The Route
The 2001 expedition reached the highest point,
the Himalayas. The ascent began at the foot
of the mountain, from the banks of the Gangas
River and through the beech pine forests. On
a road that looked as if it has been drawn on to
the steep mountainside, the expedition made its
way through picturesque villages situated in
green valleys flowing with rivers and falls. A
winding road led the group to the Kulo and
Manali Valleys and the Jorori Pass.
Continuing north, the scenery, people and
religions changed. The tents of nomads
replaced the villages. The forests disappeared
and the wilderness, inlaid with icebergs, took
their place.When the ice melted, the wilderness
became a field of flowers. The prominent
religion of India, Hinduism, with its magnificent
temples, gradually disappeared and instead
Buddhist monasteries began to appear, lying
on the hilltops in Chumre, Tikse and Diskit.
At a height of 4,000 to 5,600 meters, man and
machine were forced to pace their step due to
thin air and cold weather. The expedition crossed
some of the Himalayas largest lakes, Lakes Kar,
Morari and Pangang. It made its way up the
Ladak Ridge, down through the Nobra Valley
and finished at the Khardung Climb, the highest
motor climb in the world.
The Goal:
Like many remote areas in the Himalayas, Ladak
too suffers from an energy crisis. Traditional
sources for energy in the area have been the
burning of animal droppings and vegetation
such as trees and bushes. An increase in the
number of tourists and mountain climbers to the
area in recent years has resulted in a rise in the
exploitation of these resources. The chopping
of firewood for cooking, heating and washing
has reduced the vegetation in the area to a
critically low level. Recently, international
organizations have donated resources toward
the reforestation of the Himalayas and toward
the development of alternate energy sources
and the use of natural combustion materials.
Up until now, the main energy source in the
Himalayas, the sun, has not yet been utilized.
With the help of solar energy absorbers using
photoelectric cells, it is possible to draw upon
solar energy and convert it into an integral
source of energy for the local population. Isuzu
Challenge 2001 donated energy panels to absorb
solar heat to the local villages in the Himalayas
for village use.
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