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Posted: 7/25/2013 4:55:21 PM EST
A 27 yr old woman died of cardiac arrest hiking The Wave in Utah. The extreme heat and unfamiliarity of The Wave's terrain seem to have killed her.
She's the third person to die at The Wave this month. She looks a bit overweight. I would imagine that contributed. Any arfcommers hiked The Wave? It looks incredible, but apparently it's not for beginners. http://www.kpho.com/story/22915215/mesa-woman-dies-on-hike-to-the-wave-in-arizona-utah-desert |
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That's horrible. She looks like she might not have been in the right condition to be out hiking in the desert.
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"the Bervels had spent the past seven months preparing for their trip by reviewing information by the Bureau of Land Management about the hike as well as online reviews."
I think I found the problem. |
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Dont all modern cell phones have GPS and a compass nowadays? Even if the maps aren't working,
Huh, nevermind, after looking at my BB Z10, there's no good implementation of the gps feature without the maps. |
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You know where that wouldn't have happened?
But in all seriousness, that's terrible. Too much time online and not enough time outdoors prepping. |
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That's horrible. She looks like she might not have been in the right condition to be out hiking in the desert. View Quote Ya think? It would be like me going to do the Tour De France................... Ya, that wouldn't go over very well for me. I wonder if she had the Beetus and that contributed to her death. |
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A 27 yr old woman died of cardiac arrest hiking The Wave in Utah. View Quote 'Cardiac arrest' is vague and could mean a lot of things. Did they have enough water? Did she die of hyperthermia? Dehydration? Both? Neither? |
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Hiking in the Southern UT/ Northern AZ desert areas in the hottest parts of the year can be brutal - that hike is daytime only and only by permit. Got lost for a few extra hours? I'm wondering if they did not have sufficient water and heat played a role.
For those unaware, here's a video of that area of the country. edit - for some reason the video isn't embedding - here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y8UsjSWXWLU |
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i hiked the wave july 1st was full of inexperienced fat tourists
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Too bad. She needed to go slower, carry water, and ride in a hay wagon instead of walking.
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Went to the lottery system, showed up on an off day, middle of November, and 40 people showed up. Didn't get drawn, but an entire group of Japanese tourists pooled their tickets, and two were able to go. They didn't speak English, and definitely did not understand when the ranger impressed upon that it would require 4WD especially due to the recent rain.
I'd be surprised if they even made it to the trailhead.
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Hiking in the Southern UT/ Northern AZ desert areas in the hottest parts of the year can be brutal - that hike is daytime only and only by permit. Got lost for a few extra hours? I'm wondering if they did not have sufficient water and heat played a role. For those unaware, here's a video of that area of the country. edit - for some reason the video isn't embedding - here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y8UsjSWXWLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y8UsjSWXWLU View Quote |
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she didn't die from the hike, she died from obesity + the hike.
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Hiking in the desert, during the hottest part of the day, in Arizona, is hazardous to fat people?
Who knew? |
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An inexpensive Personal Locator Beacon might have changed the outcome.
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'Cardiac arrest' is vague and could mean a lot of things. Did they have enough water? Did she die of hyperthermia? Dehydration? Both? Neither? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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A 27 yr old woman died of cardiac arrest hiking The Wave in Utah. 'Cardiac arrest' is vague and could mean a lot of things. Did they have enough water? Did she die of hyperthermia? Dehydration? Both? Neither? Yeah, the correct way to say it is, she was under full cardiac arrest when the rescue chopper found her. I would imagine the heat, dehydration and not being physically fit for the activity killed her. The article says an autopsy is pending. Sad, on her 5th anniversary. |
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That's how I hope to go. South of Mt Whitney heading south. But I'm an old guy.
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You don't hike the desert during the heat of the day. If they are going to make it a day only hike then permits should only be good for the spring, fall, and winter.
They should also require that you carry at least a gallon of water per person. Sounds like they took the hike lightly and were unprepared for the conditions. |
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I've hiked The Wave, albeit in winter...it was the opposite problem of being too damn cold in the morning, then too damn hot in the afternoon.
On a purely technical level, the Wave is a fairly straightforward hike with very little total elevation change. No climbing skills are required, and it's only about 3.5 miles from the parking lot to the beginning of the formations. In essence, you hike eastwards for a mile or two along a dry wash (which eventually turns into Buckskin Gulch, IIRC), and then turn south to follow a ridge for another mile or two until you approach the area of the Wave. Most of the terrain is slickrock hills, with a few annoying sandy spots that go on for a few yards. Bluntly put, you have to be stupid and unprepared to get yourself killed out there. Carry a gallon or two of water, don't wear retarded-ass suburbanite apparel, and pay attention to the damn surroundings. A compass is completely unnecessary, and a GPS shouldn't be needed. When you get the permit, the rangers give every hiker a 7-page color print-out showing the hike, major landmarks, photos of specific spots along the way, contact info, etc. There's plenty of cairn stone formations every few hundred yards indicating the route, and even if you wander off course a bit, the overall layout of the terrain is fairly easy to work your way back on track. I suspect they failed to bring water, failed to look at a map, and probably just kept walking north or east, rather than follow the wash back towards the west to get to the parking lot. The fact that they successfully made it to the Wave shows they were able to follow directions sufficiently to get out there (or hiked with another group), so they were either completely delusional with heat exhaustion, or they paid absolutely zero attention on their way back. Had they brought water, and drank it, getting killed would be considerably harder. Likewise, had they used some common sense and paid attention to their surroundings, even without water someone in decent condition should be able to hike that distance even in that heat (or know when to find a cool spot, hole up, and let someone else go for help). Sorry to see people die pointlessly, but if you can't handle a 7 mile walk across slickrock, you probably weren't very well adapted to surviving outside the basement. If an autistic crazy dude can survive for three weeks out there in the same terrain during the same season (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/autistic-man-found-alive-after-being-lost-3-weeks-in-utah-desert/), and these people can't make it 12 hours, that doesn't say very much for their intelligence. It should be added that the Wave is quite possibly the single most spectacular natural wonder I've ever visited, and I'd rather go back to the Coyote Buttes region and hike there than anywhere else in the world. Anything that keeps people away and helps preserve that fragile terrain is fine by me. If you're not resourceful or smart enough to hike a few miles out there, then go somewhere else and leave it to the rest of us... |
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heat, dehydration and not being physically fit View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Just dehydration can put you into cardiac arrhythmia and eventually arrest. Quoted:
Sounds like they took the hike lightly and were unprepared for the conditions. This. Apparently no map, compass, GPS, probably little to no water, and not in good condition. |
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I've hiked The Wave, albeit in winter...it was the opposite problem of being too damn cold in the morning, then too damn hot in the afternoon. On a purely technical level, the Wave is a fairly straightforward hike with very little total elevation change. No climbing skills are required, and it's only about 3.5 miles from the parking lot to the beginning of the formations. In essence, you hike eastwards for a mile or two along a dry wash (which eventually turns into Buckskin Gulch, IIRC), and then turn south to follow a ridge for another mile or two until you approach the area of the Wave. Most of the terrain is slickrock hills, with a few annoying sandy spots that go on for a few yards. Bluntly put, you have to be stupid and unprepared to get yourself killed out there. Carry a gallon or two of water, don't wear retarded-ass suburbanite apparel, and pay attention to the damn surroundings. A compass is completely unnecessary, and a GPS shouldn't be needed. When you get the permit, the rangers give every hiker a 7-page color print-out showing the hike, major landmarks, photos of specific spots along the way, contact info, etc. There's plenty of cairn stone formations every few hundred yards indicating the route, and even if you wander off course a bit, the overall layout of the terrain is fairly easy to work your way back on track. I suspect they failed to bring water, failed to look at a map, and probably just kept walking north or east, rather than follow the wash back towards the west to get to the parking lot. The fact that they successfully made it to the Wave shows they were able to follow directions sufficiently to get out there (or hiked with another group), so they were either completely delusional with heat exhaustion, or they paid absolutely zero attention on their way back. Had they brought water, and drank it, getting killed would be considerably harder. Likewise, had they used some common sense and paid attention to their surroundings, even without water someone in decent condition should be able to hike that distance even in that heat (or know when to find a cool spot, hole up, and let someone else go for help). Sorry to see people die pointlessly, but if you can't handle a 7 mile walk across slickrock, you probably weren't very well adapted to surviving outside the basement. If an autistic crazy dude can survive for three weeks out there in the same terrain during the same season (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/autistic-man-found-alive-after-being-lost-3-weeks-in-utah-desert/), and these people can't make it 12 hours, that doesn't say very much for their intelligence. It should be added that the Wave is quite possibly the single most spectacular natural wonder I've ever visited, and I'd rather go back to the Coyote Buttes region and hike there than anywhere else in the world. Anything that keeps people away and helps preserve that fragile terrain is fine by me. If you're not resourceful or smart enough to hike a few miles out there, then go somewhere else and leave it to the rest of us... View Quote I've also hiked "The Wave" and I agree 100%, It's not a hard hike but during the Summer it can be brutal. You need to carry at least a gallon of water no matter what time of the year go, But during the Summer it should be two gallons or more. Two gallons of water is about 15-16 pounds. Most casual hikers will struggle to carry that much water and all their other gear, She was at the wrong place, in the wrong kind of shape, at the wrong time of the year. Sad story. |
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We've had a crazy heat wave in Utah lately. I do a lot of 3 seasons hiking here (skiing in winter). Southern Utah is typically 10-15 degrees hotter than Salt Lake, and we've hit 100 for several days. Think Arizona-like temps.
Cell phone coverage in the deserts of Utah is very spotty. A real GPS, a paper map, and a compass (and the ability to use them) would help quite a bit. Taking a hiker that's experienced in the area wouldn't hurt either. Oh, and lots of water. When I hike the mountains around Salt Lake, I take at least 3 liters. This sounds like a case of dehydration and hyperthermia, leading to cardiac arrest. Sad case, but this happens periodically in the desert. The picture of her doesn't look encouraging, at least from a cardiovascular fitness standpoint. It would be interesting to know her hiking and outdoor experience. |
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Federal officials say they plan to review their policies and procedures for visitors... View Quote Oh for fuck's sake |
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10 essentials
Unprepared Got lost Panicked Dehydrated Heat stroke Cardiac arrest Death All very predictable. |
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Now I really want to go hiking there, although that might be my crazy talking.
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This. I am not a hiker by any means. It would have been #1 on my lst of things to take with me WHILE HIKING IN THE DESERT!!! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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An inexpensive Personal Locator Beacon might have changed the outcome. Oh hell no. Water, the knowledge of what to do if lost, and physical capability come way before those damn beacons. |
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Quoted: Now I really want to go hiking there, although that might be my crazy talking. View Quote If you have basic skills with map-reading/ gps/ compass, dress appropriately, have plenty of water, and are in decent health you should be just fine. Many people hike that in the summer. But the climate and terrain can be deadly if you are unprepared or make some bad decisions. |
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Now I really want to go hiking there, although that might be my crazy talking. View Quote There is achievement and satisfaction from taking on a challenge that WILL KILL YOU, and thoughtfully preparing and then overcoming that challenge. I don't think the folks in this story understood that they needed to thoughtfully prepare for a situation that could and would kill them without such preparation. |
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Left 2 kids, 4 and 5
She looked overweight, based on that double chin |
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Quoted: Dont all modern cell phones have GPS and a compass nowadays? Even if the maps aren't working, Huh, nevermind, after looking at my BB Z10, there's no good implementation of the gps feature without the maps. View Quote Backcountry Navigator is a great app, you can pre-download maps so you need no service to use it anywhere. I have used it on many hikes and bike trips. |
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From the article:
A California couple died their earlier in the month on a trail to The Wave. View Quote Which arfcommer writes for CBS5AZ? |
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There is achievement and satisfaction from taking on a challenge that WILL KILL YOU, and thoughtfully preparing and then overcoming that challenge. I don't think the folks in this story understood that they needed to thoughtfully prepare for a situation that could and would kill them without such preparation. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Now I really want to go hiking there, although that might be my crazy talking. There is achievement and satisfaction from taking on a challenge that WILL KILL YOU, and thoughtfully preparing and then overcoming that challenge. I don't think the folks in this story understood that they needed to thoughtfully prepare for a situation that could and would kill them without such preparation. Being wildly out of shape, and thinking that nature is a happy wonderful playland of cuddliness that exists to amuse you, will result in trauma and/or death. If we're lucky, maybe even a good Youtube clip for the rest of us. 1-2 gallons of water per person is a good idea in those conditions, but I'd wager that most average condition adults could probably survive that hike even during the summer without dying - severe dehydration and heat stroke undoubtedly, but it would take longer than the 4-5 hours of that hike to kill someone in decent shape. The Marine who died in the 80s made it 17 miles through the Mojave without water before dying, under very similar or worse heat conditions (and carrying gear). If you're carrying an extra 100-150 pounds of adipose tissue acting to slow you down, stress your heart, and impair your ability to shed heat, then as they say, you're gonna have a bad time. |
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Being wildly out of shape, and thinking that nature is a happy wonderful playland of cuddliness that exists to amuse you, will result in trauma and/or death. If we're lucky, maybe even a good Youtube clip for the rest of us. 1-2 gallons of water per person is a good idea in those conditions, but I'd wager that most average condition adults could probably survive that hike even during the summer without dying - severe dehydration and heat stroke undoubtedly, but it would take longer than the 4-5 hours of that hike to kill someone in decent shape. The Marine who died in the 80s made it 17 miles through the Mojave without water before dying, under very similar or worse heat conditions (and carrying gear). If you're carrying an extra 100-150 pounds of adipose tissue acting to slow you down, stress your heart, and impair your ability to shed heat, then as they say, you're gonna have a bad time. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Now I really want to go hiking there, although that might be my crazy talking. There is achievement and satisfaction from taking on a challenge that WILL KILL YOU, and thoughtfully preparing and then overcoming that challenge. I don't think the folks in this story understood that they needed to thoughtfully prepare for a situation that could and would kill them without such preparation. Being wildly out of shape, and thinking that nature is a happy wonderful playland of cuddliness that exists to amuse you, will result in trauma and/or death. If we're lucky, maybe even a good Youtube clip for the rest of us. 1-2 gallons of water per person is a good idea in those conditions, but I'd wager that most average condition adults could probably survive that hike even during the summer without dying - severe dehydration and heat stroke undoubtedly, but it would take longer than the 4-5 hours of that hike to kill someone in decent shape. The Marine who died in the 80s made it 17 miles through the Mojave without water before dying, under very similar or worse heat conditions (and carrying gear). If you're carrying an extra 100-150 pounds of adipose tissue acting to slow you down, stress your heart, and impair your ability to shed heat, then as they say, you're gonna have a bad time. I just spent the last hour finding the thing on Google Earth. I'm going to guess: From a coastal state. Moved to Arizona because they have air conditioning. "I hiked across Central Park/Santa Monica Pier. I don't need to listen to YOU." Whatever, lady. One of the things you learn on rough trails is that the people who brought water and food and stuff are busy surviving and they don't have time to go find your obese ass and carry you out. Sorry. |
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Hiking in the desert, during the hottest part of the day, in Arizona, is hazardous to fat people? View Quote Looks like the Haliburton weather machine claims another one. Hate to hear that for her children, but looking at her pic, it seems like she would get winded walking across the Wal Mart parking lot....doesn't look like the hiking type to me. |
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It should be added that the Wave is quite possibly the single most spectacular natural wonder I've ever visited, and I'd rather go back to the Coyote Buttes region and hike there than anywhere else in the world. Anything that keeps people away and helps preserve that fragile terrain is fine by me. If you're not resourceful or smart enough to hike a few miles out there, then go somewhere else and leave it to the rest of us... View Quote That kind of elitism and snobbery is responsible for more and more land being made inaccessible to ORV's and, consequently, folks with physical limitations. I'm sure that site could be made much more accessible with a road up to the formations without any adverse impact, and this woman would likely still be alive. But the tree huggers and BLM drones won't hear of it of course. Those Bastards act like Federal lands are their own personal property. |
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Quoted: That kind of elitism and snobbery is responsible for more and more land being made inaccessible to ORV's and, consequently, folks with physical limitations. I'm sure that site could be made much more accessible with a road up to the formations without any adverse impact, and this woman would likely still be alive. But the tree huggers and BLM drones won't hear of it of course. Those Bastards act like Federal lands are their own personal property. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: It should be added that the Wave is quite possibly the single most spectacular natural wonder I've ever visited, and I'd rather go back to the Coyote Buttes region and hike there than anywhere else in the world. Anything that keeps people away and helps preserve that fragile terrain is fine by me. If you're not resourceful or smart enough to hike a few miles out there, then go somewhere else and leave it to the rest of us... That kind of elitism and snobbery is responsible for more and more land being made inaccessible to ORV's and, consequently, folks with physical limitations. I'm sure that site could be made much more accessible with a road up to the formations without any adverse impact, and this woman would likely still be alive. But the tree huggers and BLM drones won't hear of it of course. Those Bastards act like Federal lands are their own personal property. Fuck that. Some places should be left as pristine as possible, and building roads would just completely fuck them up. I love the designated wilderness areas in the national forest system. Absolutely no roads allowed. I don't really give a shit if people with physical limitations can't access them. Do we need to build a road to the top of every mountain in the state to make you happy, or is it ok with you if there are few places where I can escape the sound of motors all the fucking time? You sure want to act like Federal land is your personal property to drive your little 4 wheeler all over, not giving a fuck if ti completely ruin the experience for everyone else.
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That kind of elitism and snobbery is responsible for more and more land being made inaccessible to ORV's and, consequently, folks with physical limitations. I'm sure that site could be made much more accessible with a road up to the formations without any adverse impact, and this woman would likely still be alive. But the tree huggers and BLM drones won't hear of it of course. Those Bastards act like Federal lands are their own personal property. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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It should be added that the Wave is quite possibly the single most spectacular natural wonder I've ever visited, and I'd rather go back to the Coyote Buttes region and hike there than anywhere else in the world. Anything that keeps people away and helps preserve that fragile terrain is fine by me. If you're not resourceful or smart enough to hike a few miles out there, then go somewhere else and leave it to the rest of us... That kind of elitism and snobbery is responsible for more and more land being made inaccessible to ORV's and, consequently, folks with physical limitations. I'm sure that site could be made much more accessible with a road up to the formations without any adverse impact, and this woman would likely still be alive. But the tree huggers and BLM drones won't hear of it of course. Those Bastards act like Federal lands are their own personal property. Yes, lets ruin the natural beauty so lazy fat people can get there easier. Fuck that. I'm in shape (round ) and I can walk around in the desert in AZ all damn day in the summer. If I can hike 14 miles in a day when it's 100+ degrees out, in the shape I'm in, there's no damn excuse. Handicap? Yeah, I can see that, but you just can't accomodate everyone. |
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'Cardiac arrest' is vague and could mean a lot of things. Did they have enough water? Did she die of hyperthermia? Dehydration? Both? Neither? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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A 27 yr old woman died of cardiac arrest hiking The Wave in Utah. 'Cardiac arrest' is vague and could mean a lot of things. Did they have enough water? Did she die of hyperthermia? Dehydration? Both? Neither? There is a reason being a landscaper is more dangerous than being a cop or firefighter. Heat can take even a fairly healthy person out of the game fairly quick. |
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That lady was obese. That, more than anything contributed to her death.
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"the Bervels had spent the past seven months preparing for their trip by reviewing information by the Bureau of Land Management about the hike as well as online reviews." I think I found the problem. View Quote No kidding... I kept waiting for the part where they talked about the weekly hikes they made in preparation. She chubby and pale- PLUS the classic lost in the desert and spent the hottest part of the day wandering around. Wonder how much water they had with them. They may have been doomed from the start. Getting lost was the last nail in the coffin. Better to spend a hungry night in the desert and walk make in the morning ( I'm assuming they didn't have a flashlight either). |
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