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<title>CUCC 1999 Expedition Goals</title>
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<h2><center>CUCC Austria 1999 - Mission statement</center></h2>
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<p>1999 will see the twenty third annual summer expedition to Austria
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by the Cambridge University Caving Club. A number of major goals are
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set out for this year's expedition, along with a great deal of other
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work both on new projects and continuing documentation of previous
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exploration.
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<hr width=50%>
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<p>For eleven successive summer expeditions, C.U.C.C., and its post-graduate
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sister club ex-Cambridge Speleologists, have been exploring the
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<a href="../../1623/161/top.htm">Kaninchenhöhle</a> cave system in
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the Totes Gebirge of Austria (about 80 km east of Salzburg). A major goal of
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the 1997 trip was to link the cave with a deep shaft system,
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<a href="../../1623/161/136.htm">Steinschlagschacht</a>, first explored
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by the club in 1983. This was successfully achieved by
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means of some rather spectacular traversing of a ledge system 40m above the
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floor of a large chamber, giving an increased depth of 507m for the combined system. After the 1998 trip, a new deep point was reached, making the cave
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534m deep and 22.4 km long, ranking as one of the major caves of Europe.
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<p>To the south of Kaninchenhöhle lies another major cave,
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the southern Schwarzmooskogel system. Parts of this were explored as
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long ago as 1938, but the major central part of the cave,
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<a href="../../1623/41/41.htm">Stellerweghöhle</a>, was explored by
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CUCC in 1980-85, to a depth of 973m and a length of some 7km. Other parts of
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the cave have been explored by both French and German groups, and the total
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length of this cave was over 20km before some new exploration in 1998 by
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ArGe.
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<p>After 1997, the gap between these two systems is about 130m, in passages
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at much the same level. The 1998 expedition eliminated some of the more
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obvious leads working from the Stellerweg end, using the nearest entrance,
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which leads into a spectacular ice-decorated chamber. Various climbs down and
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up were pushed, finding some new passage, but no convincing way on towards
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Steinschlagschacht.
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<p>A major goal of the 1999 expedition will be to search for new passages in
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the area of this gap, via the Steinschlagschacht entrance. Linking the two
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systems would involve us not only in exciting new exploration, but also in a
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great deal of tie-up surveying to establish definitive figures for the length
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and depth of the combined system. Current survey information suggests that
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the linked cave would be well over 42 km long and 1056m deep, making it the
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third or fourth longest cave in Austria. This would also put it among both
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the fifty or so deepest caves in the world <b>and</b> the fifty or so
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longest. Few caves make it so far up both the long <u>and</u> deep lists -
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truly a cave of world significance.
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<p>Our German friends from Stuttgart, <b lang=de>Arbeitsgemeinschaft
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Höhle und Karst Grabenstetten e.V.</b> (ArGe) have explored 7km (up
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to the end of 1997 - more this year, too) in one of the linked caves in the
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southern system and are still working in cooperation with us in the area. We
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are also in contact with the French <b lang=fr>Groupe Spéléo de
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Clerval - Baume les Dames</b> (GSCB) who explored part of this system in the
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1980's. Liaison with these groups, as well as with the local Austrian cavers
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<b lang=de-at>Vereines für Höhlenkunde in OberSteier</b> (VfHO) is
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an important part of the work both on the expedition and during the
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year-round documentation effort that goes on at home in the UK.
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<p>Other areas of Kaninchenhöhle also merit attention, with over 230
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unfinished ways on <a href="../../1623/161/qmtodo.htm">documented</a>
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in the cave. Some of these were quite remote when first found,
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but have been made much more accessible since the discovery
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of the lower-level <a href="../../1623/161/sftotp.htm#id161d">Scarface</a>
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entrance in 1995.
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<p>The <a href="../../1623/161/farnth.htm">Far North</a> of the cave has
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not been revisited for some time, but is now rendered rather easier of
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access. If enough people attend the expedition, this area is also one of
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potential interest, as are any of a number of other areas. Any of the 230-odd
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going leads could gain access to significant new extensions.
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For example, a rather unpromising lead in a 1996 find gave access to the
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<a href="../../1623/161/offtri.htm#lworld">Lost World</a> in 1997. This
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was a rather unexpected, but very impressive series of horizontal passages
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developed at a level lower than any of the other major horizontal development
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in the system.
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<p>The production of an accurate survey of all the cave newly explored
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by each expedition has been a goal we have increasingly met in recent years.
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This has been aided on the surface by computer technology, of course, but
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in the cave, still requires the investment of considerable effort and
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manpower.
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<p>Away from Kaninchenhöhle itself, CUCC have explored several
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dozen other caves during the two decades we have been visiting the area.
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A number of high-quality survey points established by laser-rangefinder
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and theodolite are now available, and these combined with GPS units, are
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enabling us to relocate many of these and provide a much higher standard of
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documentation than was regarded as acceptable in the earlier years of
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our exploration. Although something of a "background" task, this work is
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important, and will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of more new caves
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as the surface is covered more systematically than previously.
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<p>As always, publication of a report, with photographs, maps and surveys, is
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an essential part of the expedition's activities. In recent years, the aim
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has been to provide a printed report in the autumn following the expedition,
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for circulation to our sponsors and others. The main publication is a full
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report in the CUCC journal "Cambridge Underground", whilst briefer
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resumé articles appear in the British Cave Research Association
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Bulletin "Caves and Caving" and in the popular magazine "Descent". Surveys
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and photographs of new finds are presented in a lecture at the annual BCRA
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conference, despite this being within only three or four weeks of the
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expedition's return each year.
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<p>However, the main avenue of publication for the great mass of detail
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which each expedition generates is now via our club website. This contains
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annually revised descriptions of all the explored cave, as well as a wealth
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of archive material which we could not contemplate publishing on paper.
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As well as our own material, there are links and summaries of the work of
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others in the area. Links are also provided to other caving clubs' sites
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(many CUCC cavers go on to join regionally-based clubs when they graduate,
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whilst still continuing to cave on the expedition) and of course to the
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websites of our sponsors.
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<hr />
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<h4 align=center>1999 CUCC Expedition Goals</h4>
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<p><ul>
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<li>Watch the total eclipse of the sun on August 11th :-)</li>
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<li>Search the Steinschlagschacht and Forbidden Land areas of the cave for
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ways on south towards the nearby southern Schwarzmooskogel system, with a
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potential length/depth in excess of 42km/1056m.
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<ul>
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<li>Finish the descent of Wet Dreams route in Steinschlagschacht to see if
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this leads to a way past the apparently terminal dry route</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Push a number of other areas of Kaninchenhöhle:
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<ul>
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<li>over 230 documented ways on</li>
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<li>revisit Far North, now that it is less remote</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Surface surveys and GPS fixes for many older discoveries</li>
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<li>There are loose ends in some older CUCC discoveries which may be useful
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to pursue to tie surveys in:
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<ul>
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<li>Descent of major ramps below Roddick's Dive in
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<a href="../../1623/144.htm">144</a> seems likely to
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connect to a similar upward ramp in Larchenschacht in the chamber before
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it connects to Stellerweg. A survey loop down here, into known points
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in Larchenschacht and back out via the original 144-Stellerweg connection
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would do a great deal to help tie things in.</li>
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<li>Cave <a href="../../1623/140.htm">140</a> was noted on a surface walk in
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1998, and the description is suggestive that ends were inconclusive. This now
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proves to be in a rather key position between the two major systems, and a
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reexploration (and a good survey) is in order.</li>
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<li>Once below the Big Pitch in Stellerweg, it would be really worthwhile
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to survey down the Big Rift, which was never done. This would give us a
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reliable depth for the cave which didn't depend on surface surveys.<br>
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[we learn that ArGe have been down here in 1998, and surveyed from the
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Big Pitch to the start of the Big Rift - as yet CUCC has not seen the
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raw data from this resurvey]</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Photography and other documentation work</li>
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<li>Liaison with other groups working in the area now and in the past</li>
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<li>High quality publication via the World Wide Web and on paper<br>
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<hr />
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<h3>Dates:</h3>
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<p>Expo '99 will be five weeks to include August 11th, although as usual
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dates are flexible according to when people want to go/leave. Typically there
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are people arriving/leaving on every weekend so it is entirely possible to go
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for as long or as little time as you like.
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<p>Transport is pooled to minimise cost, but overall costs are variable and
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difficult to be precise about since it depends on factors such as how long
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you go for and how much beer you drink.
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<h3>Expo Committee:</h3>
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<p>Expo 1999 is currently at the "blue sky" stage, serious planning
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having barely started. This year's volunteer for Expedition Leader is Andrew
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Ketley who will no doubt be circulating details of what prospective
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members need to do. One thing worth doing early is applying for the
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various sports and travel grants available from most colleges.
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<p>Likely people of vast previous experience to contact in Cambridge are
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Julian Haines (mail <JHaines> on site scigen.co.uk, recent expo leader,
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and keen to let someone else have a turn), Sam Lieberman (mail <sam> on
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site avroind.com) and Tony Rooke. Last year's leader was Tim Vasby-Burnie
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(mail <trv21> on site hermes.cam.ac.uk). The information in this
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website is maintained by Andy Waddington (mail <austria> on site
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pennine.demon.co.uk) and Wookey (mail <wookey> on site aleph1.co.uk),
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where any questions or suggestions will be welcomed.
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<p>Both the Far North and the southern Schwarzmooskogel system link are
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ambitious projects, so there will be plenty of scope for hard caving and new
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exploration. But those 230-plus other leads include easy ones near entrances,
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and much of the other work will not need mega-hard caving talent, so there
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should be plenty of enjoyable caving and walking for everyone, regardless of
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fitness or experience. Expo takes a while to get moving, but it is always
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worth while discussing options from early on.
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<li>1998 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="../1998/index.htm">Index</a> (more complete than this list)</li>
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<li><a href="../1998/log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Expedition <a href="../1998/report.htm">Report</a> 1998</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> to 1999 expedition info</li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../sponsr.htm">Current year's</a> sponsors</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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