The Challenge Factory discussion

You are lost in the wilderness. Predators roam through the forest. Hot days and cold nights will test your strength. High cliffs, rushing rivers, and deep gorges will block your path. Any wrong decision could be your last.

Will you survive? In this challenge you'll make choices that could mean the difference between life and death.

I'll set the scene. You choose which path to follow. Follow the directions at the bottom of each post.

You can begin as soon as you get your thread.

HOW TO PLAY:
1. Read through the scenario.
2. Make your first decision and read one task for that decision. The fourth task will always be "Read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'". You can use or ignore the articles 'A', 'An', or 'The'.
3. Once you complete one of the tasks, post in your thread the following:
Decision:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Task:
How it Fits:

4. The moderator will then post the related decision result story.

Rules:
Books must be at least 140 pages.
Page count for audio books will be determined the first paper version shown on Goodreads. From the book's page, select “all editions”, then select the first paper edition as your guide.

Do you have what it takes to survive in the wilderness? Far from civilization, everything changes. You can't go to the grocery store. If you're hurt, a doctor isn't a phone call away. If you're cold, you can't turn up the heat. Even finding safe water to drink can be a challenge.

Being lost or stranded in the wilderness will test both your strength and your intelligence. How will you find food? How can you get the attention of rescue aircraft? What would you do if you were staring down the jaws of a hungry predator?

It won't be easy, but if you stay calm and make good choices, you might be able to get out alive. Are you ready to find out whether you have what it takes?

Where would you like to start? The Canadian wilderness, the Blue Mountains of Australia, or Germany's Black Forest?

I have always wanted to visit Australia so I am going to go with the Blue Forest of Australia, please.

Ariel wrote: "I have always wanted to visit Australia..."

Oooo. Me, too! With a side trip over to New Zealand, as well.

You're deep in the forests of Australia's Blue Mountains, and nobody knows where you are. You were planning to meet your friend Casey at a campsite later for some hardcore biking. First, though, you decided to take a morning ride on your own.

Now you're lost. The interesting little trail that you had been following has disappeared, and you can't find it again.

You're not too worried at first. You have your bike, and you're an expert rider. There's not much terrain you can't handle. But then your front wheel catches a rock. Your bike skids out from under you and you smash to the ground.

You're just scraped and bruised, but the bike is in far worse shape. The front tire is blown out, the chain is snapped, and the rim is bent beyond repair. That leaves you lost and alone with nothing but your feet to carry you. Not good.

You search your backpack and find a first-aid kit. You wipe down your scrapes and bandage them. As you look through your pack, you realize you're in trouble. You have a bottle of water, but no food. You have a small tool kit, a spare inner tube for the bike, emergency matches, and a windbreaker jacket.

With a sigh, you zip up your backpack and start hiking. You head east, knowing that the coast and civilization lie in that direction. After several hours of walking, your stomach is growling.

You know that the Australian wilderness contains many edible plants. But all around you, you can hear a variety of birdcalls. It's nesting seasons, and finding eggs wouldn't be too difficult. But getting them could be dangerous.

To forage for wild plants:
1. read a book with 'forage' in the text of the book
2. read a book with a wild animal in it
3. read a book with only plants on the cover (nothing else)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To try to find bird eggs:
1. read a book by an author that is new to you
2. read a book with a bird as part of the story
3. read a book where something is hatched or a baby is born
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To forage for wild plants.
Book: Shooting for the Stars
Author: Sarina Bowen
Date Read: May 12 - 13th.
Task: read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: It starts with the letter 'S'.

You keep your eyes open for plants that you know are safe to eat, including blue flax lilies and warrigal greens. You don't have much luck, though.

Your stomach is grumbling when you come across a small shrub with large clusters of green and red berries. You don't recognize the plant, but it's the closest thing to food you've seen so far.

You pluck a few of the berries and smell them. They don't have a very strong scent.

To look for something else to eat:
1. read a book with double letter word in the title (i.e., look, berries, letter)
2. read a book that is tagged 'mystery' *
3. read a book where the MC prepares a meal
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
* something - a thing that is unspecified or unknown

To eat the berries:
1. read the 2nd book in a series (to, two, too)
2. read a book with something edible on the cover
3. read a book with 'berry' or 'berries' in the text of the book
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To eat the berries.
Book: Private Property
Author: Skye Warren
Date Read: May 19-20th.
Task: read a book with 'berry' or 'berries' in the text of the book.
How it Fits: "Even Mrs. Fairfax senses my mood, because she makes my favorite breakfast - blueBERRY pancakes." (Page 144).
Page Count: 282 pages
Note: If blueBERRY doesn't sound as a using berry or berries in the text of the book, let me know and I'll read something else.

You're hungry and you'll need your strength, so you decide that it's time to take a chance. You pop a handful of berries into your mouth. The berries are bitter and tough, but you figure that at least they'll give give you energy. You force a few more handfuls down.

You begin hiking again, moving east, looking for a stream or river to follow. After a few hours of hiking, you're not feeling well. You have terrible diarrhea. You're stopping every few minutes. You feel as if you might have a fever. You sit down for a moment to catch your breath, but when you stand back up, you black out and fall back down.

After a few moments, you get slowly to your feet and continue moving. You need water. The diarrhea is quickly putting you into a state of severe dehydration. But you're exhausted. The berries you ate must have been poisonous. If you don't get medical help soon, you're going to die out here. But as you close your eyes to doze off, you know that help isn't coming.

Sorry, Ariel :(

You have some choices at this point.
1 - stop this challenge
2 - stay in Australia and start over making different decisions
3 - go to another location and read for that place

There may be other choices that I haven't thought of. What do you want to do?

This feels like something that would happen in real life. LOL

I would like to choose option 2 and start over making different decisions.

Ariel wrote: "I would like to choose option 2 and start over making different decisions."

Sounds good :)

You're deep in the forests of Australia's Blue Mountains, and nobody knows where you are. You were planning to meet your friend Casey at a campsite later for some hardcore biking. First, though, you decided to take a morning ride on your own.

Now you're lost. The interesting little trail that you had been following has disappeared, and you can't find it again.

You're not too worried at first. You have your bike, and you're an expert rider. There's not much terrain you can't handle. But then your front wheel catches a rock. Your bike skids out from under you and you smash to the ground.

You're just scraped and bruised, but the bike is in far worse shape. The front tire is blown out, the chain is snapped, and the rim is bent beyond repair. That leaves you lost and alone with nothing but your feet to carry you. Not good.

You search your backpack and find a first-aid kit. You wipe down your scrapes and bandage them. As you look through your pack, you realize you're in trouble. You have a bottle of water, but no food. You have a small tool kit, a spare inner tube for the bike, emergency matches, and a windbreaker jacket.

With a sigh, you zip up your backpack and start hiking. You head east, knowing that the coast and civilization lie in that direction. After several hours of walking, your stomach is growling.

You know that the Australian wilderness contains many edible plants. But all around you, you can hear a variety of birdcalls. It's nesting seasons, and finding eggs wouldn't be too difficult. But getting them could be dangerous.

To forage for wild plants:
1. read a book with 'forage' in the text of the book
2. read a book with a wild animal in it
3. read a book with only plants on the cover (nothing else)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To try to find bird eggs:
1. read a book by an author that is new to you
2. read a book with a bird as part of the story
3. read a book where something is hatched or a baby is born
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To try to find bird eggs
Book: Challenge
Author: Amy Daws
Date Read: May 25-29
Task: read a book by an author that is new to you
How it Fits: First book read by Amy Daws
Page Count: 320 pages

Birds are plentiful in this area. And you're in luck, since most are in nesting season. You start searching tree branches for signs of a nest. It doesn't take long to spot one sitting about halfway up a eucalyptus tree. It looks sturdy, but you know that climbing in a survival situation is a big risk.

Carefully, you work your way up the tree. You take your time, knowing that a fall here will likely cost you your life. Soon you've reached the branch that holds the nest. But from up here, it doesn't seem like a very broad branch. You don't know if it will hold your weight. You shake the branch, but you're not sure if the eggs would survive the fall. All your work for nothing.

To try shaking the branch:
1. read a book by an author that you've wanted to try
2. read a book about a topic that might shake you
3. read a book that has branched out from the original series
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To move onto the branch toward the nest:
1. read a book where the MC moves to a new location
2. read a book where 'branch' is found in the text of the book
3. read a book with all the letters of NEST is in the title
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To move onto the branch toward the nest
Book: Birthday Girl
Author: Penelope Douglas
Date Read: June 10-11
Task: read a book where 'branch' is found in the text of the book
How it Fits: "...reaching over to pick up the branch cutter again." (P. 165)
Page Count: 407

You're not willing to just let the nest fall to the ground after all this work. You straddle the branch and slowly make your way out. It creaks and bends a bit, but seems be holding.. Soon you're only a few feet from the nest. You peer inside it and see that there are five eggs!

You lean forward to grab the eggs. As you do, you hear a sharp CRACK. Before you realize what happened, you're falling! You don't even have time to scream.

Several branches break your fall, but you still crash hard to the ground. You lie there a moment to catch your breath. Your leg is throbbing with pain. You try to stand, but it won't bear any weight. You're sure it's broken. You won't last last long out here with a broken leg.

To work on finding shelter:
1. read a book with a MC that works at a job
2. read a book where the MC finds or discovers something
3. read a book a shelter of some sort on the cover (a building)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To build a signal fire:
1. read a book all the letters of BUILD in the author's name
2. read a book with a person gesturing or signaling on the cover (possibly a raised arm)
3. read a book where the MC builds a fire in the story
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To work on finding shelter
Book: If Only in my Dreams
Author: Carrie Aarons
Date Read: June 22
Task: read a book with a MC that works at a job
How it Fits: Madison (female mc) works as a social media manager for a beverage company. Porter (male mc) works as a local musician on a holiday train.
Page Count: 247 pages

The air already has a chill to it and you're not about to get into the river naked. You step carefully into the water and start across. At one point you stumble. Now everything is soaked - you, your clothing, your backpack, and everything in it.

By the time you reach the over side, you're shivering. You need a fire to warm up. You gather wood, shaking your arms and legs as you move. But when you go to go pack, you realize that your matches got wet. They won't be any good at lighting a fire.

Meanwhile, your teeth ate chattering. Your body is losing heat quickly. You recognize that you're in terrible danger. You can't make a fire, you're clothes are wet, and the air is growing colder by the minute.

You fall to the ground and curl up into a ball. You're so cold. Your breathing becomes shallow, and your thoughts become clouded. In another time and place, you'd know that you're suffering from advanced hypothermia. Sometime before morning, you take your last breath.

Sorry, Ariel :(

What do you want to do now?

I must be a cat with nine lives - goodness gracious. LOL

How about I try a new location? I would like to visit the Black Forest of Germany.

Good luck in Germany!

You look out from your small camp, scanning the horizon. Everywhere you look you see trees and more trees covering the rolling hills. There's no sign of civilization, and your situation is growing critical.

What started out as a hiking trip with your older brother, Henri, has gone terribly wrong. The two of you planned a long weekend of hiking in Germany's Black Forest. But yesterday you realized you were lost. And now things are even worse - Henri fell while climbing, badly breaking his leg. He's in terrible pain, and you don't know what to do. Your cell phones are dead, your food is almost gone, and Henri is in shock. Henri is in desperate need of medical help.

This is no time for tears. Henri's life - and your own - depend on you. You've got to get him the help he needs.

To stay with Henri and wait for help:
1. read a book with all the letters of STAY in the title
2. read a book where the MC or author's name begins with H
3. read a book that you have been waiting a long time to read
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To strike out into the forest in search of rescue:
1. read a book where a significant character plays a sport (like baseball)
2. read a book with a lot of trees on the cover
3. read a book where the MC rescues someone
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To strike out into the forest in search of rescue
Book: Our Teammate
Author: S.C. Kate
Date Read: July 16
Task: read a book where a significant character plays a sport
How it Fits: Both the main male characters play hockey.
Page Count: 341 pages

Henri may not have more than a day or two to live. You can't afford to sit around waiting. It's time to take action. You've already made a lean-to shelter for Henri, given him your last two granola bars, and a canteen of clean water.

With one last hug for Henri, you head out into the forest. The terrain is uneven and thick. Branches smack you in the face and you're always tripping over tree roots. Through the dense treetops you realize that the sun is setting. It's time to stop for the night. You build shelter, get water from a nearby stream, and start a small fire to boil the water. You lie down and try to sleep.

In the morning your stomach wakes you up. You feel as if you're starving. Can you spend another day of hard hiking without food?

To stop and look for food:
1. read a book from the The Most Begun "Read but Unfinished" (Started) Book Ever
2. read a book with a good looking MC
3. read a book with prepared food on the cover
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To continue searching for help:
1. read a book that will continue a series that you haven't read in 6 months
2. read a book with 'searching" in the text of the book (that exact word, no variation)
3. read a book where the MC receives help (your definition)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: To stop and look for food.
Book: Love from Scratch
Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Date Read: Sep. 2
Task: read a book with prepared food on the cover
How it Fits:
Page Count: 359 pages

You need something in your stomach if you're going to hike all day. You search for an hour before you find some wild blackberries. You know that they are safe to eat. You grab a handful. They are quite tart, but at least they fill your stomach.

It's back to your hike. Early in the afternoon, you see a thin wisp of smoke rising in the distance. It could be a sign of people, so you head for it.

Soon you come to a deep, narrow gorge carved out by a small river. You have to get to the other side, but it's too steep to climb. A tree has fallen over the gorge, bridging the gap. But you have no idea how strong the wood is, and it's covered with slick moss. Crossing it would be a huge risk. But it might take hours to find another way across.

To find a safer place to cross:
1. read a book found by accident (not intentionally)
2. read a book written by an author that you consider safe to read
3. read a book with a significant character than is cross, angry, or annoyed a lot
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To cross on the fallen tree:
1. read a book with a character in it a mixture of two cultures
2. read a book a person that is laying down or reclining
3. read a 'deadtree book' (printed on paper)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Choice: To find a safer place to cross.
Task: Read a book with a title that begins with L, O, S, T.
Book: So Not Meant To Be
Author: Meghan Quinn
Read: Feb. 8
Rating: 5 stars

There's no way you'll trust that dead tree with your life. You've got to fins another way. You work your way alongside the gorge until the slope becomes less steep. Finally you scramble down one side, cross the shallow river, and climb back up the other side. You've lost several hours.

Late in the afternoon, you finally find what you're looking for - people! A group of uni ecology students. You stumble into their midst, waving your arms. "Help! I need help!"

After a moment of shock, the young adults spring into action, rushing to your side. They use their mobiles to call for help and give you something to eat.

Within an hour you hear the thumping for helicopter blades in the distance. You watch anxiously as the chopper touches down to pick you up. Now you just need to get Henri.

Yay! You survived Germany!

What do you want to do now?

I'm going to take a stab at the Canadian Wilderness.

Ariel wrote: "I'm going to take a stab at the Canadian Wilderness."

Good luck!

As you watch the August sun dip behind the mountains of the Canadian Rockies, you're worried. You were supposed to spend two nights alone before being picked up by a small plane.

But now three days has stretched to six days, and what few supplies you brought with you have run out. And it seems that no one is coming.

Did something happen to the pilot who brought you here? He's the only other person who knows exactly where you are! Your friends and family only knew you were coming to Canada.

Your food and fresh water may be gone, but you came prepared. You've got warm clothes, a tent and sleeping bag, a pocketknife, and a piece of flint to start fires.

It's clear that rescue might not be coming any time soon. It's time to decide - do you wait for rescue here? Or is it time to strike out into the wilderness in search of help?

To wait for rescue here:
1. read a book set near where you live
2. read a book where the author's last name starts with 'H', 'E', 'R', or 'E'
3. read a book where the MC has to wait for something important
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To strike out in search of help:
1. read a book with the word 'strike' in the text
2. read a book with 'OUT' in the title (can be part of a word, i.e., about, South, outdoor)
3. read a book where the MC asks for help
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'