“Retracing History, Inspiring the Future.” With this adage, the Indian Army has embarked on a 12-day summer expedition along the historic Old Silk Route in Ladakh, traversing 264 km across altitudes ranging from 11,000 to 18,000 feet.Retracing one of Asia’s oldest trade routes, the expedition celebrates Ladakh’s rich cultural heritage while fostering endurance, teamwork, and leadership in one of the world’s most challenging terrains, according to the Army.“Honouring the past, embracing the present, and strengthening the enduring bond between the Indian Army and the people of Ladakh,” the Army’s Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps, which is responsible for operations in Ladakh, said.The Old Silk Route was a vital trans-Himalayan trade route connecting Tibet to Central Asia through the picturesque Nubra Valley and the capital town of Leh in Ladakh, allowing merchants to deal in silk, spices, pashmina wool, salt, and other local merchandise.After crossing treacherous passes high up in the Karakorams, goods-laden caravans halted in the Nubra Valley in northern Ladakh, also known in local parlance as Ldumra or the Valley of Flowers. Villages like Panamik and Tegar were important tax-collection and resting points.Thereafter, Leh, across the Khardung La, among the world’s highest motorable passes, was a major halting and trading center where merchants from South Asia, Tibet, and Central Asia gathered to exchange goods. Leh and Nubra have become popular tourist destinations, especially those seeking adventure in the highlands.Nubra is also home to the Bactrian camels, an endangered species of small, hardy, double-humped camels that were employed in caravans in days of yore.These camels, native to the rugged region, were abandoned in the wild by traders after the Silk Route was shut down. Only a few hundred Bactrian camels are reported to survive, and these are used for joy rides for tourists visiting Nubra.Recently, the Army adapted these camels, after extensive research by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, for frontline patrolling and ferrying supplies to remote border outposts. Their load-carrying ability is almost double that of mules and ponies.