2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<title>1623/161 Kaninchenhöhle 161b/c</title>
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2004-04-21 10:35:34 +01:00
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<p><center><a href="top.htm"><img alt="Overview "
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2001-08-16 13:43:09 +01:00
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src="../../../icons/ovview.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<a href="pix.htm"><img alt=" Photos "
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src="../../../icons/vtour.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<img alt="Rigging" src="../../../icons/rigbut.png" width=40 height=40>
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<a href="names.htm"><img alt=" Glossary "
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src="../../../icons/idx161.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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2004-04-28 21:58:47 +01:00
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<a href="../index.htm#id161"><img alt=" Desc "
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src="../../../icons/desc.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<a href="../../index.htm"><img alt=" Expo "
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src="../../../icons/ausbut.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<a href="../../infodx.htm"><img alt=" Topics "
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src="../../../icons/index.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<a href="../../indxal.htm"><img alt=" Index "
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src="../../../icons/indxal.png" width=40 height=40></a>
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<a href="../../../index.htm"><img alt=" CUCC"
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src="../../../icons/cucc.png" width=40 height=40></a></center>
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<a name="france"><h2>161 <span lang="de">Kaninchenhöhle:</span>
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France</h2></a>
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<h3>Overview</h3>
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<p><a href="../others/l/161c.htm"><img alt="Entrance photo - 113k" width=200
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height=132 align=left hspace=10 vspace=10 src="../others/t/161c.jpg"></a>
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This entrance was originally explored by the
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<a href="../../others/gscb/index.htm">French</a> <b lang="fr">Groupe
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Spéléologique de Clerval - Baume les Dames</b> under the
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name VSS2 in 1988 and 1989, reaching -285m at what is now called
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<a href="#titfieldt">Titfield Thunderbolt</a>. They abandoned exploration
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as it was apparent that it was going to connect into 161, though in fact,
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that connection at depth wasn't made until 1995 and entailed the discovery
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of a large amount of very impressive passage !<br clear=all>
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<p><b>France</b> was originally the name of a single
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chamber, but through common usage is now the term for this entire area which
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is an almost independent deep series below the 161c (French) entrance.
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Connections to the rest of the cave at depth are still being explored, a
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considerable distance from the main passage complex. A large chamber,
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<a href="#algeria">Algeria</a>, at a depth of 250m gives access to extensive
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horizontal development, <b>Flat France</b>, from which routes lead eventually
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to the <a href="sftotp.htm#id161d">Scarface</a> (161d) entrance and to a pitch
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expected to drop back into <a href="sibria.htm#knossos">Knossos</a>.
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<p>The upper, predominantly vertical, part of France described here can be
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approached through the 161c entrance or via the
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<a href="offtop.htm#rabbitw">Rabbit Warren</a> from below the 161a entrance.
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Flat France can be reached by descending through France, the route taken by
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the original explorers, but is more conveniently gained, and now more
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extensively explored, through the <a href="sftotp.htm#id161d">Scarface</a>
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entrance.
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<a id="id161c"><h3>Francophobia / France
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(<a href="../../years/1990/index.htm">1990</a> -
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<a href="../../years/1991/index.htm">91</a>)</h3></a>
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<p><center><a href="l/ffobia.htm"><img alt="Francophobia rift photo"
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src="t/ffobia.jpg" width=119 height=181></a></center>
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<p><a name="fphobia">The 161c</a> entrance angles in to a rift. A low bedding
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ahead leads to 161b. On the right are a couple of holes. The second of these
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is rigged down about 15m in a complex rift 2-3m wide to a steeply descending
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12m traverse. From the end of this the pitch, <b>Francophobia</b>, drops in a
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spacious rift. At the second rebelay about 30m down it is possible to swing
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off 2m to the right to <a href="sidefr.htm#rcrusoe">Robinson Crusoe</a>.
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<p><a name="tdice">The continuing pitch</a> drops another 10m into the
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chamber originally named France, containing a 5m cubed block <b>The Dice</b>.
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There are two passages out of this <b>Dice Chamber</b> back to
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<a href="sidefr.htm#fc2">French Connection II</a>.
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<p><a name="rotdice">Below The Dice</a> is a 25m pitch, <b>Roll of the
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Dice</b>, down to a shelf. A 3m climb down through rocks to a sloping boulder
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floor is possible. There is a way off about 3m up the right hand wall behind
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a boulder [<a href="qmtodo.htm#C1991-161-05" name="qC1991-161-05">C1991-161-05</a> C]. At the foot
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of the slope a rift goes off to the left. The is reached by climbing down
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under a wedged boulder. Another 20m pitch, <a name="dejavu"><b>Deja
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Vu</b></a>, into a hading rift, was the 1991 limit of exploration.
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<a name="toothless"><h4>Toothless and Frogs' Legs
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(<a href="../../years/1992/index.htm">1992</a>)</h4></a>
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<p><b>Toothless</b> (named because the initial bolt took three spits to
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drill) is a 30m pitch at the junction of two crossing rifts. Starting from a
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thread, sections are 3, 3, 4.5 and 23m. A 3m drop leads to a narrow slot
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(<b>Frogs' Legs I</b>, 14m). From here on, the rigging was aided by
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previously placed bolts, presumably the French, last encountered on the Dice.
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They must have reached this point by a parallel route. <b>Frogs' Legs II</b>
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is 12m, down ledges, reaching the impressive final 41m pitch, <b>Frogs' Legs
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III</b>. This has a rebelay halfway down which is astonishingly airy, in the
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roof of the huge Algeria chamber.
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<a name="algeria"><h3>Algeria
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(<a href="../../years/1992/index.htm">1992</a>)</h3></a>
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<p>This is a 15m wide, 60m long L-shaped chamber, which
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appears to have been formed by collapse at the junction of two huge parallel
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shafts. Algeria in fact appears to simply be a truly enormous suspended
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floor. Frogs' Legs III lands about halfway along. A variety of routes leads
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off, of which only the deep route through <a href="#oriente">Orient
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Express</a> and the way to <b>Flat France</b> via <a href="#sultans">
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Sultans of Swing</a> are dealt with here.
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<a name="sultans"><h3>Sultans of Swing
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(<a href="../../years/1994/index.htm">1994</a>)</h3></a>
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<p>At the east corner (bottom right of the 'L') of Algeria, a route
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[<a href="qmdone.htm#C1992-161-05" name="qC1992-161-05">C1992-161-05</a>]
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under or over (it is rigged over) the edge of massive breakdown looks out
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onto a big pitch, <b>Sultans Of Swing</b>. The <a href="sidefr.htm#sswingp">
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continuing pitch</a> eventually sumps, but the eponymous 'Swing' reaches the
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ramifications of <b>Flat France</b>.
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<p>A ledge, written up as 15m down the pitch, but apparently 6.5m down from
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the survey data, is the way into 'horizontal France'. This part of the pitch
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can be bypassed by taking a slot next to the wall about 6m downhill below the
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foot of Frogs' Legs III. Bearing left down here brings you out at a slightly
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precarious traverse at the foot of Sultans of Swing (handline recommended).
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<p>Traversing this muddy ledge leads around the continuing pitch to a wide
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passage, the start of <a href="frtotp.htm">Flat France</a>, leading
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into the most extensive horizontal development found by CUCC in Austria.
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<a name="oriente"><h3>Orient Express
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(<a href="../../years/1992/index.htm">1992</a>)</h3></a>
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<p>Beneath and to the left of a large semi-detached boulder at the NNE end of
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Algeria a traverse line leads to the top of <b>Orient Express</b>. A 52 metre
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freehanging pitch lands near the west-hand wall of the large chamber below.
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The floor, consisting mainly of loose boulders, trends downwards from north
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to south. At the northern end, up the slope, an adjoining shaft with water
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flowing down it can be heard. A climb of about 10m would be required to get
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into this shaft, <a href="offffr.htm#skeletonc"><b>Skeleton in the
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Cupboard</b></a>. Opposite the point where the rope lands a low crawl leads
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off, soon becoming too tight. At the southern end of the chamber, an
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impassable rift leads off, beyond which can be heard the sound of water. A 5
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metre drop leads to a narrow rift with a shaft beyond, which is again too
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tight. This also leads to a crawl, which rapidly becomes too tight. The main
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way on is at the eastern side of the chamber
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[<a href="qmdone.htm#C1992-161-03" name="qC1992-161-03">C1992-161-03</a>]:
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<a name="titfieldt"><h4>Titfield Thunderbolt
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(<a href="../../years/1993/index.htm">1993</a>)</h4></a>
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<p>This is a short (6 metre) pitch landing in a small chamber on a sloping
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boulder floor, and was the 1992 limit of exploration. There is a small
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waterway behind a dividing wall on the SW side of the chamber, soon becoming
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choked. At the NE end of the chamber a short climb leads to a rift that is
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again too tight. There is a large shaft beyond this, and water may be heard -
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this is also Skeleton in the Cupboard, and is the point where <a
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href="offffr.htm#iidrive">Infinite Improbabilty Drive</a> drops in. The way
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on is below the entrance to this rift.
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<a name="apenetrn"><h4>Attempted Penetration & beyond
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(<a href="../../years/1993/index.htm">1993</a>)</h4></a>
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<p><a name="disintgrn">The route</a> carries on through a tight, wet hole in
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the floor, <b>Attempted Penetration</b>, at the NW end of the chamber. This
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soon widens out and lands in the same chamber as the water heard through the
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rift in Titfield Thunderbolt. It would be possible to rig down the shaft, but
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to avoid the water a very loose boulder slope, <b>Disintegration</b>, leads
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to the top of a short pitch named <a name="fatknotf"><b>Fat Knot
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Fruity</b></a> (after the huge figure 8 on a bight in 11mm rope used around a
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natural thread). Here the route joins the water, although it runs in a
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separate streamway, divided by a perforated wall until the bottom of the next
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pitch, <a name="ndecept"><b>Natural Deception</b></a>. This follows from the
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bottom of the previous pitch via a short traverse, and lands on a small
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rubble floor.
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<a name="wfallsw"><h4>Waterfalls Walk to the End
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(<a href="../../years/1993/index.htm">1993</a>)</h4></a>
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<p>The route continues down over the boulders to a classic Yorkshire style
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streamway. This leads to the head of the next pitch,
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<a name="bbullshit"><b>Black Bullshit</b></a>, via a traverse, with a poor
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hang using a long deviation to avoid the water. Going south from the bottom
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of the chamber a high passageway leads quickly to a short section of tight
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streamway and a small sump at -378m. At the west end of the chamber there is
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a small subsidiary dry chamber.
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2004-04-29 16:24:54 +01:00
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<hr />
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<!-- LINKS -->
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2004-04-29 16:24:54 +01:00
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<ul>
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<li><a href="names.htm">Glossary of passage names</a></li>
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<li><a href="top.htm">Kaninchenhöhle</a> Cave Description - Overview</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../infodx.htm">Index to info/topic pages</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../areas.htm">Area/subarea descriptions</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../indxal.htm">Full Index to 1623 caves</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a>
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</ul>
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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