Ain't no mountain high enough for Wollongong friends Julie Dunn and Kirsten Hort, who plan to trek through the Himalayas and raise funds for developing communities.
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Ms Dunn and Ms Hort will travel to Nepal this November on a 10-day trip which involves trekking for three days at altitudes of about 1500 to 2000 metres and staying in Batase village.
In the village, they will live in basic accommodation and help the local women with day-to-day work and volunteering in an orphanage.
"Every year we try to take up a new challenge, particularly where the challenge may benefit others or individuals in need," Ms Dunn said.
"In the past, we have individually ridden bikes, walked, swam and trekked through jungles."
Ms Dunn, 57, has been part of an Illawarra team that walked the Kokoda Track in the past to provide resources to children needing medical treatment.
Last year she and husband Phil took part in the three-day Cardiac Challenge, a fund-raising bike ride from Cairns to Cooktown.
Yet Nepal is a new destination and challenge for her and Ms Hort, 50.
"We are doing it as friends and we've known each other for a long time," Ms Dunn said.
"It will be a humbling experience for both us to work in the orphanage."
Their trip is being organised through Thelma & Louise Expeditions, which send teams of women on travel adventures while, at the same time, raising money for charities.
The charity being supported this year is the humanitarian organisation Friends of Himalayan Children (FHC).
They are also hitting the gym to improve their fitness and increasing their walking sessions as they will be carrying their own luggage on the trek.
They are staging a fund-raiser barefoot bowls afternoon on Sunday, April 6, at Wiseman Park Bowling Club, Gwynneville, from 3.30pm to 6pm. Cost is $25 per person. Inquiries and RSVP phone 0419 172 709.