14.02.23

Oatmeal and black tea. Lars and Pati are once again searching for the leak (or the plug) in the water pipeline. I stay at the refuge, collect water, fetch firewood from the shed, and guard the fire. There is a flock of very active birds flying over the lagoon, they look like a mix of swallow and blue tit. The rain has stopped, but it remains cloudy and cool.

In the afternoon, Porter from Texas arrives, a new volunteer. I roughly show him the area. Pati and Lars have hiked up to the Refugio Quetrus, located 3.5 km higher, for a night. In the afternoon, the seal of the water pipeline under the kitchen sink gives way and water starts flooding into the refuge. Great. Porter and I look for the shut-off valve and luckily find it quite quickly. However, a few meters upstream, a connector bursts. Water gushes out, at least not inside the house. After searching for a while, we find some tape. It doesn't hold tight, but at least the water flows where it is needed. Otherwise, it's a quiet day. Some small talk with Chileans, Germans, and Americans; a lot of reading. I try to read a Spanish book about the birdlife of southern Patagonia, but I have to look up words every second sentence.