ALMOST a decade has passed since I returned to Newcastle; in my wildest dreams I would never have imagined being a mountain climber.
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However, on Saturday, a trip to reach not just one, but three summits starts, with the highest being Bolivia's dormant volcano, Licancabur, standing at 5916 metres. It will by my highest summit by 50 metres.
Two years ago, I climbed Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro for Camp Quality.
On this expedition, I am part of an international team of nine women that aims to climb Licancabur, Peru's Huayna Picchu (2720m) and Chile's Mount Oportus (2073m) to raise more than $65,000 for women and girls in South America.
The team's Australian contingency consists of three Novocastrians - myself, Sonja Duncan, who has organised the trip and fellow climber Melinda-Lee Harvey.
The Newcastle team has raised $10,450 and hopes to reach our target of $15,000 for the three charities - one for each peak.
They are GirlSport Works, which runs an after-school girls sports program; The Mountain Institute, which promotes sustainable farming of medicinal and aromatics plants above 3352m; and Conservacion Pataoginica, which helps to create national parks in Southern Chile.
It was supporting these programs in the Andes that has driven me to take on this challenge.
Not only do the funds raised go to three worthwhile charities but we also spend a day with each.
I have found a way to use my communication skills to help empower other women globally as well as indulge in my passions of fitness, adventure and travel.
