Mt Iztaccíhuatl Expedition Updates

Dear Friends of World Villages for Children

It’s just over a month since I came back to the UK from Mexico, just in time to spend the last days of Christmas with my family here. What a blessing. The end of the first month of the year brings a good prompt to look around and take stock.

I went to visit the head office of World Villages for Children in London. Primarily to say hello, and to thank them for the opportunity to link my expedition to Iztaccíhuatl with their daily efforts to support the mission of the Sisters of Mary and their 20,000 children across the world. I found out that my expedition to Iztaccíhuatl raised over £4,000 for World Villages for Children. This is a great satisfaction I want to share with you.

But they did not get those £4,000 from me, they got that money from you! And I am pleased to see every penny of that went direct to World Villages for Children and will take care of 4 children under their care: food, clothes, teachers, uniforms everything. Which means my expedition to Iztaccíhuatl secured the innocence and education of four children for 2024, who without the mission of the Sisters, would be scratching a life of untold misery, suffocated by extreme poverty.

And that gift comes from you my friends, family, colleagues, comrades, even people I have not met. You all responded with your generosity to this charity appeal.

I am pleased to report my 2023 expedition to Mt Iztaccíhuatl reached the 5,250m summit on Friday 22 December 0735hrs. It flew the flags of my two nations and the flag of World Villages for Children looking at La Villa de las Niñas at Chalco, as promised. My own ascent to the Refuge at 4,750m proved to be a test of ultimate will for my body and soul, not bad for a man who was down at the verge of pneumonia on a respirator only a week before. Not bad at all. Quite the contrary, I say it was a great day for a man who delights in seeing young people and old friends achieving their lifelong dreams. I call this expedition a success.

It was our one day to do something extraordinary, and we did it. Best Christmas present I could possibly have. Look at the attached pictures for a glimpse of the adventure. Life is good. Life is good indeed!

And thanks to the generous response to the charity appeal of this expedition, we can dedicate this day to the Sisters of Mary and World Villages for Children. We did something extraordinary this one day with our expedition to Iztaccihuatl. The Sisters do something extraordinary every day of their lives. They raise 3,000 girls in Chalco, 2,500 boys in Guadalajara, and so many thousands elsewhere in the world. They do so by creating communities of love, hope, education, skills, and hard work…, every day! Long be like that.

God bless you all this Christmas, and in every step of your path. .

Much love,

Enrique

Dear Nicola and all friends

This is a dispatch I never planned to write, but this is what I’ve got to share, and share I must.

Last night both doctors treating me advised me against taking on the challenge of claiming Iztaccíhuatl today, on grounds of the return of the bronchitis and a real risk of pneumonia if I am to push into my lungs such thin air, so cold, for so long. Not wise. This is serious.

Got a new prescription with antibiotics, some to be inhaled through my old friend the positive air-pressured respirator, and strict orders to rest. If all that works, I might have a sporting chance late next week. Might.

Last night Don Franc cancelled the hike for this morning. He started talks straight away with the rangers in the National Park to apply for a permit for late next week. We’ll get news about that in the next few days. Top of the season, best weather forecast in weeks…, we will need all the good luck we can summon to get a share of that. I’ll trust don Franc will fight the good fight for a date before Christmas.

Dear friends

Well, this is why it is called an expedition, and not a race, it is not a juvenile adventure. It’s an expedition. Not because Mt Iztaccíhuatl needs to be charted for the first time to benefit mankind, but because I feel my Mexican heart wants to be explored by this mountain. Because you cannot love what you do not know. And a big mountain takes a lot to know. And waiting, acclimatising to the high altitude takes time, not just for the metabolic aerobic performance. But to breath its air until you become part of it, that takes time. The mountain will always have a lot of time for me. Question is if I have enough time for Iztaccíhuatl? At the end, there is always more time than life.

On the subject of: one cannot love what or who one does not know. I met with Sister Marta and the Sisters of Mary in Chalco Girlstown on Tuesday to join their celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I can’t describe the craze of the 3,000 young girls at the school when they heard I just want to reach the summit of this mountain they get to see every morning as the sun rises, only to wave their flag at them.

The celebrations for the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe were lavish and sophisticated to say the least. That takes a heck of a lot of work, hard work. The girls do it all, with the guidance of the Sisters. Evidently, they work hard in all areas of development, with discipline and love for their tasks, and that is a credit to themselves and the stewardship of the Sisters. But what strikes me the most, is that I saw 3,000 young girls having fun with simple, childish things. I saw in la Villa de las Niñas in Chalco, a bastion for the refuge of their childish innocence whilst they grow up in confidence and intellect into adulthood. Long be like that. The dozen or so of pictures attached here are only but a glimpse of what I saw on Tuesday.

I can confidently say that I know enough of the work of the Sisters of Mary and World Villages for Children. Therefore, I am entitled to say I love the work of the Sisters of Mary and World Villages for Children.

We’ll be back to the mountain in due time. But for now, for all your support and well wishes for this expedition: thanks, gracias, tlaxokamati.

Your friend, Enrique.

Staying the night awake with a chesty cough gives you plenty of time to think. So, after much deliberation, I decided to stay at home on Saturday and miss the visit to the Ermita of San Miguel (St Michael’s Abbey) at Los Dinamos, south of Mexico City. Don Franc and Dr Isaac approved of the decision.

But I am glad to report my companions left me at home to join don Franc’s troupe for the 700m gruelling climb over the 12km hike. I only joined them for a well-deserved drink at their return in the evening to hear all about it. It was good fun, good to meet new people, and good preparation for Iztaccíhuatl next week for mis intrépidos Ricardo and Edgar, good on them! See the pictures attached. Looking at these photos, I can only marvel at the thought that there used to be a time when most of the current urban area of Mexico City was this thick pine forest.

I can only be grateful for the authorities who have created this National Park and protect this last bastion of our forest from the urban sprawl. Long be like that!!

Much love.

“Ajusco Mountain. Hike in the dark. Critical training for our two days ascent to Iztaccíhuatl in less than two weeks.

Even in the dark, I could recognise the hut where we left the cars. We’ve been there before. Then the trail felt familiar. This must be the same trail don Franc lead us through fog if not drizzle, into that horizontal slit of the summit of Ajusco back in 2021 a few days after my mum’s passing.

Same trail, but another first. Hike by night. No howling winds and rain this time, just a gentle breeze that opened windows through the high clouds to see the night sky. In the thick of the woods, one is blind to anything but the spot your own torch can offer to light where you are putting your foot for the next few steps. So, the only reference to navigate our walk when the light of our companions ahead of me is obscured by the trees is, the stars! There’s Venus in front of me, the Moon at the zenith, Orion at the back, there! Better get moving.”

“We were lucky to join one of Don Franc’s weekend outings. Even luckier as it was scheduled to be an endurance trek to the Frozen Waterfall in the North Face of Iztaccíhuatl.

We reached 3,850m height. Altitude is a problem, yes, as expected. But it is a problem I am managing well for taking on a trek like this one in less than a week from arrival. Just got to keep the faith I will be just fine when the hike to the summit comes.

The test of endurance continued into a marathon stationary traffic around Chalco. Fortunately we took that on a full stomach. It was a long day indeed. Stiff legs next morning, but well worth it. Gave us a feeling we are dealing with the real thing and we are indeed getting ready for it. See the photos attached and Don Franc’s leaflet. Hope they do justice to the experience of the weekend.

I am swimming tomorrow to continue my work on my anaerobic acclimatisation.” – Enrique

“We met with my crew on arrival to eat tacos (as one does), and got confirmation from Don Franc (our guide) to meet on Saturday 25 for our first outing.

We went to Los Arenales (the sand dunes) of Mt Ajusco south of Mexico City. A 30 degrees incline slope of pure sand and volcanic ash at 2,800m height. Don Franc gave us a masterclass on the basic use of the piolet including the fine art to fall, roll and stop the fall without piercing our chest with the piolet.

The end of the day brought the warm reassurance to know we are in good hands with Don Franc and his sons and an invite to his scheduled outing to the North Face of Iztaccihuatl the following day. Watch this space.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the attached photos. It was good fun!” – Enrique