Once again the forecast was for afternoon / evening storms. We were starting off in Arolla and were able to get breakfast at our hotel at 8:30, ready to start walking at approx 10:00 a.m. The walk was to begin with an hour up the road towards Mont Collon before heading up towards Plans de Bertol and then going over some snow to reach the Bertol Hut. We were fortunate enough to be passed on the road by the Guardian of Cabane du Dix, and since he knew John he offered us a lift to the end of the road. This we gratefully accepted. Then we walked on up a well defined path. There were noticeably more clouds than on previous days. As the ground steepened we started to play some word games. Can you name a mountain beginning with each letter from A-Z, and how many countries do you know beginning with the letter B?
The final part of the ascent to the Bertol hut is up a steep snow slope for which we put on crampons. There were signs of rock slides from earlier in the day so we took extra care. The Bertol hut is in a most impressive location perched on the top of a rock platform, with some ladders to climb in order to reach the hut. In the evening there was a welcome thunderstorm. We were hopeful that it would blow out during the evening so that we would be able to get a 5:00 a.m. start in good weather the next day. We were due to cross the Glacier du Mont Mine and Stojkigletcher, which would be extremely difficult in poor conditions. John explained that we would not be able to make the crossing if there were thunderstorms because of the danger of lightning strike, making the heavily crevassed route even more dangerous.
