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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
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<title>1623:204 -- Entrance and The Near End passages</title>
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<table id="cavepage">
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<tr><th id="kat_no">204</th><th id="name">Steinbrückenhöhle</th><th id="status">4/S x</th></tr>
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</table>
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<h1>Entrance and The Near End passages</h1>
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<div>
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<b><a href="entrance-rigging.html">Rigging diagram</a></b> --
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<b><a href="#survey">Survey</a></b> --
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<b><a href="204.html">204 index</a></b></div>
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<hr />
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<p><b>Summary</b>: The Near End series consists of those passages on the level
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of the bottom of the 204a/b entrance pitches. It communicates with the <a
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href="midlevel.html">mid-level series</a> via either Thread Pitch or Pendulum
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Pitch, while a side passage leads to a pitch dropping into <a
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href="nopain.html#kingcarbide">'King Carbide</a>, off No Pain No Gain.</p>
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<h3>Entrance</h3>
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<p>The 204a entrance is directly opposite a 10m x 5m <a
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href="bridge.html">stone bridge</a> from which it derives its name. The
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entrance itself is approximately 8m high and 5m wide, and leads down a boulder
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slope and round a right hand bend to the top of the first pitch. The 204b
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entrance is 15m away to the north.</p>
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<p>From 1999 until 2001 inclusive, the 204b entrance was rigged. However,
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this involved a rather shoddy decent down a gully, and so from 2002
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the 204a entrance has been used.</p>
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<h3><a id="firstpitch">First Pitch</a></h3>
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<p>
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<a href="l/2p1.html"><img class="onright" src="t/2p1.jpg" alt="First
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Pitch" /></a> The 204a entrance leads, via a short climb down, to a ledge
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overlooking the first pitch, <b>Trick or Treat</b>. This is rigged with a
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traverse line and a Y-hang in the roof, giving a superb and very airy free-hang
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to the bottom. The landing is by a large snow plug with an ice corridor round
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the right-hand edge leading to the top of a boulder slope. A rift passage on
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the right becomes too tight.</p>
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<p>The snow level varies: in 2000 it was much higher than in 1999, rendering
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the original route onward impassable (see <a href="#route1999">here</a>). A revised
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route was explored, which was the main route in 2001. In 2002 and 2003 the snow
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was lower again, and the original route was back in use.</p>
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<h3><a id="jim">Second and Third Pitches</a></h3>
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<p>Descending the boulder slope (care required to avoid kicking rocks off)
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leads to the head of the second pitch, <b>Jim'll Fix It</b> (18m in 1999 but
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only about 10m in 2000/2001 due to increased snow levels). An unexplored
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passage is visible from the pitch head, which could be accessed by a bolt
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traverse round the right hand side of the pitch head [<a
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href="qm.html#C1999-204-01" id="qC1999-204-01">C1999-204-01 C</a>] (explored
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by Brian?). The pitch is rigged from a bolt in the left hand wall with a
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deviation from a spit immediately after the pitch head bolt. This protects a
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marginal rub point and also avoids a jet of water which spurts from a crack in
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the wall after heavy rain.</p>
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<p>If the snow level is high, one lands directly on the snow plug. Following
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the wall around to the right (facing the wall on which the pitch is rigged)
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leads to a 2m climb into a rift, which quickly descends to the head of the
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impressive third pitch, <a id="stitch"><b>Stitch This</b></a> (30m). A Y-hang
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rebelay on the left wall is shortly followed by a deviation from the opposite
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side of the shaft to obtain a free-hang into <a
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href="midlevel.html#wolp">Wolpertinger Way</a>. This pitch is in fact an
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(upwards) continuation of <b><a href="#thread">Thread Pitch</a></b>.</p>
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<h3><a id="route1999">Low snow route</a></h3>
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<p>In 1999, 2002 and 2003, the snow plug was much smaller and it was possible to
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complete the descent to the floor, landing in a sloping phreatic passage. There
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are two ways on: Right leads uphill as stooping/crawling height passage for 30m
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to emerge at the top of <a href="#umshit">Umshitshimbo</a>. Left leads downhill
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into <a href="#nearend">The Near End</a> and is the main way on. There is a
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further unexplored passage in the wall above the gap between the snow plug and
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the rock [<a href="qm.html#C1999-204-03" id="qC1999-204-03">C1999-204-03
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C</a>].</p>
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<h3><a id="nearend">The Near End</a></h3>
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<p><a href="l/5p3.html"><img class="onright" src="t/5p3.jpg" alt="Third
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Pitch" /></a>
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<b>The Near End</b> is a collective name for a complex network of
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high level phreatic passages which slope approximately 20<32> following the dip of
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the beds. Heading downhill from the base of <b>Jim'll Fix It</b> in a stooping
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height passage leads round a double bend to a 2m climb down to a junction.
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Right leads to more <a href="#nearside">side passages</a> whilst the main route
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is straight ahead to a crossroads. Right leads into the same <a
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href="#nearside">side passages</a> as the previous right turn. Left is
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<b>Needle Crawl</b> past an unexplored passage on the left [<a
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href="qm.html#C1999-204-04" id="qC1999-204-04">C1999-204-04 C</a>] and a crawl
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on the right (feels like straight ahead) which becomes too small after ~8m.
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Straight ahead (feels like a left) leads to the head of a fine 4m diameter
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circular shaft, <b><a id="thread">Thread</a> Pitch</b>. This pitch of 17m
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corresponds to the lower half of <a href="#stitch">Stitch This</a>, and leads
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into <a href="midlevel.html#wolp">Wolpertinger Way</a>. A continuation of the
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crawl is visible at the opposite side of the pitch head; this is choked after
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5m or so.</p>
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<p>From the crossroads, the main route in 1999 was straight ahead, downhill in
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mostly stooping height passage with a short section of sandy crawling. After
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15m is a short climb down to the top of a 4m deep pit with a too-tight passage
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at the bottom, with the phreatic passage continuing to the right. After a
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further 10m the passage is intersected by a large rift with a big rock
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partially blocking the passage. Climbing up to the right leads back into a tall
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rift in the <a href="#nearside">side passages</a>. A climb up to the left leads
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to a passage containing attractive white mud which was not entered, however a
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visual connection to the <a href="midlevel.html#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</a>
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was established.</p>
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<p>Straight ahead leads to a further junction after 15m. Left opens out to the
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head of <a href="midlevel.html#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</a>, the main route to
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the bottom of <a href="midlevel.html#wolp">Wolpertinger Way</a> used in 1999.
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Right leads to a narrow stooping height passage which continues for 25m with
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several clear pools in the floor to a widening. Around the widening, most
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routes ahead and to the left are choked with boulders. There are two ways on.
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On the left-hand side is a small awkward chamber, from which a short pitch
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leads into <a href="nopain.html#kingcarbide">'King Carbide</a>. On the right
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a body sized tube leads upwards for ~15m before twisting left into a low
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chamber, <b><a id="kidneybean">Kidney Bean</a></b>. Perhaps an enlarged
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bedding plane, this has possible QMs in a hole in the floor [<a
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href="qm.html#C2000-204-71" id="qC2000-204-71">C2000-204-71 C</a>] and in a
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narrow passage at the northern corner of the chamber [<a
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href="qm.html#C2000-204-70" id="qC2000-204-70">C2000-204-70 B</a>]. Round to
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the left it is bounded by an area of breakdown, possibly the far side of a
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boulder choke visible from the widening. Back at the entrance to Kidney Bean,
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the main way on continues through a low gap. This opens to stooping height and
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winds upwards. The passage continues over some old gour pools to a flat out
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section (not really a squeeze, except for lardarses) not pushed, but running
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water could be heard [<a href="qm.html#C2000-204-69"
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id="qC2000-204-69">C2000-204-69 A</a>].</p>
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<h3><a id="nearside">The Near End: Side Passages</a></h3>
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<p>The first two right turns encountered when heading downhill from the foot of
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<a href="#jim">Jim'll Fix It</a> unite in a walking sized passage. After 10m
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the bottom of <a href="#umshit">Umshitshimbo</a> is passed on the right, whilst
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straight ahead leads to a junction with a large keyhole passage. Left leads
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after 15m to a climb up behind a precariously placed boulder, to an immediate
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climb down of 4m which emerges in the 1999 main route through the near end
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before <a href="midlevel.html#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</a>. Right leads
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immediately to a 8m pitch. A difficult and exposed traverse round the left hand
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wall leads to a further 30m of passage with a steadily lowering roof
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culminating in a boulder choke.</p>
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<h3><a id="umshit">The Near End: Umshitshimbo and Updip Passages</a></h3>
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<p><b>Umshitshimbo</b> is a fine phreatic ramp, 2m wide and about 4m high,
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which heads uphill in a straight line for 40m. At the top a passage doubling
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back on the right leads back to the base of <a href="#jim">Jim'll Fix It</a>
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and there is a climb up into a rift passage heading south over the top of
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Umshitshimbo which becomes too narrow. Large passage continues uphill past a 2m
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deep blind pit on the right to a junction.</p>
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<p>Left leads uphill past a choked inlet on the left to a steep uphill section
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with a crawl on the right, which leads shortly to a 2m climb down and immediate
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choke. At the top of the steep section the passage to the right immediately
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chokes, whilst left is <b>Dolly Parton Climb</b>, a 2m climb up with huge jugs,
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to a further 15m of upward trending phreatic passage, terminating in a boulder
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choke with a slight draught (air coming into the cave). There are two small
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steep phreatic ramps on the left hand side of this passage, both very small and
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both choked.</p>
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<p>Straight ahead at the junction leads through a short section of rift to an
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enlargement with an alcove on the right and a keyhole passage ahead. The rift
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section at the bottom quickly becomes choked, with a slight draught coming in.
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A 3m climb gains access to the phreatic section which goes over the top of the
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choke, and about after a further 3m reaches a large boulder, which almost
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blocks the passage with a strong breeze blowing through the gap (into the
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cave.) Squeezing through yields a steeply ascending rocky crawl which chokes
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after about 5m.</p>
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<hr />
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<div class="centre">
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<h3><a id="survey">Survey</a></h3>
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<img style="padding: 2pt; border: 2px solid #000" src="entrance.png" alt="Survey" /></div>
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<hr />
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<ul id="links">
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<li><a href="204.html">Back to 204 index page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../smkridge/index.htm#id204">Schwarzmooskogel ridge area index and description</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../indxal.htm#id204">Full Index</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../areas.htm">Other Areas</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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</html>
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