Letter from Antonio - 2012 Lions Intro

Dear brave Lions of the Pyrenees,

The date of our departure is coming closer. It is a pleasure for me to write a few lines of encouragement to this group of friends that faithfully since the year 2000 return to the Pyrenees to enjoy a few days of adventure, endurance and camaraderie.

For outsiders, we may be a little crazy, but we know that we all benefit for a few days away from our normal professional, family and social duties, whilst we carry out what some consider extreme sports (rafting, canyoning, trekking and mountain biking) in the impressive environment of the Pyrenees.  It is easy in those days to share with the others our experiences and to help each other in a very natural way. It is also easy to give thanks to God, for all we have received during the previous twelve months and having the opportunity to return to these mountains and forests surrounded by this group of friends that we call ourselves with the grandiose name of the “Lions of thePyrenees”.

As you all know, the idea of this days is not only to push our bodies to the extreme, but more to help the others to have a good time, and to return to our homes with the resolution to help more at our homes, places of work and society.  That is why this group of brothers in arms returns year after year to this extraordinary experience. We know that our purpose is to go back home, and to show that we are struggling to be better persons with the help of God and our families.

To all of you and your families, I send my best regards and hope to greet you personally at the foothills of the Pyrenees on the 16 May,

Ave Caesar, muriturus te salutam,

Sir Anthony Irastorza

A lion of the Pyrenees

Walking around the Area...

Dear Lions, 

The other day I had the opportunity to explore the Aragon Pyrenees area, visiting a very small town called El Tormillo. It’s a typically farmer town which you would never know about it if you are not invited by one of the 20 residents in this town, or... by one of his daughters, in this case my friend Ana invited me, so I took my two little cousins and went for this adventure! (sorry, not pics from Ana, but she is so cute!...). I want to share the pictures and such a nice views with you, as very soon we will all be here surrounded with this amazing landscapes. 

This is not El Tormillo anymore, but the Alquezar, an old town in the area  with many interesting things to see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alqu%C3%A9zar
On the top of the mountain you can see the Colegiata de Alquezar, a cathedral built in 1099, we are now walking to the top so I can make a picture from there and post it here:

This is the view from the top of the Colegiata de Alquézar of Santa Maria (1099)

We also had time to go to el Salto de Bierge, you can jump from there and its a good fun, but to be honest I didn't do it this time, water was not cold enough for a Lion, so I will come back in winter... 

 And this is a view from Torreciudad, with the snow mountains at the end... I hope you enjoyed it and I am looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!! All the best,
Diego
GGRRRRRRR!!

Guido's ideas to train at home.

Dear Antonio,


I am glad to hear of your training in Wales. Unfortunately we do not have the snow in the Philippines. So I have, as usual, used my window from the second floor as my practice place for rappelling. Of course my neighbors find it strange..but who cares about those weaklings?

I am sorry i cannot join you this year, but I will surely be inLondon in November. I am sure I will be fit for 2013!

All the best!

Guido

Dear fellow Lions,

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of sending a short motivational story towards these wonderful days you have ahead.

Last year I had the chance to attend a conference

given by Nando Parrado (a survivor of the Andes 1972 plane crash) in London. The conference was very special and moving.

Fernando "Nando" Seler Parrado Dolgay (born December 9, 1949) is one of the sixteen Uruguayan survivors of the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 which crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972 (they were university students flying to Chile on a Rugby tour).

After spending two months trapped in the mountains with the other crash survivors

(and having eaten human flesh to keep themselves alive), he, along with Roberto Canessa, led the adventurous rescue team and climbed through the Andes mountains over a ten day period to finally find help. His efforts, supported in various ways by the entire group, have been recognized through books an

d other media. He was portrayed by Ethan Hawke in the 1993 feature film Alive: Miracle in The Andes.

Nando lost his mother and his sister in the crash.

In 2006 Nando published book, Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home. In addition to his current work in business and television, Parrado is a motivational speaker, using his experience in the Andes to help others cope with psychological trauma. He is married and has two sisters.

Citing Nando in one of the letters he wrote after the crash:

“…Before the crash my mind was filled with my studies in business administration, but as soon as I came back I found that I had to exchange my studies for everyday work. Our family business organization had nearly been destroyed, since my mother had taken care of half the work. When you are young, you feel immortal. There is nothing that can modify or destroy you. Through our painful experience I learned that life is linked to death, that these are the only realities of our existence. You are born and you will die someday… In between, nobody knows. There are some things I have thought deeply about over the years, my thoughts influenced by the Andes experience. I am sure it is the same for the other survivors. These things are: FAMILY, CONFIDENCE and FRIENDSHIP.

Dear Lions, I would like to point out that these three points are totally related to our experience in the Pyrenees; we leave our family for 5 days, we have the confidence that we will survive and have a great time, and most importantly, we will make a lot of friends, having an experience of camaraderie and creating a bond that will keep us connected forever. Referring to the specific point of FRIENDSHIP, Nando comments the following:

“…Finally there is the value of FRIENDSHIP, of our feeling of affection and love. It was deeply moving to see young boys helping their friends in ways they could not have imagined, even risking and giving their lives for each other. Friendship was a major factor in our chances to survive and, after we managed to rescue ourselves, we made our friendship with each other an important part of our lives. Sometimes I ask myself why people need to experience extreme situations to understand the real values of life. These values are so clear and so near us, yet we rush by them looking for the “important” things…”

I have some personal commitments that imply I will be missing the Lions 2011. I will be looking forward to the Lions 2012, hopefully with many of you. I will have you in mind in my prayers. God will be with your “silent Partner” during the toughest moments of the expedition.

All the best!

Matias Dorr Mansilla

A lion of the Pyrenees

The Persian Mind Joke on Loans

An Iranian man walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer.

He tells the loan officer that he is going to Iran on business for two weeks and needs to borrow

$5,000.

The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the Iranian man hands over the keys and documents of new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out.

The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its

officers all enjoy a good laugh at the Iranian for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a

$5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parks it there. Two weeks later, the Iranian returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.

The loan officer says, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow "$5,000" ?

The Iranian replies: "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return!!"

Neil Bogle's Contribution.