Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in BW?
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Duckman |
Kind of surprised me. I think I read somewhere on here that it was a group doing an annual base camp fishing trip, so I guess it made sense. I was just surprised to see a group with 500 pounds of dog and the same weight in beer in the middle of the BDUB. |
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inspector13 |
Mixed middle-aged nudists on an island in Saganaga coming down to shore to greet us as we paddled toward Cache Bay. And it was at the end of June when the bugs were bad to boot! |
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RRHD |
Last year, my husband and I saw a large group with many children and they kept standing up in their canoes, paddling standing. I’m fairly certain there were way more than 9 people in that group, too, and they were all wearing gauzy dresses and other strangely inappropriate clothes. A few years back, a family with four plastic kayaks came over a portage as we were heading out on a route with numerous long portages. Their gear was all in drybags with no packs, so they were having to make many trips over the portages and they were just dragging the kayaks. To be fair, the craziest thing any of us have done story: my daughter and her college friends were putting in at Brule. One friend was a strong paddler and experienced camper, the other two weren’t. They paddled fairly slowly the length of Brule as their friends learned how to paddle. Set up on a site on S. Temperance and realized they’d forgotten tent stakes, knives, and someone’s book. Strong paddling friend and my daughter decided to go back and get the missing gear and paddled the entire length of Brule against the afternoon wind. The missing gear wasn’t at the car! So they drove to the Forest Service site where they’d camped and found it, back tracked to Brule, then prepared to set back out. Some people taking out asked if they were going fishing. Setting in so late in the day with no gear? Daughter and friend got to the portage as the sun went down, and made it to their friends in the dark! It’s good to be young! I hope to never paddle the length of Brule three times in one day. So how about you? Any interesting stories of misadventure? |
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Ausable |
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nofish |
unshavenman: "A few years ago while waiting for our pickup at Hook Island an outfitter dropped off a group of six young men and their gear, which included two whole pineapples that they were hand carrying. Gotta fight the scurvy!" That almost sounds like they lost a bet. Losers have to carry in 2 random items selected by the winners. Bet that pineapple tasted amazing at the end of a long day though. |
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RRHD |
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unshavenman |
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Savage Voyageur |
As far as a ten pound bag of potatoes, we bring in ten pounds of potatoes almost every trip. Eight guys can eat a lot over a week, and they never last the week. Not much better than fresh caught fried walleye and fried potatoes. |
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Michwall2 |
On that same trip we encountered a pair of ladies who had wrestled their food bag away from a bear on Polly the night before. (Some gals!) They had packed up and moved campsites in the middle of the night. I have often wondered how long that 10 pond bag of potatoes lasted on Polly Lake before the bear found them?! I have since learned that some people (BWJ's Stu Osthoff for one.) take entirely fresh food for their entire trip! |
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K52 |
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merlyn |
On that same trip we looked at a campsite on Alpine and saw where a tent had been set up in a large patch of poison ivy. At site 677 on Horseshoe, a guy was nude all day. Unfortunately, we were on site 672 - way too close for comfort. |
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salukiguy |
Another vote here for fresh potatoes and onions! |
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MikeinMpls |
My philosophy has always been: if you want to carry it in, and what you're bringing is not against the rules, and you can pack it out, go for it! Though bringing in a lawn chair isn't for me, if someone wants that, and will carry it in and out, good for them. Though I often shake my head at what I see, I realize that I was new to the BWCA at one time. My first trip ever, at age 13, I carried my gear in an army duffel bag. Not comfortable to portage, even considering we did the Granite River, which has no portages of significant length. My sleeping bag got wet because I thought the duffel bag (canvas at that time) was at least water resistant, so I did not wrap it in plastic. My kit has evolved, of course, to exactly what I want, how I want. Two Mondays ago I went out to the Lake One landing just to get out and eat a sandwich before my Tuesday morning put in at Mudro. I got to talking to a young couple, from South Dakota, first time ever in the BWCA, actually putting in at 7:30 PM. As they packed their canoe, they asked for advice about a BWCA trip in general, and soaked in everything I told them. I thought it unwise to put in that late, but I didn't say anything about it, though I encouraged them to just start paddling. Clearly they didn't even know how late they were putting in relative to their first BWCA experience. I dunno if I'd put in on Lake One at 7:30 in the evening, and I know the put-in, route, and lake! I know the modal number of trips that people take to the BWCA is one. I think that's because the trippers that do the type of things we're discussing figure out that the BWCA can be a hostile weather environment, that has bugs, portages, and other unpleasantries that don't make the effort worth it. But I'm glad people are trying, as long as they can follow the rules. Of course, that's been the problem this year. Mike |
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scat |
My lawn chair at an Island River campsite. Kiddin' me. Don’t knock it till you tried it. I Bungee Dealee Bob it to my pack and it's worth every ounce. |
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missmolly |
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MikeinMpls |
scat: " Nice... I'm not knocking it at all! I sincerely apologize if it sounded like I was. Mike |
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Canoearoo |
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jwartman59 |
Years ago when I lived in Duluth, we had a stretch of beautiful weather, Indian summer, late October/November. We did a five day trip, one of my best BWCA trips. At the parking lot a group had just arrived from New Jersey. We were surprised that people came that far to canoe. We always figured everyone was from the upper Midwest. These guys had a two week trip planned, starting in November. This was way before the internet. I’ve always wondered how that trip worked out. |
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Michwall2 |
HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike) I stand corrected and to each his own. |
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Inmyelement |
This year, as we were about 200 yards from the Kawishiwi Lodge we saw a group of 3 canoes together. It looked like they had put in at the main EP 30 landing as their canoes were rented from somewhere in town. At this point they weren't a 1/4 mile from the landing. One canoe was picking stuff up off the water as stuff was already falling out of the canoe and the rest were staring at the map when one of them asked, "Are we almost to Lake 2 yet?" They looked surprised when I told them they had about an hours more of paddling to do. I really wonder what happened to that group. |
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scotttimm |
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Savage Voyageur |
shock: "do i dare even mention it again ?" Waiting... |
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inspector13 |
Moo! |
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shock |
inspector13: "Moo! " Yup, the Inspector knows. ;) |
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nofish |
Inmyelement: " Reminds me of a trip a few years ago. I was at the portage to Lizz lake from Poplar. I was waiting off shore while a large group was working on the portage. It was one of those big disorganized groups with packs, canoes, and loose gear scattered everywhere. I sat in my canoe off shore waiting for them to load up and they could clearly see I was waiting. Instead of loading up their canoes they pulled out the map and I could clearly hear them discussing where their next portage was. Thats when I paddled closer and let them know they were on Poplar lake now and they exited the BWCA a half a lake ago. They looked confused but didn't say much. Thats when I had to ask them to move their canoes so that I could land and get my trip started. By the time we had finished the portage they hadn't made the first step toward getting their canoes in the water or gathering their gear. It still looked like one of those garage sale portages. |
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treehorn |
And just this past weekend we put some fish guts on a rock across the bay we were on and of course the wildlife swarmed. We were impressed by a seagull who fended off two separate bald eagle advances. Maybe this is normal, but he held his own on that fish pile and scared off both eagles. |
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SummerSkin |
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LindenTree |
SummerSkin: "Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "party ball"?" If I remember correctly, it is a plastic ball filled with beer, about twice the size or bigger than a basketball. I think it has a tap on it just like the kegs. |
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dustytrail |
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Spartan2 |
jillpine: "One of the most bizarre and most dangerous I've personally seen was the couple from North Carolina paddling in a lake as it began storming, bad. They were headed for our campsite and I waved them to come ashore and could not believe my ears when I heard an infant crying. They had a nine month old infant and a two year old toddler. They were completely overwhelmed. They had on cheap rain ponchos, a heavy aluminum canoe they had rented from "an outfitter". It was nuts. They huddled under our tarp and dried off with towels we gave them. We made them hot water. They wouldn't accept tea or cocoa. They left for the open campsite on the other side of the island as soon as the storm cleared, even though it was approaching 9pm and quite dark. That is bizarre, Jillpine. I know when we share the photo books and journals from our trips (I did a slide show once for the local Lions Club, too) people are just amazed that there is a place in the world where there are no roads, no convenience stores, no restaurants and hotels. And that anyone would want to go there. Concessions at the entry points? It just addles my brain to think about that. My story is what happened on our second trip, which would have been 1973 and was just a little four-day trip around the numbered lakes, as we were leaving a four year old and a 15 month old baby with friends in Minneapolis. We were standing on the shore of Horseshoe Lake and a young couple came up on the portage. They set their canoe down, took off their packs, and the woman said "At last! Lake Insula!" We hated to interfere with them on the one hand, but on the other hand, they were obviously misplaced. My husband stepped up with his maps and asked them why they thought they were at Insula. Come to find out the only map they had was a little line drawing that the FS had given them to indicate lakes where you were not allowed to camp more than one night. They were just stunned to see our maps and that my husband had a compass with him, too. After setting them straight we gave them one of our maps (we always had one for him and one for me) and they went happily on their way. I wonder if they ever reached "Lake Insula!" Back then there was no "video" to watch, and I think things did improve once people were given more idea what to expect. In 1973 this area was barely becoming the BWCA. |
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mr.barley |
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G0thG1rl |
mr.barley: "Goth girl walking on the Tanner lake dam in heels." Time wounds all heels |
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missmolly |
MikeinMpls: "scat: " Mike, you're a mensch! |
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Arcola |
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RRHD |
Canoearoo: "Deep in the BWCA, I saw a women wearing a ballroom gown and high heels walking across a portage. Her partner carried all the stuff." I think that may have been a college professor of my husband and his wife! If it was long ago. The prof showed his classes pictures of his wife in fancy dress all over the world! |
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shock |
Well, I talked them down to one party ball and afterwards they said, "If we known, we wouldn't have even brought one in!" I once saw a big seagull swallow four 15" brook trout carcass one after another and the other birds wouldn't even get close to this big bird. |
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Savage Voyageur |
Michwall2: "RE: !0 lb bag of potatoes Dinner for our group of 8 guys is over the fire. In one 12” cast iron pan we cook about 10-12 Walleye, (not all at once). In the other 14” cast iron pan we cook about 14 potatoes sliced up and seasoned with onions, salt and pepper. That 10# bag does not last very long. We base camp on those trips with lots of unnecessary items. Every guy brings a bag chair to sit around camp on. Triple portages are the norm. |
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mutz |
Savage Voyageur: "Michwall2: "RE: !0 lb bag of potatoes We have either four or six guys, we base camp, double portage, two guys to a four man tent, chairs and cots, all fresh food. We can get in a long way on our single ten hour travel day. Ten pounds of potatoes is not a lot. To some our gear may seem/look crazy but that is how we enjoy our trip. To us someone with one pack, single portaging looks crazy because we wouldn’t enjoy that. In other words what looks crazy to one person is right to another. I draw the exception to five gallon water jugs or a live pig. |
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Canoearoo |
RRHD: "Canoearoo: "deep in the BWCA I saw a women wearing a ballroom gown wearing high heels walking across a portage. Her partner carried all the stuff." That is funny. Did you see any lake or portage pictures? |
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scat |
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scat |
They were lugging in the five gallon collapsible containers of water, which I found a bit odd. There’s water everywhere. One poor kid’s dad kept imploring his son, you have to drink water, drink some more water, like the kid was going to die from dehydration after a couple hours of paddling and a few walks in the woods. We were starting to snicker a bit. I’ll never forget the little guy saying, in that high pitched, prepubertal falsetto that I love so much and imagine sounds like a tenor in the Vienna boy’s choir who just got kicked in the stones, "But dad, I’m not thirsty!’ That was priceless. I think what added to my amusement was both our parties camped at Sawbill the night before and I walked by the ever-thirsty father and said hi. I’m usually friendly. He didn’t even look at me. He just stared straight ahead walking rigidly. Seemed a little uptight. One of those guys. I knew right away at the portage it was the same guy. I felt kinda sorry for the kid. Seems like a long shot, but I hope he had a good trip, if he didn’t drown by the second day. |
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jillpine |
Sometimes I see pictures of "trace" today and think to myself how bad it was when I first started going there - toilet paper, beer and pop cans, fish guts everywhere. All the greens in the campsite cut. Trees carved with initials. If today's crowds had the campsite use behaviors of those times, there'd be nothing left. That said, it has been pretty bad this year. Noticeably worse. |
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Jakthund |
LindenTree: "SummerSkin: " That's correct. I think they were 3-4 gallons. Back in the 90's I used to do some easy couples trips and we would bring one. It was nice to have a beer, but there were issues: - Only came in Bud and Coors - Hard to keep cold - Had to drink whole thing once opened as would go flat quickly One year we camped next to one of those small stocked Brook trout lakes and sank it 10-15 feet down which actually worked pretty well. Pretty nice to come back to after a day in the sun. |
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jillpine |
I was fishing alone by the mouth of a stream by the portage early the next morning. They passed by as they reached the portage. They thanked me for the kindness in letting them come ashore and get dry. The situation was just bizarre. They thought campsites would be marked and abundant, portages would be signed and that there would be well water to pump at resting areas. They were surprised there were no concessions at the entry points. And on and on. And I recall how mad they were that "they weren't told". This was at least fifteen years ago but certainly well within the time period of USFS making concerted efforts to let people know about LNT and lack of "basics" relative to other camping experiences. This summer has felt like a redux. |
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OgimaaBines |
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shock |
Jakthund: "LindenTree: "SummerSkin: "Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "party ball"?" Correct, I believe they were 6 gallons and plastic so they were BW legal. |
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RRHD |
jillpine: "One of the most bizarre and most dangerous I've personally seen was the couple from North Carolina paddling in a lake as it began storming, bad. They were headed for our campsite and I waved them to come ashore and could not believe my ears when I heard an infant crying. They had a nine month old infant and a two year old toddler. They were completely overwhelmed. They had on cheap rain ponchos, a heavy aluminum canoe they had rented from "an outfitter". It was nuts. They huddled under our tarp and dried off with towels we gave them. We made them hot water. They wouldn't accept tea or cocoa. They left for the open campsite on the other side of the island as soon as the storm cleared, even though it was approaching 9pm and quite dark. That sounds really frightening! I feel bad for all involved in that misadventure! |
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Blatz |
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mr.barley |
Savage Voyageur: "We were leaving Pine Lake and what looked like three canoes were approaching us as we paddled. When they got closer, we realized there were two guys paddling solo canoes and one of them was towing a large inner tube with a keg in it. Our group always required each person to carry their own first night steak and a potato in there own pack. After the first night instant potatoes is fine with me. |
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WhiteWolf |
mr.barley: "Goth girl walking on the Tanner lake dam in heels."+++ Don't know about Goth, but I've seen heel prints from lady's high heels on the end of the Bottle Portage. No question about it. On a different level, seeing BeaV go from the east end of the Gunflint to Superior in one quick push - after starting from I-Falls something like 40 hours earlier - and the BIG part of Rainy. I've done Clove to Superior in one push with a BeaV-lead group - (hell) doing it solo is simply nuts. BeaV - solo from Gunflint Lake- to Superior is crazy ( most at night and after starting at I-Falls just 2 days or so before) = that's nuts. The craziest thing that will beat this is SUP doing it almost as fast. That is coming in this years Kruger's Challenge. If the SUP can finish. My bet is they will. That's crazy/ |
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sylvesterii |
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shock |
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Savage Voyageur |
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JimmyJustice |
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missmolly |
shock: "do i dare even mention it again ?" I double dog dare ya! |
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mooseplums |
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OtherBob |
These Boy Scout kitchen boxes were a big deal in the mid-50s. Our troop built one, but it only rode to camp in the troop trailer. |
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RT |
Many years ago, while sitting at Eddy Falls eating lunch after a swim in the falls, a group of scouts (boy and girl group whom it turned out were from Chicago), two adults and about six 10-year-old kids, paddled up to take the portage. One kid pointed at our Summer sausage, cheese and crackers, and very pointedly TOLD us that "people from Minnesota call that 'chub'!" We laughed and explained it was Summer sausage. "NO! You call it 'chub'!" The kid was adamant. Then... he wandered off and got back with his group. We didn't call Summer sausage 'chub' at the time, but we absolutely call it 'chub' now. Cheese & Chub is a staple lunch. |
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shock |
Savage Voyageur: "ok for the new members and old one's that have forgot what i shared when i first hopped on the best outdoor site on the web !shock: "do i dare even mention it again ?" i was doing a trip into the SAK fall time from seagull mid 90's. so were coming up to the ogish portage from kingfisher , and i noticed all these turkey buzzards feasting on something in the water . told my partner to paddle over there . and there in the water by shore half above water line was a holstein cow , black and white as black and white can be , most want to say it was a piebald moose or something to that affect . well all i can say in my defense is i had a uncle in wisconsin who was a dairy farmer , visited many times , i know the difference between a moose and a holstein and it did stink to high heavens , came back through that area 2 days later and the whole carcass was gone , i'm sure wolves smelled that from miles away. thats my story and i'm sticking to it . now i've seen 1 UFO while fishing on lake waconia (winter time) and last winter i saw something i'm still not sure if it was a drone or not , because it showed up and disappeared as i was looking at it , a refection i'm not sure ???? but it was right there within a football field of us and my friend saw it too and looked away then back and asked where the hell did it go , weird ! |
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airmorse |
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shock |
it's winter time tip up fishing out of my old bronco , hopped out to take a piss and some lights caught my attemtion in the sky , a combination of orange/yellows/reds and this thing started to move and i said to my friend do you see this , and he didnt say anything , and i felt he was watching it , when it disappeared out of sight , i said tell me you saw that , and he said i sure the F did and i was in the air force and we have nothing that moves like that . since that event i've watched commercial jets fly over the lake even aircraft going up to camp ripley. and it takes minutes for them to be out of sight , and this thing was out of sight into the atmosphere in maybe 8 seconds , it was crazy fast . thats my other story i'm sticking to. now if you want to hear about the black cougar i saw on my way to bow hunting outside the belle plain area , thats another story. 1 of those things you dont see for any great length of time , but you say to yourself i know what i just saw. |
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missmolly |
RT: "Wow... you all have meet up with some actual crazy. Knock on wood I have only dealt with one instance, and it's not even crazy, more funny. Funny story! |
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shock |
on my way through belle plain to st. thomas to bow hunt like 4-5am ? on a curve where your head lights kind of show out into the fields well this Cat wasn't in the field it was on the shoulder and looked like it was feeding on something , but when my lights hit it , it looked up right at me and it's head was like 8-10" across and it's tail was about a yard long in a S shape , well over a 100lbs , definitely no farm cat. there has been many cougar sightings in the minnesota river valley from henderson to burnsville , they are top of the food chain there and plenty of deer to feed on , one guy caught 1 on a trail cam in savage after seeing some deer kills,, but never a black one. |
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scat |
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