New mum Yasmin Harrower and brothers to hike Cairngorms high tops in memory of beloved mother
A new Aviemore mum is to take on an arduous high tops hike this weekend along with her three brothers in memory of their beloved mother.
It will be 10 years at the end of this August since well-known Caroline Harrower passed away after losing her battle to a glioblastoma brain tumour.
Caroline used to run the popular Ark Animal Supplies in Grantown along with husband Martin.
Their daughter Yasmin (32) just gave birth to Jessica Rose nine months ago but she is not letting that deter her from honouring her late mother and raising funds for the Highland Hospice who looked after Caroline so well in her final days.
Along with brothers Martin (41) of Carrbridge; Jamie (38), who now lives in Stirling, and Ben (37), based in Edinburgh, she will be tackling the ‘Cairngorm 4000s’ in just one day on Saturday.
The 4000 feet high plus peaks which stand in their way include Cairn Gorm, Ben Macdui, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine and Braeriach.
Yasmin said: “It's not just a physical feat for us - it's a heartfelt journey to celebrate the wonderful person our mum was.”
Caroline passed away on August 31, 2014 and Yasmin said: “As a family we thought that we wanted to do something which raises money for the Highland Hospice who were very much there for us when we needed them most.
“I work for Scottish Mountain Rescue hence the nature of the challenge.
“I have got some friends coming with us from SMR so they are going to be helping us along the way and making sure that we remain safe.
“For me it is going to be quite a big challenge, as I just gave birth on October 2, last year, to Jessica Rose.
“Rose is a tribute to my mum as they were her favourite flowers.
“It really has been the fastest nine months of my life.”
Yasmin continued: “Collectively mum would have had nine grandchildren but she only met three of them.
“It will be an emotional journey for us all as we have this part of our lives that she has sadly not been part of.”
There will be a very early rise for the fundraisers on Saturday.
Yasmin said: “We are aiming for a start at around 5am at the Sugar Bowl car park.
“We will be doing a massive loop. Our plan is to do the steepest peak first so it is out of the way.
“We really wanted to do something for mum to keep her memory alive.
“She is always very much with us each day but the truth is that we are in shock that it is nearly 10 years since we lost her.”
The hike is expected to take between 12 and 16 hours depending on the weather conditions.
Yasmin said: “We are a bit nervous as the weather has not been on our side so far this summer.
“We are really keeping our fingers-crossed that the conditions are kind for us and we have some sunshine although not too much as we do not want it to be too hot either!”
Dad Martin will be the ‘official taxi driver’ for the day.
Yasmin said: “He will shuttle us to the start line and take us home at the finish line. He very much misses our mum.”
And despite living far and wide, she said her brothers need no excuse for coming home - although this is a very good one.
“They are up here all of the time - their hearts are very much in the Highlands.”
There are collection boxes in the Spar shop in Carrbridge and at House of Paws run by dog groomer Codie White in Grantown - which was where Ark Animal Supplies was located.
Wendy Morgan, communications manager for Highland Hospice, said: “Good luck to Yasmin, Martin, Ben and Jamie as they take on this mammoth challenge for the hospice in memory of their dear mum.
“We are so grateful to be the benefiting charity for this incredible fundraiser, and we appreciate Saturday will be an emotional day for our fab four climbers as well as their dad Martin and his grandchildren.
“We will be wishing you well on each and every one of the many steps you take on the day, and hoping the weather is kind to you. Good luck, you are all amazing!”
Donations can be made via Yasmin’s JustGiving page here
