Summit Project to Honor Fallen Heroes Saturday

Four teams of hikers are preparing to summit Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park this Saturday, October 14th as part of The Summit Project, a unique living tribute honoring Maine's military service members who have died since September 11, 2001.  Each hiker will carry an engraved stone donated by the families of the fallen to the summit and back. The hikers will proceed to the summit from four sides, north, south, west, east. The hikers will arrive at the peak at the same time, where private ceremonies will be held.

The hikers will be joined by Gold Star Family members of Maine's honored fallen heroes for a day of fellowship and remembrance at Smuggler's Den Campground on Mount Desert Island. Many of the hikers are Gold Star Family members: parents, widows, siblings, cousins. The remaining are volunteers who have committed to honor the fondest wishes of the survivors: to ensure that the vibrant lives of their loved ones are remembered and not forgotten.

The Summit Project, is a Maine based, volunteer run and supported non-profit service organization started in 2013. Unlike any project in America, it collects stories and stones that uniquely represent the country's fallen heroes and allows the communities they died for to honor them through action. Volunteers learn about a fallen hero from Maine and then elect to carry his or her memorial stones in ongoing tribute treks across the world. Already the memorial stones and memories of our fallen have traversed America and even summited the peaks of Mt. Everest and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

To learn more:  www.thesummitproject.org