Challenging. That’s the word Newcastle Knights old boy Danny Buderus would use to describe his recent adventure to Mount Everest with 20 others to raise money for the Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF).

In the name of MHF, supporters have climbed to the Mt Everest Base Camp, been up Mt Kilimanjaro and along the Borneo Sandakan Death March and now they’ve climbed to the Twin Peaks Summit.

It’s the neighbouring peak of Mt Everest, the Island Peak, otherwise known as Imja Tse which lies in the Khumbu Himalayan Range of Eastern Nepal.

Danny didn’t hesitate to put his hand up for the climb alongside Mark Hughes himself, Roosters NRL coach Trent Robinson and a host of other business owners and bosses of accounting firms, renewable energy companies and everything in between.

Danny said it was an incredible experience.

“You take so many things out of it. There’s a lot of personal growth, we shared some tales of brain cancer, the MHF, who it touches and what it does to our communities.

“But you also have so much fun and it’s rewarding to see each other go through all sorts of anguish and challenges.”

The trekkers flew out of Australia on October 14 to start their adventure. They flew via helicopter from Kathmandu to Lukla and there began their nine-day trek up the mountain.

Each day the trekkers hiked kilometres and kilometres increasing in altitude passing through ancient villages and meeting locals. Though they didn’t just meet locals along the way, there were people from all over the world trying to get to the summit and everyone wanted to know what the group of blokes in navy puffer jackets and beanies were up to.

As if the boys didn’t stand out enough… they made up a chant they sang along the way.

“We had a ballad made up, we chanted it. When we got to the base camp rock we all jumped up and there were 20 or 30 cameras pointed at us asking who we were and where we were from.

“We wanted to make as much awareness for brain cancer and the MHF as possible and we did that.

“They all wanted to know the ins and outs and who Mark Hughes was!”

The team also hung one of their MHF shirts at the highest Irish pub in the world where they’re sure people will see it for years to come.

Every day presented a different challenge to the trekkers, but there was one day in particular that Danny said would stay with him forever.

“They put it in the perspective of the Thursday of a Sunday afternoon match in rugby league terms. So, we went out to this place called Chukung Ri – it was as high as we’d been and it was one of those moments when I thought, ‘Oh I might have to turn back here, I’m getting older, this is higher and it’s hard’ and I had Mark share a special moment with me.

“He said, ‘Mate come on, we’ve come this far, let’s go’ and that was one of those moments I will always look back on.”

Danny said the other special moment was of course finishing the trek.

“It’s a moment that I don’t think we could ever repeat because it was just so emotional, living in the moment as the now, it was something pretty special.”

The trekkers collectively raised over $500,000.

“The amazing donations from people from all walks of life for the foundation. It’s over $550,000 and for 20 people, it’s huge.”