Irene noticed that most buildings in this abandoned township were in a similar a-frame design as the small dwelling she had stayed in at the bottom of the foothills. Since these buildings were in better shape, she was finally able to tell that they truly were the most effective in the snow.
Even when the snow piled high on either side, there was still space at the top for chimneys and so that all of the weight of the snow wasn't set on the load bearing beams inside of the buildings.
Her trek took her along the outskirts where there were surprisingly more fortified buildings while the smaller and less protected buildings stood on the inside.
Occasionally she would slip off of Sammy to peer into a building or see if it was someplace she could stay. However, she was having no luck since many of them had no doors or it seemed entirely impossible to get inside no matter how much she tried.
