Lisa Curry has shared an emotional tribute to her late daughter Jaimi after laying her ashes to rest on Australia’s tallest mountain.
The swimming legend hiked 2228 kilometres to the top of Mount Kosciuszko with her daughter’s ashes and some meaningful items, including dried petals from her funeral, more than two years after Jaimi passed away.
“I needed something to help me find focus again and get out of bed but my main purpose was to take my daughters ashes to the top of Mt Kosciuszko,” Curry wrote on Instagram, sharing a slew of photos from the venture.
Curry revealed that the hike, which she did with a group of friends and was delayed by Covid, was the hardest thing she had done, adding that it was out of her comfort zone.
“The conditions were very challenging, plenty of snow, ice, rain, sleet, baby hail (sago), 60-100kmh winds, we had it all,” she continued.
“Once we headed out, we were committed. No turning back. One step at a time. The second day I carried the emotion of what I was there for.”
When she got to the final hill, which she described as a “complete struggle”, Curry said she felt an “overwhelming sense of achievement and emotional anxiety” about saying goodbye to Jaimi one last time.
“I could see a blurry Glenn standing there waiting for me, every step I was getting closer but couldn’t see through my tears,” Lisa wrote.
“The wind was extreme, and took the balloon quickly, but it landed on the snow not far away, so Glenn went and picked it up and let it go again
“I honour our Jaimi by taking her ashes and dried petals from her funeral to amazing places around the country and the world.
“This spot on top of Mt Kosciusko is the closest to heaven that I could get so it was very meaningful to me.
“Everyone has their own way of honouring those that are special to them. Fly free beautiful angel. Never forgotten. Xxx”
The Olympian also revealed that she completed the monumental feat while taking beta blockers Atrial Fibrillation (AF), which helped keep her heart rate down but felt “like a full body of heavy lactic acid”.
Images: @lisacurry (Instagram)
This article first appeared on OverSixty.