Good friends Natalie Tickner and Tina Olson of Old Forge have embarked on many adventures, on land and water, over the years.

And next up for the thrill-seekers is an October 31 journey to Nepal in the Himalayas.

This will be a first-time trip for Tina, a former Marine Corps marathon runner.

Natalie, also a former long distance runner, traveled to Nepal in 1996 with her husband Dan and their friend Deke Morrison.

Natalie said during her initial visit they trekked and climbed on Kala Pattar which provided views of the Mount Everest Base Camp.

“It was wonderful, but then I got altitude sickness,” she said.

Consequently, she never made it to the summit of Kala Pattar, which is more than 18,000 feet-and she never thought she would want to return.

That was until Tina decided she wanted to go to Nepal. After all, her husband, Dick had joined Dan and his and Natalie’s son Dan, Jr., on a trek there in 1999.

“So now Tina and I are going together,” said Natalie, “but this time I’m not going to be doing a lot of climbing. The highest I’m going is 13,000 feet.”

Once they reach their destination they will be guided by Uttam Rai, who guided for the guys back in 1999.

Natalie said he traveled to Old Forge a year or so later to stay with the Olsons and helped to build their Riverside Drive house.

“He also pit crewed for us in the 90-Miler canoe race one year. The next year, both he and his wife, Budu, pit crewed for us,” Natalie said.

Since then, the couple has settled in Sante Fe, NM where they live with their three children.

Uttam, who has since started a trekking company with a partner, will be joined by Budu in leading the trek that will also include a dozen other people.

According to Tina, their itinerary will include a three-day stop at Budu’s isolated village of Chupar where the group will build a composting latrine for the village.

Budu, she said, will supervise the meals along the way. Their daily menu will consist mostly of Dalbhat, which is rice and beans with seasonings.

Their drinking water will be boiled for them each night and then poured into bottles for the next day’s trek.

Because of poor water quality they are advised not to eat uncooked vegetables or fresh fruit, with the exception of bananas or oranges which can be peeled.

They will trek six hours a day through Rhododendron forests and alpine meadows in the Helambu region northeast of Katmandu, visiting Buddhist monasteries and shrines, and crossing deep crevices on suspension bridges.

According to Natalie, many of the suspension bridges they crossed in 1996 had holes in them and were missing boards.

“I never liked heights, but I’ve changed in my old age,” she laughed.

Each member of the group will be limited to 33 pounds of clothing and personal articles, most of which will be carried by Sherpas.

Their day packs will contain a lightweight sleeping bag and pad, a fleece jacket, their medications and bottled water.

Tina said she is looking forward to the adventure, and that she and Natalie have been training daily by taking hikes on Black Bear Mountain, Blue Mountain and McCauley Mountain.

“It keeps you young and active. When my mother and her generation turned 50 they thought they were old. But now, we just keep going,” she said.

The ladies are scheduled to fly to Chicago on October 31.

From there they go to New Delhi, India where they will have a 13-hour layover before flying to Katmandu to meet the rest of their party. They will return Nov. 17.