Tuesday, 12.06.2012

Martedi 12.6.2012

It rained all night and most of the day, only in the afternoon it stopped, but it was quite cool, 15° in the afternoon and look at all that snow on Campo Tencia. Without any sun it just stays there.

Normally, if I hadn’t hurt myself, today I would have planned to go from Capanna Piansecco to Capanna Cristallina, which is at 2575m. I have been there before and know the way. But even if the weather hadn’t been as bad as it has been the past days, it would have been most improbable to go up there for me. I discussed it with Arturo when I was still on the ViaGottardo and he had talked to the landlord of the Cristallina hut. The only option he offered was to start at five in the morning and arrive at ten, because after that the snow becomes soft and impossible to walk on even with crampons. I had already decided to change plans when I tripped and hurt my foot. But now I realise I couldn’t have done it and maybe I will have to change plans again, when I leave here in ten days or so.

I slept rather restlessly, had strange dreams about flying in the helicopter but rather than being safely on the inside I had to hang on outside and was always worried to fall off. Then I woke up very early with the dawn because something was going for a walk on the roof, or in the roof, in any case just above me. That proves that I may be the only human being around, but not the only thing alive. I had another three encounters with the animal world today. First a marmot, a big fat one, came right up to the house and peeped in. Of course, when I went out to try to take a photo, it ran away. Then, when I went outside to get some wood, the bin in which the squashed tins go squeaked and wobbled. I didn’t dare look inside, too afraid that whatever it was it might jump out right in that moment and give me a heart attack. I will not linger on the mouse that tried to get back in and under the oven, but on one of the two major problems I faced today. First, the SPIDER. I share my bathroom with it, and it has been there in the shower tub since yesterday. I didn’t mention it yet, because I’m quite embarrassed to admit that I didn’t have a shower because of it. I tried to make it go down the drain with some water, but it always came back again (water resistant spider?) and just insisted of occupying the tub. In the late afternoon I gathered all my courage, got a glass and a piece of cardboard and actually succeeded in capturing the hairy beast and throwing it outside without a panic attack or any complications. I haven’t looked in the tub yet, though.

This is my main working place, the kitchen. And the site of the second major problem. I had been cleaning all morning and as I emptied the bucket to get fresh water for about the hundredth time, all of a sudden the kitchen was flooded. Completely flooded. Somehow the drain pipe had come loose and within seconds I was in ankle-deep water. My first impulse, besides mopping it up, was to call Claudio, who lives down in Prato Sornico and is the soul of the hut, but I couldn’t, the phone wasn’t working. I have no idea what happened, but there is no connection. No “campo” or “rete” as the Italians would say. So I got on my hands and knees and tried to figure out what the problem was, and I managed to mend it, put the pipe back together again, but I’m not too sure that I am on the safe side yet. And I am a little nervous about the telephone. I have been completely cut off from the world all day and still am. And I have absolutely NO idea what the problem is. When I went to bed it was working. As far as I am concerned it always works. I suppose Arturo has tried to call several times already (he usually calls once a day to see if everything is ok), he may be worried too. Well, sooner or later someone will show up, guests, maybe, or one of the team to see if I am still alive.

I cleaned the whole hut today, for hours I swept, mopped, dusted and tidied the toilets, shower, dorms and the most important room, where the open fire is, where food is served and where I spend my evenings if the weather isn’t fine. I also tried my best to clean away the mess around the wonderful new table outside, which is hard work, especially in the grass. And then I started to take stock of the groceries in the warehouse. There were lots of vegetables that had to be put to some use, otherwise they would go bad and considering there are no guests in sight, I made a huge pot of Minestrone and cooked and put in the freezer other vegetables. It is always good to have a pot of Minestrone on the stove when somebody comes by. And if they don’t in the next two days that will go into the freezer as well.

It is not raining for a change, the sky has cleared, it is painted in a pale blue with pink streaks. Why isn’t the phone working? I’ve had a plate of pasta and am sitting next to the fire again as usual. It will not be long before I go up to my “guardiana’s room”, inspect the shower for spiders and go to bed. I should of taken the kindle with me after all, but who would of expected that I would hurt my foot? I can walk almost normally again now and I have no more pain, but I am very careful with my movements and try not to take any risks.

This is where I sleep: