decisions are best helped by the book, throughsimulation, and by experience. But, the decision is still yours to make. Your skills andfive senses, and even your sixth sense will help you decide on what is the mostpractical thing to do in a given situation.

Finally, you must have guts to climb a mountain. Only the gutsy could tread ariver whose depth and undercurrent are unknown. Only the gutsy could enter and exit acave and not be gasping for air in panic. Only the gutsy could walk or look down at acliff. Only the gutsy could hang from a rope to ascend or descend a wall. Only the gutsycould commit to trek for many kilometers under the scorching heat of the sun withminimum drinking water and a heavy load at the back.A mountain is home to many wild plants and animals that can afflict harm or enchant you. It has a height that can be too deep or high to the faint-hearted butadrenaline pumping to risk-takers. It can mean death to one but death defying to others.No matter how you fear the dangers that lurk in its slopes and summit, you need toexorcise the fears out of your mind and heart.In its splendor, a mountain promises great wonders of the wild, awesomelandscapes of heaven and earth, unique triumphs of the human spirit, and untold talesof personal discovery.

But all these will just remain a promise unless you haveconquered it and protected it for others to reap its promises in their own time and evenin many decades hence. After all, no one can afford to bequeath a world wheremountains are read from shelves, seen in videos, and framed in walls. Our childrendeserve no less than the moving postcards that we enjoy now and that we fear to befading soon unless we clamor for its preservation against quarrying, burning, and logging.

Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/24360445/Basic-Mountaineering-Course https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaineering

[titanomarchy]

ASA: Scorched Earth 1

Too bad, here it is.

I find myself back in the familiar desert ARK. Though, there's a lot more foliage than I remember. I've set up near the green Obelisk again. Hey- if it works, it works. Home is a nice leisurely stroll from the Obelisk and the lake at its base. I've taken my chair down to the water and fished a while. The usual fares, though sometimes its like the fish are so fat they were meant for the oceans on a different ARK.

I had a rough start with my tames. Some bandits came along and slaughtered my first raptor, and my jugbug roasted itself in a panic. It took a few tries, but they're dealt with, at least for now.

Alright, got a house started up. As I get more resources I'll be able to expand it, push the walls out. This'll do for now. I've even got a 'backyard' at the back cliff I can park my critters in. Put a small garden on the roof and some water reservoirs along the edge of the cliff. Even with the lake nearby, I'm going to need what I can get.

Had my first encounter with a Ceratosaurus. Something about them gives me the creeps. It's like it knows that you know that it's there. And they're all covered in toxic spines too. I've got to get me one of those.

I've found a creature that the system is identifying as Leonis. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure those are just lions. With the help of my dire wolf for mobility, I was able to tame a whole pride. A small pride, but a pride nonetheless. Over time I'll be able to expand it.

I should probably put a fence around the 'yard'. Note to self.

I was lucky enough to find a Ceratosaurus that had a child with it. That would allow me to bypass the more complicated method of taming them. I tried to move back to base too fast though, and the baby Cerato got eaten by a pride. Oops. I'll have to try again, probably the main method instead.

I've got the start of decent technology now with the Fabricator. Got a dilemma: Do I save my metal for a better forge, or spend it as I need it? Currently I'm doing my best to save it after upgrading my metal tools. Home is starting to look decent, though its still fairly flat and has no internal dividers or rooms. I did get around to putting in that fence too. I'm keeping the pride outside of it for defense, but all my harvesters can be kept safe when they're not in use.

The desert has got a certain rhythm to it. I go out, harvest some cactus sap and wood. To use the sap, I need sand, so I harvest sand and stone. Then with the total resources I can expand my base a bit more. Then I need more wood, and might as well get more sap.

Those bandits are at it again. You would think the lions outside my house would've sent a message, "Don't". Guess the appeal that maybe this time they'll be lucky is too strong of an appeal. They are persistent though. I'm having a hard time putting this all down because they won't stop.

Oh, I can probably build the Arrakeen Fabricator. With that I can build a spice harvester. The harvester machine takes a lot of metal that I don't have though.

[trench-surfer]

Fire, Lightning, & Poison Wyvern Breath

[trench-surfer]

Ark Ascended Scenery | Grave of the Tyrants