“Phew, good thing I took a look, otherwise there really would have been an accident.”
The director of photography wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief. It was fortunate that the contestant hadn’t eaten it, or there would have been an accident on live broadcast.
Just moments ago, the crew had confirmed that the mushroom the contestant was about to eat was indeed the Death Cap mushroom. Instantly, everyone was utterly convinced of Master Fang’s expertise.
Identifying a poisonous mushroom that’s easily confused with others at a glance is not something just anyone can do.
Such a reassuring consultant!
The eliminated contestant had nothing to say, silently allowing the helicopter to take him out of the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s just part of my job,” Bi Fang said with a wave of his hand, indicating it was not worth mentioning. As a safety consultant, it was his duty to avoid danger.
A false alarm.
The supervisory team paid even closer attention to the contestants, being extra vigilant to prevent them from consuming any more odd things.
[My gosh, finding something and still not being able to eat it feels even more dangerous.][Sparrows, thankfully we have Old Fang, or wouldn’t we be dead?]
[But do mushrooms even grow in this kind of weather?]
“Yes, many mushrooms also grow in winter, but I am a bit surprised to see Death Cap mushrooms,” replied Master Fang to the audience’s question.
Death Cap mushrooms should only appear around April. It’s not impossible for mushrooms to sprout a month early, but has the temperature been that high these past two days?
Bi Fang glanced at the thermometer and found that the temperature had actually reached around ten degrees Celsius.
Two nights ago, it could still drop below zero!
Even if the temperature warmed up during the day, reaching five or six degrees would have been normal, but now it had climbed to ten degrees Celsius!
“Chinook winds?” he muttered, rubbing his chin, Bi Fang began to suspect. They were near the cold current, and the Rocky Mountains shouldn’t have such temperatures at the end of February and beginning of March. The only explanation was the Chinook winds!
Pondy heard Bi Fang’s mutter and asked with curiosity, “Chinook winds, what’s that?”
“A strange weather phenomenon that occurs in the Rocky Mountains of North America.”
Seeing someone ask about it, Bi Fang took the opportunity to explain to the audience as well.
The Rocky Mountains were formed by the intense collision and compression between the American and Pacific Plates, stretching from northwest to southeast, basically parallel to the western coastline of North America.
The area chosen for the competition was north of 50°N latitude. From the perspective of pressure and wind belts, this zone is under the control of the prevailing westerlies all year round.
In winter, the influence of the cold air from the Arctic Ocean is more significant, resulting in low temperatures and heavy snow.
As winter ends and the climate gradually warms, the high-pressure from the North American continent begins to weaken, and the influence of the cold air from the Arctic Ocean also gradually lessens. Conversely, the prevailing westerlies from the Pacific start to impact this region.
Due to the mountains blocking their path, the warm and moist westerlies are lifted dramatically by the terrain, creating abundant orographic rain. However, once over the high Rockies, the airflow has less moisture and it descends along the slopes on the eastern side of the range.
As the altitude decreases, the air temperature continues to rise, and by the time it reaches the foothills, it becomes a dry, warm “Chinook wind.”
Chinook wind occurrences are not unique to this region; similar phenomena occur in the Alps, the Greater Caucasus at the intersection of Asia and Europe, and the Andes in South America.
“If it was carrying moisture, it’d be better, as the evaporation of water would take away plenty of heat, but the mountain range blocks the moisture, leaving only the dry, hot wind behind. During this period, the temperature in the Rockies will rise very quickly. It’s like a giant warm air blower pointing at the ground, and the vast amounts of snow formed by the cold air from the Arctic Ocean will melt very quickly.
Look, there was still some snow on the ground two days ago, and now it’s almost all gone,” Bi Fang explained.
The production team promptly pulled up footage from two days ago for comparison. No one had noticed before, but now it was clear as day.
The forest floor once covered with a layer of white snow was now entirely melted away, revealing the dark brown soil, which would likely turn green before long.
Hasn’t it melted too quickly?
Generally, the thicker the snow, the longer it takes to melt in the spring.
Not to mention the wilderness, even in the city, an unexpected heavy snowfall would take nearly a week to completely disappear, but this scene had occurred in just under two days.
“Because of the Chinook winds, each spring, as soon as the warm winds blow, snow accumulations over 10 centimeters can melt rapidly within a day. As the snow melts, the land quickly revives, and many mushrooms begin to grow earlier. This weather phenomenon aids local agriculture, so locals refer to these warm currents as ‘snow eaters.'”
[What an evocative name, snow eaters, awesome!]
[No wonder Death Cap mushrooms are growing, our side’s mushrooms also appear around April.]
Many viewers expressed that they had learned something new and had never heard of such weather phenomena before.
Pondy, however, was a bit concerned. Wouldn’t a rapid climate warm-up due to the Chinook winds have some effect?
“Could animals like brown bears wake up earlier if the temperature warms up?”
“Hmm…”
Bi Fang pondered with his head bowed before nodding slowly after a while.
“It’s a possibility.”
Audience: “!”
A lack of food is the main reason animals hibernate, and if food is abundant, many bears may not even hibernate.
“However, the odds are relatively low. Wilderness Survivalist inherently carries high risks, and the dangers are objectively present. The contestants are aware of this. Do you really want to abandon the shoot because of this?” Bi Fang said, attempting to ease Pondy’s concerns.
In his previous life, those Wilderness Survivalist shows wouldn’t cease production just because there were wild bears; what would be the point otherwise?
The aim was to capture the sense of reality. It wasn’t as if the areas Bear Grylls visited had all the bears, tigers, and wolves removed by the crew before filming, was it?
Impossible.
That would be like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Bi Fang patted Pondy on the shoulder, “Alright, don’t think too much. What we can do is ensure the safety of the contestants as much as possible. Let’s go back and continue filming.”
“Okay.”
Pondy nodded. With the conversation at this point, there was nothing else to do.
The competition among the contestants was still ongoing, with Bonuo, who had started out the earliest, already nearly seventy kilometers away from the drop point, far outpacing the other players.
Mugalen, who had started last, was not showing any signs of weakness either. After eating some food and being full of energy, he had reached a speed of seven kilometers per hour. He had even taken a detour, clearly having discovered something.
The two female participants had made a discovery as well—a cave.
Ava, excited, stared at the cave not far away and waved to Lisa, “Hey, Lisa, come and take a look!”
“A cave?”
Lisa was somewhat surprised and then thrilled.
For two days, apart from having eaten some lichen and earthworms, they had caught no prey. What might be in the cave they had suddenly found?
[Could this be our lunch breakthrough?]
[What’s in the cave? A python?]
[It feels like a rodent burrow?]
[Master Fang, tell us, what’s in there?]
There are many species in the forest that dig burrows, but considering the local species and combining this with the size of the entrance…
Bi Fang stared at the hole, which was only as wide as a palm, and said with some suspicion, “It looks a bit like the burrow of a prairie dog?”
Prairie dog?
What is that?
“It’s a ground squirrel.”
[Ground squirrel? You should have said so earlier, I’m familiar with that, ah!!!!!]
[Wow! There’s a visual now.]
[Is it that “ah!!!” kind of ground squirrel?]
Bi Fang nodded and explained, “There are many ground squirrels in the Rocky Mountains. They’re usually found in lower altitude grasslands, which is exactly where the pair is headed—they’ll have to pass through forests and grasslands.”
“Moreover, ground squirrels don’t hibernate. They are used to living in groups, are highly socialized animals, prefer being active during the day, and are good at digging burrows. If this is indeed a ground squirrel burrow, it means that there is a large group of ground squirrels here, at least six or more!”
Six!
The audience, thinking of the plump ground squirrels, held their breath.
That could feed them for quite a while!
The duo hadn’t considered this point; they still didn’t know what was inside the burrow, but the discovery itself was cause for celebration. Judging by the size of the hole, the animal living inside couldn’t be too small—at least it would be enough for their daily needs.
With the prospect of a meal, the two were full of vigor. After a quick consultation, they cooperated and divided the tasks: Ava went to look for shrubs and branches, while Lisa, as a member of the Beret Hat organization, searched for other holes nearby.
Seeing Lisa block the newly found holes with stones, Bi Fang nodded in approval, “That’s the right decision. Many animals adept at digging have multiple escape routes. If you just wait at one hole, you may end up with nothing. You must search for other holes and block them all.
Ground squirrels are burrowing experts. They have a vastly independent burrow system that can go as deep as 5 meters. The entrance is often built up to prevent water from entering. There are also refuge chambers nearby in case of predators. Deeper down, there are storage rooms, living quarters, toilets, and more. Usually, at the end of the tunnel, there is a main nest lined with soft grass—their infrastructure is quite comprehensive.”
Additionally, the branches Ava gathered are selected with care. Her likely goal is to burn the vegetation and smoke out the animals in the burrow. Hence, she is collecting fresh branches broken off from trees, which have high moisture content and will produce more smoke when burned.”
[Ground squirrel: Trembling, the outside world is so scary.]
[Damn, even ground squirrels live more comfortably than me!]
[Wori, the quality of their life is higher than mine. I’ve been working for three years, and I still can’t afford a toilet, so jealous.]
[Who isn’t?]
Hearing Master Fang’s description of the ground squirrel’s luxurious dwellings, many people showed envious expressions.
But the thought of them being eaten soon brought an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Bi Fang couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t say it like that. Although prairie dogs are also rodents, they actually contribute to natural fertilization. They continually trim the grasslands, increasing the protein content and the grass’s decomposition capabilities, which is of great significance for environmental protection.”
In the midst of the conversation, Lisa had blocked all the holes she could find with stones, and Ava had rekindled yesterday’s charcoal fire.
Within fifteen minutes, Ava had ignited the fire. She put the branches and shrubs she collected into it, and under the high temperature, the branches quickly warped and twisted, producing a large amount of white smoke.
Seeing this, Ava quickly stuffed the shrubs into the hole and took off her jacket to block the front of the fire, keeping the white smoke trapped within the burrow.
With nowhere else to go, the white smoke could only drift into the hole, quickly filling the entire burrow.
Lisa gripped the spear tightly, ready to strike the moment an animal emerged from the hole.
Soon, there were rustling noises coming from the burrow, followed by slightly shrill squeaks.
“Here they come!”
Lisa was very excited—the burrow really did have something inside!
By the sound of it, there seemed to be more than one creature!
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