After the traditional first Wisconsin-based meal at Tomah Taco Bell, a stop at Blain's Farm & Fleet in Eau Claire to acquire additional camouflage gear (you gotta stay fresh™), and a long detour in search of a store that sells "obscure Wisconsin stuff", I arrived at Economart in Spooner, the nearest grocery store/town, much later than expected. I grabbed the essentials including chips, cheese curds, Grain Belt Premium Nordeast beer, and toilet paper, then finished the most exciting part of the drive along the rural county roads that approach the cabin.

Arriving at the cabin is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I excitedly cancelled a couple beers standing outside in the sub zero temperatures celebrating my arrival, then put on my boots and loaded all of my gear into the cabin.

My exuberance was quickly met with defeat. Shit. The water isn't working. I turned off the water heater and pump, then re-started them, but got nothing more than a slow stream before immediately slowing to a drip and puttering out. After cycling the pump several times with periods of rest, I decided it was probably time to call my friend Doug and his dad, Bobcat Dan, who owns and built the cabin. We were collectively unable to determine the exact cause of the problem pending my investigation into the crawlspace under the cabin, which was decidedly a task for tomorrow as the sun had retreated several hours before. I trudged down to the garage and found some buckets which I filled up with snow, placing them next to the heater so that I could have water to flush the toilet and boil to drink without having to drive back to Spooner.

My love for Wisconsin could not be defeated, even in the face of a potential major plumbing issue that could majorly disrupt my trip. I quickly shifted my priorities back to immediately consuming as much Grain Belt as possible, and rearranging the main room to accommodate a suitable workstation. Once I had my decks set up, the first thing to do was rip some doubles of The Dillinger Escape Plan. You probably won't find any other rap producers/DJs that are really into metal and hardcore, but the jungle-esque drum break at the beginning of Understanding Decay is so dope that it requires some juggles. Thankully, alone in the wilderness, I can be as loud as I want. Drag the knife across the skin.