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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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2004-04-24 00:25:56 +01:00
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
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2004-04-30 22:56:57 +01:00
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<meta id="author" content="A.E.R.Waddington" />
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<meta id="date" content="2000-09-07" />
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<meta id="description" content="Cambridge University Caving Club's Advanced
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expedition camps on the Loser Plateau" />
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<title>CUCC's Austria Expeditions: High camps</title>
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<h1>CUCC's high camps on <span lang="de-at">Loser</span></h1>
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<p>Over the couple of decades for which CUCC have been visiting the <span
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lang="de-at">Loser-AugstEck</span> plateau, they have found it essential to
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camp nearer the caves than the base camps in <span
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lang="de-at">Altaussee</span> (1976-82) and <span lang="de-at">Grundlsee</span>
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(1983 to present). The <a href="years/1978/log.htm#driveroty">1978 accident</a>
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demonstrated the foolishness of trying to conduct long explorations without a
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high camp. Several people have been benighted on the plateau over the years
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and the two rescues in 1989 show the value of rapid assistance from Top Camp in
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the event of a mishap underground. Numerous people have been assisted quickly
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by cavers based at Top Camp in the years since, thus avoiding any more serious
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incidents.</p>
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<p>The terminology of these camps has sometimes become confused, as better
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campsites were found by people who did not even know of the existence of the
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previous ones. At some time, virtually every camp has been called "Camp 1" by
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someone or other ! Note that camping is not allowed without permission, and we
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have recently been informed that since 1993 it has been <b>illegal</b> to camp
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at all, within the Nature Reserve <span lang="de">(Naturschutzgebiet)</span>
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area.</p>
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2004-04-29 18:43:49 +01:00
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<h3><a id="id1977camp">1977</a> Advance Camp</h3>
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<p>CUCC's first high camp was set up in 1977, on a site identified on the first
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visit in 1976. This was on an area of pasture above a small limestone scar from
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<a href="br-alm/index.htm"><span lang="de-at">Bräuning Alm</span></a>. At
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the time, the springs in the valley here were the only reliable water supply we
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had discovered. There were caves nearby, as well as ones on the plateau to
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explore, so the site proved very pleasant, until washed out in one (of many)
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mega-thunderstorm.</p>
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<div class="centre">
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<a href="br-alm/l/tc1977.htm"><img src="br-alm/t/tc1977.jpg"
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width="158" height="108" alt="Camp 1977" /></a>
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<a href="br-alm/l/tc77a.htm">
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<img src="br-alm/t/tc77a.jpg" width="138" height="103"
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alt="Camp 1977" /></a>
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<a href="br-alm/l/tc77b.htm">
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<img src="br-alm/t/tc77b.jpg" width="151" height="88"
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alt="Camp 1977" /></a>
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<p class="caption">
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Views of 1977 Advance camp.
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</p></div>
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<h3><a id="id1979camp"><span lang="de-at">Schwarzmoossattel</span></a>
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bivouac</h3>
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<p>Once most exploration was centred on the plateau, the camp at
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<span lang="de-at">Bräuning Alm</span> proved of little real value, and
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all exploration was conducted by driving up from the valley. The difficulties
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and dangers of returning across the plateau in the dark led to some cavers
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doing "overnight" trips, in which the cave was descended in daylight, and
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exitted in daylight the next day. The risk associated with this approach was
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that of <a href="years/1978/log.htm#driveroty">falling asleep</a> on the
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drive down, as Julian Griffiths demonstrated. Having stayed awake down all
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the seriously fatal hairpin bends, the car drove itself through a fence and
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down a 10m drop in the valley below. The mangled steering wheel, bent by a
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tree-sized piece of fence coming through the windscreen, became CUCC's
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"Driver of the Year" award at subsequent dinners.</p>
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<p>It was realised that for overnight trips to work, there had to be at least
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a bivouac of some sort near the plateau. A tiny trickle of water was found,
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which could be used to fill a water container buried in the ground, and a
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single tent established just to the south of <span
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lang="de-at">Schwarzmoossattel</span> ("The Col") in 1979. This never really
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deserved the title "camp". It was never used again, as exploration in 1980
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switched to the <span lang="de-at">Stellerweghöhle</span> area, and
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neither of the previous high camps were really of any use.</p>
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<h3><a id="topcamp">Top Camp</a></h3>
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<table class="imgtable">
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<tr><td><a href="piclinks/tpcamp.htm">
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<img src="tinypix/tpcamp.jpg" width="166" height="114"
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alt="Top Camp" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="piclinks/tc1996.htm"><img width="200" height="134"
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src="tinypix/tc1996.jpg" alt="Top Camp" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="piclinks/tc-161.htm">
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<img src="tinypix/tc-161.jpg" width="181" height="123"
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alt="Top Camp from 161" /></a></td>
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</tr>
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<tr class="caption">
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<td>Top Camp on upper site, 1993
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</td><td>Lower site, 1996</td>
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<td>Seen from <span lang="de">Schwarzmooskogel</span> ridge
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</td>
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</tr></table>
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<p>More recently, a really good permanent spring was found in a small
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climbable shaft a short way beyond
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<span lang="de-at">Schwarzmoossattel</span> ("The Col").
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As this was adjacent to one of the very few flat areas of grass, and right
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next to the path as well, this has made an ideal camp site, and was the normal
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Top Camp from 1988 to 2001. Logbooks and Journal accounts at the time
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referred to this as "Camp I", despite its not being the first high
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camp. A few references are to "Camp 3", which tried to reflect the
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chronology. More recently it has been known just as "Top Camp". In
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fact, to minimise the impact on grassy areas, the camp has alternated between
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the small site immediately adjacent to the spring and a larger (but boggier)
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area a little lower (used in 1994, 1996, 1998 etc.).</p>
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<h3><a id="vd1camp">VD1 Camp</a></h3>
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<p>In 1988, and again in 1989, there was a small advance camp much nearer to
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the <span lang="de">Kaninchenhöhle</span> entrance, again to overcome the
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trials of crossing the very rough plateau in the dark. This was on a relatively
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flat area of low bunde (dwarf pine) just on the east side of the flat area of
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limestone on which the permanent survey station "VD1" is located, on the normal
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walk up to the 161 entrances on the col between the <span
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lang="de-at">Vorderer</span> and <span lang="de-at">Hinterer
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Schwarzmooskogels.</span> This was variously known as 'far campsite' or 'Camp
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2', in the logbooks. A lack of water, sanitation, space and comfort led to this
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camp being abandoned.</p>
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<h3>Scarface Camp</h3>
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<p>It was hoped that in 1996, a new Top Camp would be established somewhere
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where access to the 161d, 'Scarface' entrance to <span
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lang="de">Kaninchenhöhle</span> would be easier, as all trips used this
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new entrance, giving rapid access to the majority of current question marks in
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the cave. Unfortunately, access via the <span lang="de-at">Stogerweg</span>
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proved to be more strenuous than from the old plateau top camp, and no usable
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water supply was found, so this campsite never came into existence. <!--If work to
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link <span lang="de">Kaninchenhöhle</span> to the <span
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lang="de-at">Schwarzmooskogel</span> systems means a lot of caving in
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places such as <span lang="de">Schneevulkanhalle,</span> it may yet be
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practical and necessary to establish a bivouac site somewhere near the 201
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<span lang="de-at">Stogerweg</span> path. However, a reasonably good route was
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established from Top Camp to the <span lang="de-at">Eishöhle</span> area
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in 1998 and there seems little need now to establish a new high camp.--></p>
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<h3>40 bivvy</h3>
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<p>In 2001 people decided to bivvy nearer to the the cave entrances. This
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involved putting up tarpaulins in natural shelters, and sleeping on inflatable
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lilos. The 40 bivvy is in the main 40a <span lang="de-at">Eishöhle</span>
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entrance. It is surprisingly comfortable as this entrance does not have a cold
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gale coming out of it, and the floor is very flat. It is luxurious for 2, comfy
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for 3 and can sleep 4. Water is collected by putting a tarp. in a steep gulley
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opposite with a hose to a butt in the bivi - very effective.</p>
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<div class="centre"><a href="images/40bivy.jpg"><img src="tinypix/40bivy.jpg"
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width="200" height="128" alt="40 bivvy" /></a></div>
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2002-05-19 17:32:19 +01:00
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<h3>204 bivy</h3>
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2004-04-24 12:49:51 +01:00
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<p>Cavers working in 204 (<span
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lang="de-at">Steinbrückenhöhle</span>) used the eponymous stone
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bridge as a bivouac. The sloping floor was terraced and flat sleeping and
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cooking areas were made. Tarpaulins were put up to reduce the drips and wind.
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Water was obtained from snow at 231, collecting drips in 231 and a funnel
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inserted in a grike on the roof of the stone bridge. Two butts were used for
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water storage.</p>
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<p>This camp was the main high camp in 2002 and the only one in 2003; it has
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been extensively reterraced to increase its capacity (as of 2003 it could sleep
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12), and the water collection methods refined, to give an exceedingly
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comfortable bivvy site.</p>
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2004-04-29 14:51:40 +01:00
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<div class="centre"><a href="smkridge/204/bivvy.html">
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<img src="tinypix/204bivy.jpg" width="233" height="168"
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alt="204 bivvy" /></a></div>
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<hr />
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<ul id="links">
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<li>Back to <a href="infodx.htm">Main Index</a></li>
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<li>CUCC's <a href="tcamps.htm">Top Camps</a></li>
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</ul>
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