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Another verbatim copy of notes from my handwritten Log. Another day in the hills nearly 30 years ago.... When I climbed these I did not even know that Dorain was pronounced 'Dore-an' and not 'doh-Rain. It took an elderly English lady on a train journey TV show to say it right and the part of my brain that knew Gaelic stresses the first syllable fired and I knew she was correct. An entry in the log at this point claims 'it's already obvious we'll do em all in time' - alas I am still on 155 at time of writing and three decades have passed.
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Steve Called off; Dad wimped out so I went by myself. Nae significant bevvy on previous night. Unhindered
by Stumpy, did both and back in car in 3 hours 40 mins - no bad for a fat boy eh?
Had to route find a wee bit on Dorain but path fairly obvious. Once again no view - this time it never lifted. Took 1 hr 5 to gain bealach slightly up the Dorain side then 35 mins to summit. Nae conversation, nae view, nae pit-stops leads to a fast time. Some lying snow; rain all the way up from the col. One circumnavigation of cairn and down again. 20 minutes to low point of col then up steep path on Beinn an Dothaidh. This quickly became indistinct and I reverted to the fall-line approach - if you're going up you'll get there. Two or three indistinct summits, broad flat , boring - went to all the cairns just in case.
On return I followed the line of 'summits' until aware of "temporary uncertainty with respect to position". Terrain flat and boggy and the map says I'm in one of two spots. If off course to the right (which was direction I'd been veering) then South would lead to two prominent streams (steep). If instead I was off to the left (less likely) then South would return me to the col. So I walked south. The descent of the streams was very steep and eventually became a scramble, then a buttress between the streams. I trusted I could find an escape and continued almost to convergence, then stepped out to the right.
Met an old chap taking piccies of local flora in the exit amphitheatre [ tri-pod, lights, super close, posh camera etc]. He was most impressed at the time taken for my sojourn and I was well chuffed.
This time managed a soggy jog to the car. Great day.
