A camping enthusiast, who has honed survival skills since childhood, took his dog and his camera into the forest during a blizzard for a special excursion: they headed for an abandoned village and an underground stone bunker that had the potential to be their shelter for the night.
Croatia-born Martin Lukavski, 36, headed to northwestern Croatia last summer after hearing about a village that was abandoned in the 1980s when its younger inhabitants left for the surrounding cities and the older generations eventually passed away. A blizzard was predicted that day, which is exactly what Martin was waiting for.
“Ideal weather for a new challenge,” he told The Epoch Times. “I spent a night in a cave located very close to the abandoned houses. I did some research around the village and found a beautiful stone shelter in good condition. The idea immediately dawned on me that I must spend at least one winter night there, so I did.”
Knowing what to expect, Martin packed simple hand tools including a knife, a hammer, pliers, sheet metal shears, some wire, and a few nails. He packed food and water for himself and his dog, Lajka, threw his backpack over his shoulders and headed into the forest. Under gentle snowfall, he relocated the stone bunker.
“The shelter didn’t need much work, so I repaired the door a bit, made a military bed, a food shelf, and a stove out of a metal bucket,” Martin said. “I put some candles in old glass bottles, and in a very short time I created a very pleasant and warm atmosphere for me and my dog.
“I have to admit that it was a little creepy with the wind howling outside in the treetops. Lajka, who is a very good guard, often growled—these ruins have their own story, who knows?”
Outdoors the temperature was 23 F (minus 5 C), while inside Martin’s cozy shelter, it had reached between 59 F and 64 F (15 C and 18 C). The duo slept comfortably, with Martin on his improvised bed made of logs and suspended tent canvas, and Lajka on a warm blanket by his feet.
By the time Martin opened his eyes, it was already dawn. He threw some extra logs into the stove to reignite the embers, prepared breakfast for himself and Lajka, and then packed his bag to leave.
Outside, snowfall from the overnight blizzard had piled high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQtOPJZSL4
Martin considers his night in the abandoned stone bunker a “very unusual and unforgettable experience.”
“I spent my childhood in the countryside at the edge of the forest, so I don’t even remember when I started camping outdoors,” he said. “Playing in the woods, building shelters, fishing in streams, exploring caves, and camping are just some of the characteristics of my childhood.
“It’s my great passion, it’s what fulfills me, makes me happy. It’s who I am.”
To other budding bush crafters who may find themselves having to spend the night in the cold, Martin suggests finding a natural shelter where you don’t have to expend much energy, like a cave; a hollow log; or an abandoned house, cabin, or bunker.
“It is important that you are dry and able to start a fire,” he said. “Fire is the key. Optimism. Everything else comes by itself.”
