At 47 years of age, Chris Barton expects his plans to walk from the Three Sisters to Manly Beach in under 24 hours will be a massive challenge.
However, he feels it's nothing compared to the difficulties faced by those with mental health challenges every day.
He sees his 13-year-old daughter, Chelsea, as a prime example of someone facing up to those challenges. She lives with panic and anxiety disorders, which prevent her from attending mainstream schooling.
"One of the stigmas around mental health... is that it's a sign of weakness. And the thing is I've never met anybody as strong as my daughter," he told the Gazette.
"So it's not a sign of weakness... because people who've got real mental health challenges, they have to battle... just to get out and about in their day.
"It's a sign of strength. So I definitely draw strength from her strength."
Mr Barton plans to walk the roughly 120 kilometres from Katoomba to the Northern Beaches on March 25, starting at midday.
He is taking on this trek to raise money for batyr, a preventative mental health organisation run by young people, for young people.
Mr Barton hopes to raise $10,000. He said for every $25 he raises on his walk, a young person will be able to access one of batyr's workshops on skills for managing mental health.
"If we can catch enough kids early enough, you know, they may not get to the challenging levels my daughter has. So that's the drive behind it," he said.
He will be joined at the start of his walk by around 10 local friends.
"The most supporters I've got is through friends in the Mountains. So I've got a whole bunch who are gonna start that walk off with me," he said.
His sixteen-year-old son plans to walk 9 hours with him as well.
Mr Barton is also receiving support from Blaxland's Optimal Spine Chiropractic in the form of free treatments, to make sure he's "not falling to pieces".
Mr Barton currently lives in Blacktown but taught at Springwood High School decades ago, and says he still feels "an affinity with the Mountains" that helped him choose his walk's starting point in Katoomba.
He is nervous about whether he'll go the distance within 24 hours, but has been walking up to 140 kilometres a week in training, and is determined to hit his goal.
"I laugh with my wife sometimes, she's like 'even if you've got to drag yourself across on one leg to finish, you're gonna do it.' So I'll make sure I finish, but to do it in the 24 hours is a big challenge," he said.
You can donate to Mr Barton's fundraiser through his batyr link: https://batyrs-fundraising-hub.raisely.com/chrisbarton.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.
