Exercise in material acquisition and recombinance
Along Buffalo's west coast we find a strip of industrial development. Having acquired a few things we found along the way (the night before Niagara district's garbage day), we happen upon a number of discarded objects from the factories and warehouses. Most of these things appear to have been there for quite some time - out of sight and out of mind in the dead space between the warehouses, railroad tracks, and highway. This thick buffer zone, ironically composed of public elements, gives us the privacy we need for a new base camp.
There is little vegetation or terrain to help create enclosure, but at one point there is a tall section of fence. Still grounded, it's bent; taco'ed.
Taking advantage of this 'natural' enclosure, we first span the curve with a straight 10' pipe recovered just 50 yards down the tracks. Getting into the space though, we find the plants to be dry, rough, and many have thorns. Luckily, several plastic and wood palettes lay just a bit further down and serve to get us away from the harsh vegetation and off the cold ground. Finally, a roof enclosure is made of roll-up window shades layered with tar paper for water resistance and a wind barrier out of a long piece of corrugated plastic.
Waking up to the cold wind from the lake, we realize the shelter although much more advanced than the previous, is not suited for the harsher cold and noise presented by the new context. After distributing the shelter's materials to avoid its detection, we now ponder whether to further develop the camp or salvage the materials for alternative use.
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