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Maine veterans honored through Summit Project

This Memorial Day weekend, volunteers are participating in the 6th annual Tribute Trek and Family Weekend

MAINE, USA — While many in Maine are firing up their grills and getting ready for Memorial Day weekend, others are spending the weekend remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. 

"Some of them don't come home. So we're here to honor their memory and call them heroes," said Summit Project founder David Cote. 

This weekend volunteers are remembering fallen Maine veterans as part of the 6th annual Tribute Trek and Family Weekend. 

RELATED: Summit Project to honor veterans during Millinocket Marathon

Volunteers spent Saturday riding their motorcycles from Portland to Baxter State Park. They're doing it all while carrying a living memorial of veterans who lost their lives. 

"It's what memorial day is all about. You can never forget," said volunteer Bob Miller.

The Summit Project is a Maine based non-profit based around keeping the memories of veterans alive. The group has stones engraved with the names of fallen veterans. Those stones are then taken across Maine and around the globe on hikes, walks, rides and anything that those carrying the stones want to share with the fallen vets. 

This year as part of the Tribute Trek and Family Weekend, gold star parent Don Rivard is riding with his son's stone. He's bringing it with him on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to Baxter State Park, where his niece will carry the stone with her up the mountain. 

"You wish you didn't have the stone at all, but at least this way you know that he's going to be remembered and honored," said Rivard. 

The Summit Project has not selected which peak in Baxter State Park they will be ascending due to prior trails being closed due to melting snow. 

The group and its volunteers have already connected with more than 100 gold state families across Maine and have brought the stones across more than 17,000 miles of trails .

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