WHO FEARS THE ANDES if Francisca is our powerful captain? A humble semblance of an admirable woman.

She is called Francisca Pena and, with the pleasant accent of her voice, a mixture of Galician Spanish and the speech of the inhabitants of the Venezuelan Andes, with her always affable character and her extensive knowledge of the art of walking in the mountains, many of which she is known as the palm of her hand, to have her as captain in various excursions, some very complicated and demanding like this one during which I took this photo, is an honor, an enjoyment and a guarantee of safety. Suffice it to say that Francisca is part of the team of responsible and friendly captains at the Centro Excursionista Caracas, which, since its foundation in 1929, and non-profit, has been dedicated to creating environmental awareness by organizing thousands of excursions, some of them very difficult, both inside and outside of Venezuela.

Francisca was part of the group of walkers who managed to rescue, between August 3 and 5, 2012, the legendary route that goes from the coastal town of Naiguatá to the peak of the same name, and after ascending 2,765 meters and that requires very special physical conditions and knowledge, because it goes from the xerophilic climate at sea level to the cold of the wasteland and without water sources once the ascent begins. She, Flor Boscán and Rosa Westermeyer were the three women who were part of this risky team that managed to make their way through a path that was always considered very difficult but that had also been lost after the landslides that occurred on the Venezuelan coast in December 1999, considered among the most terrible in contemporary world history.

I made this photo of her at the highs of the Sierra La Culata National Park, which is located in the Venezuelan Andes, in the state of Merida, during a short break on the way before reaching the top of the peak Las Verdes, at 4,570 meters above sea level, from which you can see three beautiful emerald green lagoons, which is the reason for the name of the peak.

This time I was part of the excursion organized by the Centro Excursionista Caracas (Caracas Excursionist Center) during which we had Francisca as captain and Yraly Camargo as guide, who has climbed peaks from all continents. With the leadership of this two women we were able to reach three peaks, the Piedras Blancas (White Stones), also known as Misamán, its aboriginal name, which with its 4.748 meters above sea level is the fifth highest peak in Venezuela, the Las Verdes (The Greens) peak and the Los Duendes (The Elves) peak, all located within the area of the national park.

Although her surname "Pena" translates into "Sorrow" in Spanish, to have her as captain or as a simple companion on the road is just the opposite, it is a great joy...