Day 1, 6 days: Dunollie & Dunstaffnage - maps w/ names again
Cool, breezy, gray, few sprinkles. 4.4k 230m climb made it physical/hard.
B+ deteriorated to C+ final, 10c, missed #8 for maybe 6' - ouch. Fell 3 times if not 4 due to difficult footing. Could have been better at reading open, bracken, gorse. Start was on a beach, 40m from wavelets! Actually stunning views of Mull, later lost in mist. Map just N of Oban on shore. More ACD (acute confusional disorder) at start - not like I thought it was going to be. Tired, irritable with footing. 17/70 last look, more finishers due. Waterproof map w/o case which is a good way to go, avoiding countless map cases. No water at start or finish. In spite of how cool it was, had a serious thirst. Plan ahead....
QR hasn't been very quick - hard to get it to match, in part due to dark bkgnd...? Spent too much time fiddling. Quite the crinkly surface.
Map
1. dumb in that went round marsh to L vs better right.
2. E thru saddle, bit along road, across march, by spur, down, RF not so impressive after Sweden but st to cp
3. mucked around, very slow, got under phone line which was fine, crossed small fence in wrong place...no advantage there, ACD. Read way into gorse patches ok
4. could see lg hill w/ bldg, then near crossing, then to second, up steep slope NE of cp & into reent
5. should have gone L of line - went up, saw clean enuf way down to path, field - after fld, went up much too abruptly - slow, slow - should have gone up hill at easier slant
6. thru saddle, runner just ahead, got there first
7. two of us more of less together, st
8. tad E of N to crossing, to fld, left NE corner, climbed, left dotted path at lower marsh!!! set compass as if I were at upper & proceeded on that wrong assumption, ran out of distance, saw a knoll...around to gorse. No! When I realized where I was...5 lines to climb thru bracken. BAD. 5-6' error
9. pretty much st, found the little path & round on it. Could see cp fm below
10. N to fence
On the walk to the start - looking toward Mull
Suggesting a knee-deep start...
First beach start I've seen
Off to the races
A CP at the boulder and RC in front of the cliff