The trek in Mountain Shadow: packing the sledge
The trek is the first chapter of Mountain Shadow, Five days to the mountain. You pack a sledge with 8 spaces, then walk five days from the village to Marsfjället, answering one small question each evening. What you pack is what your farm starts with, so take the fishing net and the seed potatoes.
What should you pack on the sledge?
The sledge holds 8 spaces. The axe and the goats come anyway and take no space: Father carries the axe and the two goats walk.
| Item | Spaces | What it gives your farm |
|---|---|---|
| Axe | 0 (always comes) | Felling trees and building at full speed |
| Goats | 0 (always come) | Your first two animals |
| Cooking pot | 1 | Comes along to the farm |
| Fishing net | 2 | Fishing at full speed. Without it, fishing is half as fast |
| Seed potatoes | 2 | 3 sacks to plant in the first spring |
| Dried food | 2 | 6 food on your food pile |
| Hay for the goats | 2 | 2 hay on your hay pile |
| Warm blankets | 2 | Comes along to the farm |
| Salt | 1 | Comes along to the farm |
| Traps | 1 | Comes along to the farm |
The sledge starts packed with the cooking pot, fishing net, seed potatoes, dried food and salt. That uses all 8 spaces and is a good choice. Tap an item to put it on or take it off. If it does not fit, the game says "No room! Take something off first."
Which items matter most?
- Fishing net: fish is the main food in the warm seasons. Half-speed fishing is a slow start.
- Seed potatoes: you can only Plant in Spring, and only if you have seed potatoes. Three sacks give up to 18 potatoes in autumn.
- Dried food or Hay for the goats give your piles a small head start.
The five days, stop by stop
Each day the family walks one leg. The screen says "Day 1 of 5", then "Evening, day 1" at the stop. Answer the question, read the story card and press Walk on!.
| Evening | Place | Question | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | The village | What goes on the sledge? | Pack, then Off we go! |
| Day 1 | The river | "The river is still frozen. Where do we cross?" | Where the ice is thick and white, or Over the big stones |
| Day 2 | The camp | "It is getting dark. Where do we put up camp?" | By the river, or Under the big pines |
| Day 3 | The birch wood | "Oh no! The goats ran off. Where can they be?" | Behind the rocks, In the birch trees, or Down by the stream |
| Day 4 | The big bog | "A wide bog is in the way. Which way do we go?" | Round it, along the hill, or Straight over the snow |
| Day 5 | The mountain | The last day! | You arrive under Marsfjället |
Every answer gets the family safely on. Only the goats are hidden in one place, and the game picks that place anew in every game. Pick a wrong place and it says Not here!. Just look somewhere else.
Trek stories
Some story cards always come on the trek, like leaving the village, crossing the river and the first sight of Marsfjället. Others only come in some games, like tracks in the snow, waiting out a snowstorm or a lost mitten. They all go into your Story Book.
Can you skip the trek?
Yes, once you have walked it before in this browser. Press Skip the trip (K, or Y on a controller). The game walks the rest for you and starts your farm. You can also press Faster (F) to walk at double speed.
What happens when you arrive?
You see Marsfjället, and the family chooses where to live. Chapter 2, Our place, starts in Spring with a first plan already filled in. Go on with your first ten minutes.
See also
- The fell and its places: the valley you arrive in.
- Your family and animals: who walked with you.
- The winter piles: why food and hay matter.
- Like a long winter trip? The Timber Haul guide and the Nordic Recovery guide are set in snowy Sweden too.
- Start walking: play Mountain Shadow.
