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Exploration Project of the Sources of the Mekong River and Unclimbed Mountains of Kham (Tibet)

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Exploration Project of the Sources of the Mekong River and Unclimbed Mountains of Kham (Tibet) EXPLORATION PROJECT OF THE SOURCES OF THE MEKONG RIVER AND UNCLIMBED MOUNTAINS OF KHAM (TIBET) SPRING 2013 Sergi Ricart · Dani Martín · Josito Fernández 1. !"M #$rom &e$t to right( J)SE MAN*EL #J)SI )( FERNÁNDEZ GAR./" 0orn in Madrid #Madrid1 Spain(1 t'e 31st o$ %arc' o$ 1974 Li6ing in Madrid 7igh Mountain Guide IFMG" DANI MAR /N "9END":) 0orn in Madrid #Madrid1 Spain(1 t'e 13t' o$ ;8&< o$ 1976 Li6ing in aül& #P<renees( 7igh Mountain and .an<oning Guide SERGI RI.AR I0ARS 0orn in +&eida #.atalun<a, Spain(1 t'e 3rd o$ $ebruar< o$ 1976. Li6ing in aül& #P<renees( 7igh Mountain Guide IFMGA and 2'otographer 2.PROJE. 0"CKGROUND ". he discovering o$ the sources. 'e Mekong Ri6er1 t'e tent' &argest o$ t'e Bor&d1 ?orns in t'e traditional ibetan pro6ince o$ @'am #B'ere it's AnoBn as Dza .'8(1 and $&oBs into t'e Mekong Delta in 9ietnam1 about 53D0 A% &ater1 after traveling during its course t'rough territories o$ ibet1 .'ina, 0ur%a, Laos1 'ai&and1 .ambodia and 9ietnam. It's di$$ic8&t to be&ieve t'at t'e disco6ering o$ t'e sources o$ one o$ t'e 2&anet's geogra2'ical icons Bas not attained unti& 19941 ?< a .'inese-japanese scienti$ic expedition. *nti& t'en1 a dozen &ong attempts 'ad $ai&ed o6er t'e co8rse o$ t'e GG centur<1 inc&uded t'e one o$ t'e Frenc' Mic'e& Peissel1 B'o also in 1994 c&ai%ed Brongl< t'e disco6ering o$ t'e sources 8nder t'e Rupsa La co&1 as 'e 28?&is'ed in t'e prestigious %agazine o$ t'e Ro<al Geographic Societ<1 and in 'is booA H 'e &ast barbariansI. 'is 'as been brought1 $8ndamental&<1 ?< t'e re%oteness o$ t'e area, because o$ being &ocated in an unAnoBn %assi$ o$ t'e tibetan 'igh&ands1 in t'e so8t' o$ t'e .'inese pro6ince o$ Jinghai1 abo8t 1000 A% $ro% t'e cit< o$ Gining and 1500 A% $ro% .'engd81 t'e tBo %ain access doors. 'e disco6ering o$ t'is geogra2'ical icon1 surro8nded ?< an aura o$ &egend Bas1 in t'e Bords o$ t'e eminent Japanese explorer amots8 Nakamura Hone o$ t'e &ast great geographical %<steries o$ t'e Bor&d so&6edI. Since t'en1 on&< a s%al& gro82 o$ expeditions #41 %aybe K1 according to t'e AnoB&edge t'at Be 'ave) 'ave %anaged to get t'ere, %ost o$ t'em Bit' a spirit $undamental&< o$ scienti$ic interest. "$ter several initial discussions1 it Basn't unti& 2007 t'at t'e scienti$ic co%%unit< agreed1 according to data con$ir%ed ?< t'e .ERS #.'ina !F2&oration L Researc' Societ<(1 t'at t'e Mekong sources corres2onded to t'e branc' na%ed LasaB8%a #name corrected ?< Jo'n Pi&Aington instead o$ t'e 2re6ious +asagongma EPi&Aington1 J. #2004( HJourney to t'e so8rce o$ t'e Mekong.I Geogra2'ica&. J8&< 2005. *@(1 and Bere &ocated at t'e $oot o$ t'e N! g&acier o$ t'e peak cal&ed initial&< Guozongmuc'a #G8;on Ri1 according to o8r in6estigations(1 Bit' coordinatesM 33N52O38.KIN 35N51’5D.5I!1 D175 %. #SourceM NaAa%8ra1 . - )?sM stil& Britten +asagong%a and G8ozong%8cha E( "&& t'ose expeditions accessed to t'e sources starting $ro% t'e 6i&&age o$ Dzato #Zadoi(1 in t'e Pus'8 prefect8re1 pro6ince o$ Jinghai1 %ost&< $o&&oBing approxi%ate&< t'e co8rse o$ t'e ri6er upstream #o$ten Bit' i%portant %aterial and econo%ic resources -see BBB.<outube.co%QBatc'R 6=905-XF-F0+!(. 'is %eant 'a6ing to per$or% a?out 100 A% tracAs 82 unti& a 2oint #Ganasongdo8( B'ere, eit'er t'ey got 'orses to $o&&oB during 5 or D days t'e re%aining 100 A%1 or1 i$ t'e conditions al&oBed1 t'ey $o&&oBed Bit' 5F5 $ield across t'rough t'e access 6al&eys. 'is is a brief s8%%ar< o$ t'e recent 'istor< o$ t'e exploration o$ t'e Mekong sourcesM – 1994: 'e Frenc' Mic'el Peissel c&ai%s1 Brongl<1 t'e disco6ering o$ t'e Mekong sources beloB t'e Rupsa +a pass #93 D2 !1 33 16 N(1 and 'e 28?&is'ed t'e re2ort in t'e %agazine o$ t'e RGS. – 1994M Scienti$ic .'inese-;apanese expedition #.ISNR .o%%ission $or Integrated S8r6e< o$ Natura& Resources T.AS .'inese Academ< o$ SciencesE L *" oA<o *ni6ersit< o$ Agric8&ture(1 t'at pinpointed t'e sources at t'e ?ase o$ t'e Guozongmuc'a peak. M. @itamura # *"( registered t'e sources at 35 51 37 !1 33 52 51 N #D160m(. – 1995M J. .'anxing and -. .'angjin #.ISNR( 28?&is'ed1 'oBever1 anot'er &ocation1 because o$ t'e doubts about @itamura's data. – 1999: 'e .ISNR returns1 and gi6es a &ocalization 6er< near to *A's #35 51 55!1 33 52 31N1 D225%(. 0ut a .'inese team1 &eaded ?< Li8 S'aoc'uang #RS) Remote Sensing )$$ice E.ASE(1 &ocated t'e sources at t'e base o$ t'e Ji$8 S'an %ountain #35 51 12!1 33 5D 3D N1 DDD2%(1 about = A% $ro% t'e ot'er1 based on a di$$erent %easure%ent %et'odo&ogy. " %ont' &ater1 t'e .ISNR #Bit' t'e americans ES! Eart' Science Expeditions(1 returns to %eas8re t'e $&oB rates o$ t'e tBo tributaries in dis28te #Gaodepu and Gaos'anxigu). *A also revisited t'e area. – 1999: 'e o$$icia&&< recognized &ocation Bas 28?&is'ed ;oint&< ?< G.-'i'ua, -. .'ang;in and . 0aoFiang o$ .ISNRQ."S L D0G Dexiang 08ssines Gro82 in HGeograph<I in )ctober1 1999, Bit' recon$ir%ation and $urt'er explanation in an artic&e 28?&is'ed ?< Z. .'angjin and G. -'i'ua o$ IGSNRRQ.AS in HGeographical Researc'I in May 2001 – 2001: a%ots8 NaAa%ura #director o$ t'e J". Japaneses "&pine .&8?(1 2re2ares a co%2&ete dossier1 Bit' Peter Uinn #ES!(1 B'ic' 28?&is'es int t'e Geographical Journal o$ t'e RGS and in t'e 7i%alayan .&8?1 corroborating t'e data o$ t'e .ISNR. – 2002M +iu S'aoc'uang #IRS"E.AS( returns and %arAs t'e so8rces at 35 50 D2 !1 33 5D 58 N1 6er< near to 'is point o$ 1999. – 2003M 'e britis' Jo'n Pi&Aington arri6es to t'e sources #coordinates .ISNR(. 7e corrected t'e na%e o$ t'e tributar< as +asaw8%a instead o$ Lasagongma, based on &ocal in$or%ants. – 2005M 'e Frenc' Frederic Agier and Mirei&&e #supposed&<( arri6e at t'e sources #.oord. .ISNR(. – 2007: 'e .'ina !F2&oration and Researc' Societ< #7oB Man Uang team( 6isited t'e 2&ace and1 using re%ote sensing satel&ite tec'no&ogy1 $inal&< con$ir%s t'e sources identi$ied ?< t'e .ISNR and 28?&is'ed ?< .ASQD0S and Nakamura/Uinn. – 2013: Sergi Ricart1 Dani Martín and Josito Fernández disco6er a new access route to t'e sources $ro% Drito #-'idoi( and c&i%bed $or $irst ti%e t'e %ountain B'o do%inates t'e sources1 o$ D590 % #t'e< correct t'e name as G8;on Ri1 instead o$ Guozong%8c'a, based on &ocal in$or%ants(. 0. he ;ourney o$ Sergi Ricart along the Mekong river. In september 2011, Sergi Ricart traveled to t'e region. 7is idea Bas to access to t'e sources o$ t'e ri6er1 and continue t'en doBnri6er on a &ong ;ourney t'rough ibet1 Punnan1 and Sout'east Asia unti& t'e %out' o$ t'e ri6er in 9ietnam. 7e tried Bit' no &ucA $ro% Dzato1 and also $ro% Drito1 anot'er 6i&&age east o$ t'e sourcesM t'e &acA o$ acc8rate in$or%ation and proper cartogra2'<1 t'e co%%unication di$$ic8&ties1 and t'e bad Beat'er Bere enough reasons $or renouncing to t'e idea. 7e $o&&oBed tra6eling a&one t'rough t'e ibetan @'am1 B'ere 'e per$or%ed several eF2&orations and t'e $o&&oBing c&i%bs #see RI.AR 1 S. #2012( H@'am. !F2&oraciones en so&itario de %ontañas sin interWsI. .am2o?ase, nX1001 and "%erican "&pine Journal1 2012(M – New route H)rel&etes i cocarroisI #500m1 DE Y9Z [ 200m II(1 to t'e Ac'a La Ri #D000%(1 1st ascent. – New route“Juan els n\6o&s passenI #D00 %1 PD[ YDDXQIIZ(1 to t'e Ru .'en Gangri #D3D0 %(1 1st ascent.. – Enc'ained new routes H.arne crudaI #300 %1 AD Y=DXQIII[Z(1 to t'e s'o .'ong Ri #D030 %( [ H!& costat $emeníI #D00m1 AD YDDXQI9[Z(1 to t'e s'o .'en Ri #D100 %(. 1st ascent. – New route HSubidea1 o el camí de& $ocI #5D0 %1 DE Y60ºQI9[Z(1 to t'e 2A. DDD4 #end o$ route D0 % under t'e s8%%it(. "$ter t'at1 'e sent 'o%e 'is c&i%bing st8$$1 'e ?oug't a bic<c&e in t'e cit< o$ Dali1 and $o&&oBed t'e ;ourney riding along t'e ri6er $or about 3000 A% unti& 'e reac'ed t'e Mekong Delta in %ay1 9 %ont's after 'aving started.
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