# Death on the Little White



## Flying_Spaghetti_Monster (Jun 3, 2010)

By all accounts a wonderful person, and boater. Hoping details will emerge that we can learn from. Woman dies while kayaking on the Little White Salmon River | The Columbian


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

Very sad.


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## yakkeranna (Jul 8, 2009)

Jenna was an awesome person and boater and she was with a very good crew. Very sad news.


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## Flying_Spaghetti_Monster (Jun 3, 2010)

Has any more details emerged from the accident?


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Video of the run*

Here is a video of the river. It is a very serious run in a semi-remote canyon. Jennifer Watson was a very skilled paddler, 38 years old from Portland. Paddling with a group of ten she collasped while paddling, CRP performed, unsuccessful, and choppered out. Not sure if you really need more info than that. (heart/stroke/clot)

http://vimeo.com/10558155


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## Flying_Spaghetti_Monster (Jun 3, 2010)

I had heard she was swept into a cave. The main reason I am wondering is because I think something can be learned from every accident on the river. Unless she collapsed from something non-kayaking related. My heart goes out to her friends, and family.


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

Spaghetti,
I am going to give you a big Shut the Fuck Up. Maybe you could give it a little more than a few days before you try to dissect this fatality.


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Sorry*

FSM,

Sorry. I should have not come off as being so rude about it. When I was newer in the sport I too wanted to know everything about every accident and I read every one of Charlie’s AW yearly recounts going back to 1995, minus the last 8-9 years I guess. And, I read stories like Jenna’s and now I’m just sad. I feel for her family, maybe just a little differently now that I have started my own. 

The reason I was short is that after reading countless write-ups, articles and postings about accidents I come to the realization that they are all sad and tragic and in hindsight it’s easy to judge and say… There really isn’t that many ways people die in moving water. Water can find a way to take us, weather can take us, exposure can take us, or sometimes our own bodies can fail us. Either we get stuck/pinned/broached, we flush, take trauma to the body, or something happens to us internally (you most likely didn’t know it’s coming with enough time to guess right).

More often than not the stories I enjoy reading and pursuing for content are the ones about how people beat the odds, pulled through, and stayed to paddle with us another day.


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

FSM, I agree with learning from accidents but you seem to be chasing the ambulance a lot. Regardless of how it happened, how she lived her life is way more more important than how she died. Geoff wrote up about her life and it sounds like she was 10 times the badass as most of us on this board. Awesome to see she had seen so many of the world's rivers.


Here is Geoff's tribute:

"It's with a heavy heart that I share this news with the paddling community, and I post it here only because so many of you were touched by her wonderful heart. Jennifer Watson passed away this past weekend on the Little White Salmon in Oregon in a kayaking accident. This post is about Jenna's amazing life and not about the details of the accident, although I'm told that the crew she was with was an amazing group and did everything in their ability. 

I'll leave you with a few thoughts about Jennifer, as she and I logged thousands of miles together on land and in water over the years: 

From the day Jennifer was on a rafting trip and was inspired to learn to kayak, she was in pursuit of the joys of water, and she chased it from Georgia to Tennessee and North Carolina and on to Idaho and Oregon and Washington, and to every state in between and around the world. She chased it deep into the Grand Canyon and out again and also into lost worlds like the Colca and Cotahuasi canyons of Peru. She chased it through Himalayan gorges in Bhutan and chased it in the mountains of Turkey and Ecuador and Costa Rica. She chased it with a belief in her own strength and she chased it with friends who loved her for that strength. She chased it via helicopter in the dramatic landscape of New Zealand and looked for it among slow murky currents passing by the Bangkok fish markets. She lived with amazing intention and determination, and she shaped her life so she could chase joy. She chased it in the rainbows formed overhead in the showers of waterfalls dripping off a high cliff wall. She chased it through the swims and the pitons, she chased it through friendship and love, and she chased it through easy times and difficult times -- and she chased it always with such a gentle and giving spirit. In the end, I think (like many of you) that I was just lucky to share some of this chase with her, and I know that her smile came not just from the chase of joy, but from her finding that joy. Godspeed and good lines, Jennifer, and I will see you in the next eddy. 

To all of her friends, thank you for being such good friends to Jennifer. 

Geoff "


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Rest in peace, Jennifer.


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## Leland (Jan 25, 2004)

JD made a post with more information over on Professor Paddle.

It sounds like heroic efforts were made to save her.

It's a tremendous loss for the paddling community - Jenna was a wonderful person who had countless paddling friends back and forth across the country.

We're all going to miss her.

L


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## Flying_Spaghetti_Monster (Jun 3, 2010)

I really was not trying to be that way, and for that I am sorry. I have many friends that were close friends with her. Life is a very fragile thing, and the fact that this person lost theirs is heartbreaking. I was just wanting to understand the accident better. I am sorry if that came across as coarse. My heart goes out to this wonderful individual, and her family. Everyone that knew her seemed to love her, and said that she was a super solid boater. Be safe out there everyone. RIP Jenna


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

The need to learn from accidents is something we all feel but there is a time and place for those questions. This thread is neither the time nor the place. Wait a while and give the folks that knew her time to grieve. Save the accident review for a future thread. 

I will remove any future posts that follow the 'what happened' approach on this thread.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

condolences to the family, friends, and crew. If anybody needs somebody to talk to, give me a ring, never easy losing loved ones


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## brandob9 (Jun 13, 2010)

I've been rolling on this one for the week. I knew Jenna well as a close personal friend, and I know all the guys involved. As much as the woman and I will miss her, I'm very sad for the 9 men who were there who did everything right but couldn't save her.


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## Barney Fife (May 25, 2009)

*Time for Everything...*

The sadness of anyone's death is immense and within the grieving there is a time for everything. I agree that we need to learn what we can from these tragic events, yet the time for learning, especially through a public forum such as the Buzz, is not now. Let's grieve her death and love where she was when she died. Seek the support, friendship and love of your friends and family through this and the other challenges in our lives. The answers will follow and will be given in their important time. For now, share your love of friends and water often, and while you do so be as smart and safe as you possibly can. It's always a great day for the river.


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

My condolences to those impacted by the tragic events.

After reading the link that Leland posted (thanks Leland) it struck me what a huge difference in response there was on professor paddle and mountainbuzz. The same thread played out on professor paddle, first guy asks what happened, and instead of jumping each others shit, telling each other to shut the fuck up, threatening to moderate and delete posts, blabbering on and on about now isn't the time... an informed person shared pertinent info that could potentially be very important for folks running the little white in the future. The fact that the PP folks could have a civil discussion, share important safety info, and pay tribute to what sounds like a wonderful person all in the same spot and time, shows that it can be done respectfully, contrary to the emotional chest thumping denials that it simply isn't the time over here.

To me, the "not now"... "its not the time"... response is wrong, or at best woefully incomplete. It seems like the knee jerk response that many play. My observation is that if info is not shared after an accident happends, that the detailed info that could benefit the community has a good chance of not fully coming out into the public. Maybe a few months later there will be a vague blurb on charlie walbridge's accident summary that notes a fatal K-1 entrapment, but in some cases thats it.

If I encounter a tree, pin, or hazard spot that was unknown, I try and tell the community as soon as I can to help inform other boaters. If someone dies as a result of the same situation, it should be hush hush and the info should be held out? Of course that doesn't make sense.

I think as a community we need to rethink the way we deal with the impact of fatalaties and accidents and we need to stop sweeping them under the rug in an attempt to delay or deflect the tough discussions that should take place for the community to learn and improve.

Kudos to the professor paddle folks for treading a delicate balance to share info while being respectful. I'd suggest that the folks here on the buzz take note of the example.

For the "not now" crowd... when is now? What's wrong with the way info played out on professor paddle (ie they shared the info when the buzz was still telling each other not now..)? How is the sharing of information as done on professor paddle in any way negative?


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

AW has the official accident report up. Amazing bravery went down in there that day. It's 230 am here and it's hit close to home after reading it. Stay safe guys.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

deepsouthpaddler said:


> My condolences to those impacted by the tragic events.
> 
> After reading the link that Leland posted (thanks Leland) it struck me what a huge difference in response there was on professor paddle and mountainbuzz. The same thread played out on professor paddle, first guy asks what happened, and instead of jumping each others shit, telling each other to shut the fuck up, threatening to moderate and delete posts, blabbering on and on about now isn't the time... an informed person shared pertinent info that could potentially be very important for folks running the little white in the future. The fact that the PP folks could have a civil discussion, share important safety info, and pay tribute to what sounds like a wonderful person all in the same spot and time, shows that it can be done respectfully, contrary to the emotional chest thumping denials that it simply isn't the time over here.
> 
> ...


I dont pretend to always be right but I disagree with your approach of a water hazard. If you encounter a water hazard or a death occurs due to it then post a thread in the correct forum and document it. I didnt see anything productive arising from the conversation that was going on at that point in this thread. But let me put it another way, what if someone was severely injured or died on a trip that you were on and someone posted it and then started questioning the trips skill level and abilities. These types of threads have turned into that in the past and it gets pretty ugly. I was possibly too heavy handed in my approach this time but I erred on the side of caution and other moderators disagreed with my approach so I will give more thought before posting in the future.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

I will admit that I definitely made an assumption that this was going bad.


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## Cphilli (Jun 10, 2010)

Our sport draws in very amazing people like Ryan Bradley. It sounds like he risked his own life to save another, this alone speaks volumes to the type of person he must be.

I can't explain how important it is to be surrounded by those you care about and can trust if a situation arises. I myself had to once rely on my closest of friends out here to drag me off the river with potential life threatening injuries. I just wish in Jenna's case they could have pulled her through.

A death in a community this small always makes a big impact, I am really sorry and wish everyone affected the best through the tough times.


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## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

Terribly tragic. My condolences to Jenna's fmily and friends.

Thanks for posting the account. It is certainly worth learning from both in terms of how the accident occured and the heroic efforts to save her.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Still sending shivers up my spine at the report when Ryan said after clipping in the rope 'pull me out in 30 seconds'. If I read right he didn't even know her just happened to be there and was willing. Good God. Not sure how it changes it that he didn't know her. 

Very selfless individual who did all he could. Sometimes your all just isn't enough.


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## J. Thompson (Jun 14, 2011)

I read the report and I really have to say that what Ryan Bradley did is truly heroic. I'm a career firefighter, we often get called heros. It's really just our job. 
So when I hear stories, like what Mr. Bradley did, it really lets me know that true heros are out there. Much respect for putting your life on the line, quit literally, for someone else. An incredibly selfless act that very few people would be willing to do.

My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jenna.


josh


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## izzywizzy (Sep 7, 2012)

Flying_Spaghetti_Monster said:


> I have many friends that were close friends with her. Life is a very fragile thing, and the fact that this person lost theirs is heartbreaking. I was just wanting to understand the accident better. I am sorry if that came across as coarse. RIP Jenna


Exactly. Life is fragile. Here's what we can learn here. "If in doubt, scout"

_*"Although nervous (and* who *isn't on their first Little White run?), Jenna was paddling just fine; no one in the group had any doubts about her ability to competently do the run. She received good beta and followed it well. And right above S-Turn, Chris and I described the lines and hazards of the rapid and offered her the opportunity to scout, which she declined*_*."*

According to another article scouting is a must on your first run here: 

_*There are ledges and falls of every kind in this stretch, with hydraulics that range from benign to terminal. If you aren't familiar with the creek scouting is mandatory your first time down, so you could get into big trouble if you aren't careful. *_

Why did Jenna decline to scout on her first run down this Class V? We will never know. If she had could it have made a difference, again, we will never know. But if in doubt, please scout. RIP


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## yakkeranna (Jul 8, 2009)

She wasn't in doubt. She thought she had the line based on the verbal beta and she went for it. This is something I'm sure we've all done, unless you scout every single rapid of every single run you've ever been on.

I know we sit here and try to figure out what people did wrong because we want there to be something that we could do to prevent these types of accidents, but sometimes shit just happens, and that's part of the risk you take kayaking. Don't set Jenna up to sound as though she wasn't fully aware or was unprepared. She knew, and she went for it, and that's part of why she was such an awesome person to boat with.


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## robfather (Dec 24, 2003)

yakkeranna said:


> She wasn't in doubt. She thought she had the line based on the verbal beta and she went for it. This is something I'm sure we've all done, unless you scout every single rapid of every single run you've ever been on.
> 
> I know we sit here and try to figure out what people did wrong because we want there to be something that we could do to prevent these types of accidents, but sometimes shit just happens, and that's part of the risk you take kayaking. Don't set Jenna up to sound as though she wasn't fully aware or was unprepared. She knew, and she went for it, and that's part of why she was such an awesome person to boat with.


this is true. first time i ran little white,the only thing i looked at was spririt and stove pipe as i was walking around them. everything else was given verbally from little white regulars. i can fully understand taking verbal directions and going for it.


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## izzywizzy (Sep 7, 2012)

robfather said:


> this is true. first time i ran little white,the only thing i looked at was spririt and stove pipe as i was walking around them. everything else was given verbally from little white regulars. i can fully understand taking verbal directions and going for it.


Thanks for the responses. I was researching the river and came across the article stating scouting is a must your first time down and then when i saw the group offered it to her and she declined I wondered why. Maybe he meant scouting is a must if you make the run alone. Verbal instructions are the same as scouting, in a sense. There appears to be alot of expected risk when you engage in extreme sports. However, Kayaking down a class V river is probably less dangerous than driving in my car to the local Food Lion.... I should probably scout the route first...


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

It's worth pointing out, one of the icons of our sport (who has since passed himself, RIP D DLV!) once said "you only get one chance to run a drop blind." Although it may not have been the safest or most prudent course of action, it is these events and obstacles that we push ourselves to overcome that makes us truly live. Yes, it was a terrible end to a bright young human life, but sometimes the choices we make are the ones we know may end up less that what we thought. I'm so sorry to everyone involved. It's never easy. But the risks we take is one unifying theme that we all share on our drive to live this life to the fullest.


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

izzywizzy said:


> Thanks for the responses. I was researching the river and came across the article stating scouting is a must your first time down and then when i saw the group offered it to her and she declined I wondered why. Maybe he meant scouting is a must if you make the run alone. Verbal instructions are the same as scouting, in a sense. There appears to be alot of expected risk when you engage in extreme sports. However, Kayaking down a class V river is probably less dangerous than driving in my car to the local Food Lion.... I should probably scout the route first...


When you're on a class V creek there are plenty of big rapids that don't get scouted. If one scouts every class V or rapid with consequence you may never even make it to the takeout. Personally, I've ran rapids with verbal directions that fit this category and typically have no issues. Even the always popular "Whatever you do don't touch the walls or the rocks" or the "on the 2nd drop if you go left you may never get out...really bad hole"

I'm sure she knew what she was doing and that this accident was just that: an accident.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

First time I ran little white I portage spirit and ran everything else off beta aka no scout. I just think its one of those rivers and one of those accidents where you really need to be on your a game anything can happen. This kind of reminds me of what happend to Chuck in the Black. Kayaking is dangerous loosing brothers and sisters is never easy! Condolences to family's and friends. Live life cause you never know when it will be your last


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## izzywizzy (Sep 7, 2012)

yetigonecrazy said:


> It's worth pointing out, one of the icons of our sport (who has since passed himself, RIP D DLV!) once said "you only get one chance to run a drop blind." Although it may not have been the safest or most prudent course of action, it is these events and obstacles that we push ourselves to overcome that makes us truly live. Yes, it was a terrible end to a bright young human life, but sometimes the choices we make are the ones we know may end up less that what we thought. I'm so sorry to everyone involved. It's never easy. But the risks we take is one unifying theme that we all share on our drive to live this life to the fullest.


I think I understand now. Since you take risks the majority of people do not, the odds are that this could also happen to you. I must give you all some advice. PLEASE write a WILL. Doesn't matter how old you are, or even if you do not participate in extreme sports, you need one. Jenna didn't have one so her family had to guess what her wishes were. Of course, not everyone is in agreement and the lawyers say it will take a couple years to figure it all out.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

izzywizzy said:


> I think I understand now. Since you take risks the majority of people do not, the odds are that this could also happen to you.


All of us that kayak, whether its class II or VI, seek some form of freedom when we do what we do. We know the risks are at times tipped in favor against us, but the drive to beat those odds, to overcome the challenges that stand in our way, be it a class II rapid or a class V waterfall, is what fuels the desire to take those risks in the first place. It can be a very high risk sport but it can also be a very high reward activity. Every day when someone goes kayaking it is just a calculated balance of risk and reward. Some days the scale slides in favor one way, sometimes the other. But awareness and acknowledgement of that balance is all part of the situations we chose to put ourselves in.


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

Interestingly enough, the risk of dying while kayaking is 2.5 per 100,000 per year if you are a private boater. This is much lower than almost all other adventure sports on the planet.


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*RIP*

I had no plans in ever getting back into this thread again, because in hind sight I may have burned some bridges with some good people I've never met face to face with. Sorry, to be a dic. 

Yeti, THANK YOU. you send the things I was thinking and could not put into words. I tend to take point when I run a river, because I like the chess game of it. My first time down something in the lead I feel like a pathfinder. It feel like my 1st D, I pick every line read every dip and shadow. I get it, when you hold your breath at the crest of a drop knowing you'll figure it out once you see where you're going. It has a purity to it, it's fresh and clean. 

I've also lived long enough to have bad days, and come over that say drop and said [email protected] (3'ft too FAR Right) and ended up in a big hole (lucky it wasn't into a strainer, log, sieve, rock pile) too many times. Still I see why I ride to the point, but now at my age I'm starting to listen to the people in my group and hear their words. I let them lead, give beta, and I'm honest if I nead more details (need to scout) or just not feeling it. The folks I've been blessed to paddle with over the years- I treasure them for they helped me to get to where I am today. Run the river the way your into, but listen to all the veriables. Let your mind be open enough the hear all the details. 

I don't know why but things change over time. You'll be typing different posts in 10 years. Everyone has their own trip, this we can not change. But, we can give them advice and heed them warning from our past mistakes/ lessons learned.

I will still run point every chance I get. That's my canvas and I get to pick how it get's run. Sorry, but that's my fix and I need it for me.


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## izzywizzy (Sep 7, 2012)

Jennifer Rebecca Watson Obituary - Portland, Oregon - Tributes.com


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

GAtoCSU said:


> Interestingly enough, the risk of dying while kayaking is 2.5 per 100,000 per year if you are a private boater. This is much lower than almost all other adventure sports on the planet.


That's a great stat, thanks for bringing that up. I agree very much, but I think in this situation, with a large, powerful waterfall, tucked in a semi-committing gorge, the risks are stacked up a bit higher than normal. And that's what I am talking about: as the risks get more severe, as the runs get more difficult, we must also acknowledge the increase in risk in return for the increase in reward. Not always, but usually the higher the risk, the higher the reward. Sure, theres little risk to go run Filter Plant at 400 cfs on a hot sunday afternoon; but the reward, while filling to some, will often not be enough for some. So the risks are much higher when you run say, the Black, at 2000 cfs......but the personal rewards are going to be so much more. Again, it just comes down to gambling on that line between risk vs reward. It's just different for everybody, and their level of comfort.


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## skier_chic_99 (Sep 14, 2012)

IzzyWizzy,

You should be ridiculously ashamed of yourself for judging the deceased. If you were not there and did not know any of the rescuers involved, you have no right to try to analyze the situation. You should not have judged her decision to scout. 

She did nothing wrong that day. If water levels were a few inches higher or lower, she would be with us now. That simple. I hope you are happy with hearing that analysis. There is your learning piece...water levels on rivers change. Such a shocking discovery, I know. 

Additionally, you probably didn't know Jenna, otherwise you would have known that she would NOT have wanted the personal details of her life shared, AKA, her will. 

Jenna was amazing at everything she did because she put 100% into any endeavor. She learned things the right way the first time. She was always over prepared for any new sport. She EARNED her bad ass reputation. 

I bet you also didn't know that she was ridiculously intelligent and that's how she was able to create her awesome life. Through smart decisions.

Unless you have something to say about how wonderful her smile was, how genuine of a person she was, how she excelled at her work, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing and other sports, save your judgement.



izzywizzy said:


> Exactly. Life is fragile. Here's what we can learn here. "If in doubt, scout"
> 
> _*"Although nervous (and* who *isn't on their first Little White run?), Jenna was paddling just fine; no one in the group had any doubts about her ability to competently do the run. She received good beta and followed it well. And right above S-Turn, Chris and I described the lines and hazards of the rapid and offered her the opportunity to scout, which she declined*_*."*
> 
> ...


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