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 would like to start with Germany's Black Forest please :)

Here you go. Good luck!

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: strike out into the forest in search of rescue
Book: Secret in the Moonlight
Author: E.L. Flood
Date Read: 6/12/22
Task: 4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: Secret in the Moonlight

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: stop and look for food
Book: The Problem with Playboys: An opposites attract, workplace romance
Author: Karen Booth
Date Read: 6/16/22
Task: 2. read a book with a good looking MC
How it Fits: The hero and heroine are both described as being very attractive.

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'

I'm probably making a foolish decision here but ...

Decision: cross on the fallen tree
Book: The Golden Hawk
Author: Jean M. Favors
Date Read: 6/17/22
Task: 3. read a 'deadtree book' (printed on paper)
How it Fits: It's a paperback (deadtree) book.

You don't want to waste any more time. Crossing over this fallen log is a risk, but you've got to take risks to save Henri's life.

Carefully you slide out onto the log. You lay flat, wrapping your arms and legs around it. This allows you to distribute your weight evenly.

At first everything goes smoothly. But about halfway across, you feel the log begin to shift. You pick up the pace, but soon you hear a sickening snap. A moment later, you're falling. You only fall about 7 meters, but sharp rocks lurk under the surface.

Everything happens so fast you don't even feel your head smashing into one of the rocks. You failed to get out of the wilderness alive, and your brother will pay the price along with you.

D.L. wrote: "I'm probably making a foolish decision here but ..."

Yea, sorry :(

You have some choices at this point.
1 - stop this challenge
2 - stay in Germany 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?

I knew it, I'm a lousy decision maker lol I'll try 3 - Please send me to The Canadian wilderness

D.L. wrote: "I knew it, I'm a lousy decision maker lol I'll try 3 - Please send me to The Canadian wilderness"

Here's the Canadian wilderness -

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'

Decision: strike out in search of help
Book: Let Me Tell You How I Died
Author: Sinclair Smith
Date Read: 6/19/22
Task: 4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: Let Me Tell You How I Died

If nobody knows where you are, you could wait here for weeks before rescue comes - if it comes at all. You might survive the summer, but winter would kill you. It's time to move.

You pack your things. Your backpack is heavy. Reluctantly you leave your tent behind to lighten your load. You can always build a shelter.

Mountains lie to your east. The land gradually slopes down to the west. You don't know where you might find civilization.

To head west away from the mountains:
1. read a book with a person on the cover looking away from you
2. read a book set west of where you live
3. read a book where a famous mountain in mentioned
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To head east toward the mountain:
1. read a book where a person on the cover is looking towards you
2. read a book set east of where you live
3. read a book with 'mountain' in the text of the book
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: head west away from the mountains
Book: A Steak in Murder
Author: Claudia Bishop
Date Read: 6/25/22
Task: 4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: A Steak in Murder

You head west, away from the mountains. You know that in a survival situation, it's usually best to head downhill. Higher elevations will be colder, and also, people tend to settle in lower elevations.

You hike for several days. Your progress is slow and steady. At night you stop and make camp. You eat berries and insects. Eating bugs is gross, but most are plentiful, safe, and loaded with protein.

Late on your third day of hiking, you stop suddenly in your tracks. Ahead of you stands an enormous grizzly bear. The bear takes a step toward you. You have to act quickly!

To stand your ground:
1. read a book where the MC has to defend their actions
2. read a book that you own
3. read a book that shows bare dirt on the cover
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To run from the bear:
1. read a book where the MC has to run (move at a speed faster than a jog)
2. read a book where the MC has to run (leave a situation)
3. read a book with a creature in it that has brown fur
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: stand your ground (EEP!)
Book: Redemption on Rivers Ranch
Author: Kathy Douglass
Date Read: 6/27/22
Task: 2. read a book that you own
How it Fits: I bought this paperback at a bookstore. I own it.

D.L. wrote: "Decision: stand your ground (EEP!)"

:D

Running is the worst thing you could do. A bear's instinct is to chase something that runs away. You need to let it know that you are human and you pose it no threat.

You spread your arms to make yourself bigger and speak in a calm, clear voice, "I'm sorry I bothered you. I'm leaving now." You slowly back up without making eye contact with the grizzly. The bear seems to hesitate, but it wanders off in the opposite direction.

With a deep sigh of relief, you relax. That was a close one. That night you make sure to set up camp from away from where you had the bear encounter.

Two days later you come across a small road. A sign of civilization! You follow the road for most of the morning. Around noon you hear the sounds of a vehicle. A truck rumbles around the corner.

You wave at it, and it slows down. A man and his son stop to ask if you need help. You thank your rescuers. You're going to be okay.

Congratulations! You survived Canada!

What do you want to do now?

YAYYYYYY. I'll try for best out of 3 and go to the Blue Mountains of Australia for my last round. Thanks!

D. L. goes down under :D

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: forage for wild plants
Book: The Love Killers
Author: Jackie Collins
Date Read: 7/1/22
Task: 4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: The Love Killers

I'm sorry it took so long, D.L. My laptop died yesterday afternoon. My husband worked on it for a while, declared it kaput, bought a new laptop this morning, and then set it up.

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: look for something else to eat*
Book: Dragonwell Dead
Author: Laura Childs
Date Read: 7/6/22
Task: 1. read a book with double letter word in the title (i.e., look, berries, letter)
How it Fits: Dragonwell Dead


*Because those berries could be poisonous...?! lol

Lanelle wrote: "I'm sorry it took so long, D.L. My laptop died yesterday afternoon. My husband worked on it for a while, declared it kaput, bought a new laptop this morning, and then set it up."

No worries at all. I appreciate you doing these challenges for us!!

No matter how hungry you are, you are not about to start eating mystery berries. You keep searching, and a few minutes later, you're rewarded. You find a bunch of saffron milk caps - an edible and nutritious species of mushrooms. You quickly eat them.

With a little food in your belly, you feel ready to keep moving. You move carefully through the thick forest. Soon you come across a small river. You start to follow it downstream. You know that rivers usually lead to civilization.

As you walk alongside the river, you realize that the sun will set soon. You'll have to make camp soon. This side of the river is rocky and rough. You notice a perfect flat location on the far side. The river is not a very big one. You think it's no deeper that waist level, and the current doesn't seem strong here. You decide to cross.

To strip off your clothes before you cross:
1. read a book where the MC is stripped of their rank, power, or property
2. read a book with a bare chest on the cover
3. read a book that is yours (you own it)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To stay dressed for the crossing:
1. read a book where the MC stays in one location during the story
2. read a book where the MC wears a dress
3. read a book with a street or road on the cover
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: strip off your clothes before you cross
Book: Nights in Rodanthe
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Date Read: 7/9/22
Task: 3. read a book that is yours (you own it)
How it Fits: Bought this paperback at a used bookstore several years ago. I own it.

Nights in this region can be chilly, and you don't want to face one with wet clothing. You strip off every bit of clothing and put it all in your pack. You lift the pack above your head and start across.

The water is ice cold. It's also deeper that you expected. Luckily the current isn't powerful, or you'd be swept away. You manage to make it across, but you're shivering badly. You quickly get dressed, gather wood, and start a fire. You need to get warm as soon as possible. You can't afford to get hypothermia out here!

Within a few hours you're snoozing by the fire. Even with its warmth, it's still a long and cold night. But you make it through and you're off again at dawn.

As you continue to follow the river, you hear a faint roaring. Soon you see why - the river tumbles over a sheer cliff. It's one of the area's many waterfalls.

You peer over the cliff and see that it's easily a 50-foot drop. You gasp as you notice something else far in the distance - a road! If you can get down this cliff, you should be able to reach it before sunset.

To climb down the cliff:
1. read a book with a significant character that is a climber (your definition)
2. read a book that is (or could be) on the Directions in Titles list
3. read a book where the MC is known by a shortened version of their given name (cliff - Clifford)
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

To try walking another direction:
1. read a book where the MC walks a lot
2. read another book in a series that you've already started
3. read a book that is (or could be) on the Cardinal Directions in Titles list
4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'

Decision: try walking another direction
Book: The Tower Treasure
Author: Franklin W. Dixon
Date Read: 7/15/22
Task: 4. read a book with a title that begins with 'L', 'O', 'S' or 'T'
How it Fits: The Tower Treasure

You know that in a survival situation, climbing is incredibly dangerous. A fall could kill you. Even a sprained ankle could be the end of you. You decide to walk parallel to the cliff and see if there's a better way down.

After several hours of hiking, you're tired and hungry. The cliff still blocks your way, and it's higher than ever. You haven't had water in hours, and you feel dehydration starting to set in.

You force yourself to keep walking. By evening you feel awful. You are severely dehydrated. You curl up and try to get a few hours of sleep, hoping that will help.

But by morning you're completely drained. You're cold and shivering. You try to stand, but the lack of water leaves you lightheaded. You faint, bashing your head against a rock.

You're dimly aware that you're bleeding. But at this point, you no longer really care. The wilderness of the Blue Mountains has beaten you.

Oh, no! Sorry, D.L.

What do you want to do now?

Oh, noooooo! lol I'm the worst decision maker. I've enjoyed this challenge so much, but I think I'll consider myself finished since I've attempted all three forests now. Thank you so much for hosting it!! It's been a blast.

D.L. wrote: "Thank you so much for hosting it!! It's been a blast."

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the challenge.