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At
7am we were on the path leading back down the way we had come up,
until a detour on another unlaid road led of left and headed towards
the nearby hydro scheme and the Otemma Galcier. There are two possible
routes from the Chanrion Hut to the Vignettes Hut. One goes up the
Brenay Glacier and leads to the Pigne d'Arolla, which can be ascended
en route. This route is 
steeper and has more height gain (and loss). The second goes for
the Otemma Glacier which is a long gradual walk on an easy gradient.
As yesterday had been a long day, we opted for the easier way and
went for the Otemma. The road we followed was evidently built for
the hydro scheme construction. Bill was complaining again about
having to walk on it. There was quite a cold breeze and the sun
hadn't risen high enough to shine over the nearby mountains. At
the small dam we moved onto a small morraine path on the left. For
the first few metres any slip and you'd be in the water without
much chance of getting out, but after a couple of hundred metres
we leave the rocky moraine and we are onto the flat dry glacier.
Bill wants to video, so we stop for a short time. The are several
large rocks perched on ice pillars and as we move off I realise
that almost every rock around is perched on an ice pillar, no matter
how small. This section is 
still ice and moraine mixed, but its not too long before we are
on the ice proper and we begin to follow a medial moraine which
leads off into the distance along the line we want to take. This
goes on and on….and on for about 5½miles.
As we get about ¾ of the way we reach the snow line, which by now
is soft. 
However, we can see the exit col ahead and to the left and start
to make tracks towards it. Ahead also we could see the Aiguille
de la Tsa peak I had first seen in '96 on a PyB ski mountaineering
course based in Arolla. It's a peak that just shouts out "climb
me" and this wasn't the last time we would come across it. As we
were approaching the col to leave the Otemma, we noticed two people
walking across the glacier du Mont Collon to the same col. Tracks
led up the snow, not new ones though and these were followed until
a short rocky section. This was crossed and we were then back on
the snow as the Vignettes Hut came into view. I was just following
the track when Bill shouted something like "don't slip" 
and I looked right, down the slope, to realise we were traversing
above a slope which didn't stop going down for a long, long way
(c800metres). A small rocky ridge had to be rounded from left to
right in order to gain access to the hut, a solid looking building
of grey stone. It was only 2pm and the hut was empty except for
a guardienne who was still doing some cleaning. I fancied a large
bowl of tea, which soon arrived (do Lyons have a monopoly in France)
and we went outside to the small terrace
to soak up the sun and enjoy the tea. The pair we had seen across
the glacier soon arrived, a couple of British guys who had been
attempting the (N)ridge of L'Eveque. They were disappointed that
they had not succeeded in finding the second part of the route and
had to retreat. There is a small summit a few metres above the hut
and there we found a flat-topped boulder which was perfect for lying
on in the sun. From here we could watch other people coming up the
glacier from Arolla. A helicopter came up from the same direction
and provided a spectacle as it dropped of some more staff and then
made a large sweeping and diving turn round our little summit and
down toward the Lower Haut Arolla glacier. The pilot was obviously
having fun. Only ten minutes later he was back making a supplies
drop. The spot was a superb viewpoint for pictures and video. Earlier
in April I had been in Arolla for a 
ski-mountaineering trip and it was fascinating to try picking out
the places we had visited then. I was surprised at how much had
been white then which was now green. Both Bill and I had to stand
on the highest rock on our little summit for pictures. This had
to be taken very carefully as again there were some long
 drops
below us. Across the Lower Haut Arolla Glacier we spotted the route
we would be following tomorrow as we would climb up to the Bertol
Hut, which we could see on the far skyline. Tomorrow was going to
be another long day. By the time of our evening 
meal, numbers had swollen to….about 15, all British apart from a
party of six Scandinavians. I spotted the hut book and checked out
the hut usage since the winter, it didn't seem as if there was any
day when it would have been full. It was interesting to see some
familiar names in there also. I had stayed in this hut in April
'96 on a PyB trip, of which the highlight was the tour from Arolla
to Zermatt. Then we were clouded into the hut and had to stay a
second night awaiting clear weather The Vignettes Hut does not have
a natural water supply and if you want any, bottled mineral water
must be bought at 9SFr for 1.5litres. It was curry night tonight
and as usual there was plenty, with a good soup to start and tinned
pineapple to finish. We chatted on with the two British guys we
had met earlier and it was quite late when we turned in, after 10pm!
(Cost of hut, bed and meals, was SFr94 for two)
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