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.