POKHARA, Nepal - When the Chettri sisters started a trekking company 20 years ago, it wasn't easy.

"The men said this is a business for the men and we should leave it alone," said Lucky Chettri. She is the eldest sister in the 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Co. Trekking is an adventurous hike, usually over many days in remote areas.

The men threatened the women and bullied them. They even falsely accused the sisters of stealing. "They would even accuse us of trying to take away food from their table," Lucky said.

Now the sisters' business is booming. They have a waiting list of Nepalese women who want to join their training program and become mountain guides.

The success of the Chettri sisters is a symbol of the increasing influence of women in Nepal. In many ways, though, men still have most of the power in Nepal.

Progress Is Happening

In 1953, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, first climbed Mount Everest. But it took another 40 years before the first Nepali woman reached the mountain's peak. Since then, women have made progress in politics, education and business.

In 1990, about 5 percent of Nepali politicians were female. Nearly 20 years later, in 2008, women won a third of the seats in the election for Nepal's parliament. Some laws that discriminate against women have been changed. One especially unfair law let only sons inherit their parents' property.

The number of women in trekking and mountaineering has risen as well, said Shailee Basnet. In 2008, Basnet led a 10-member Nepali women's team to Everest. She said the rising number of women guides is due to the Chettri sisters.

"They have started a trend for women to take up this profession. Women guiding foreign trekkers in the region has become a normal thing now," she said.

Meeting A Need For Safety

The Chettris had heard from some foreign female travelers that they were threatened by male guides in remote areas. So, they came up with the idea of a woman-run trekking company.

"These girls were really afraid and felt insecure," said Lucky, 48.

The sisters once led trips themselves. But they had trouble finding more women who knew trekking, spoke English and were willing to spend days walking with foreigners away from home. Their solution was to bring the women to Pokhara and train them for six months.

"At the beginning it was very unusual for the women to join our program because they had to leave their homes for many days," said Nicky. She is the youngest of the sisters. Dicky is the middle sister. "Some thought it was against our culture because women are expected to be at home doing household work."

A Job Of Their Own

But soon the word spread. "These women began to like the idea that they don't need to depend on their husbands for money," Nicky said.

Gam Maya Tilicha, 25, once planned to become a teacher, but she is now a full-time guide at the company.

"I never imagined that I would be a trekking guide. But the income is very good and I like what I am doing - meeting people from all over the world and traveling to new places in Nepal," she said.

The sisters accept 40 students every six months, and give them free housing, food and clothing. The money earned from the trekking agency supports the training.

Once they graduate, they make about $3,000 a year, a better-than-average salary in this poor Himalayan nation. Monika Rai, a 19-year-old student, hopes it leads to something better.

"I am here to learn the skills of trekking and English language so that I can become a guide," she said. Guides make the most money.

Crowded Trails

The Chettris have 150 women guides who lead nearly 1,000 foreign trekkers a year. They specialize in trekkers who travel the lower mountain trails. They do not guide the mountaineers who try to reach the world's tallest peak.

Mountaineering and trekking is a big business in Nepal. Nearly half the foreign visitors come to explore the mountains. According to the Nepal Mountaineering Association, about 340,000 foreign tourists went on treks last year.

Many of the visitors are single women who prefer to have female guide. One of them is Sophie Whitwell, a 25-year-old from London who signed up with 3 Sisters.

"I would definitely want a female guide. I am sure it would be fine if you went with a male guide but you just don't know, and you are walking with them potentially alone for several hours a day," she said. If you are in trouble and need to be rescued "a female guide is just as capable of walking to the next town to get help or make a phone call."