Wilderness walk raises funds for veterans and their families

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    MILO — Last summer a team of over a half dozen hiked the 100-Mile Wilderness from Monson to the top of Mt. Katahdin, with each participant carrying an individually engraved stone with the name of a fallen member of the armed forces from Maine. The Wilderness Walk for Warriors not only honored the lives of the names on the stones in conjunction with “The Summit Project,” but the 114-mile hike also served as a fundraiser for various veterans-related programs with monies collected through pledges.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    WALKING FOR WARRIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES — Last summer a team from the Wilderness Walk for Warriors made the trek across the 100-Mile Wilderness from Monson to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, and in doing so raised funds to benefit programs for active duty military members, veterans and their families. One such program was providing 75 holiday dinners for veterans and/or their families in need in the region, which were given out on Dec. 20 at the American Legion in Milo. Speaking is Wilderness Walk for Warriors Founder Chris Robinson, who was joined by his brother and Co-Founder Tim Robinson, center, and Josh Blaine, a team member who also made the 114-mile hike in July.

    One such program was providing ham and turkey dinners to veterans and/or their families in need during the holiday season. On Dec. 20 approximately 75 dinners were handed out at the Milo American Legion Post; about a half dozen Posts from across the region were present to distribute the meals to these communities, and representatives from the Wilderness Walk for Warriors were on hand  to explain the program.
    “We like to come to these places and give back to those who need it and speak about future causes,” said Co-Founder Tim Robinson of Wilderness Walk for Warriors before the presentation and a luncheon served by the Unit 41 Auxiliary. “When people call with a need we try to fill it,” he said, mentioning funds raised from the walk helped fund a wheelchair for a Gold Star mother.
    Robinson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and current member of the National Guard, said, “I have friends who are not with us anymore and it’s a way to give back. I’m sure if they were still with us they would be giving back.”
    Robinson’s brother Chris, organization founder and another one of the hikers in the Wilderness Walk for Warriors who made the journey in July, said, “We had seven original members and we are going to add to it.” Robinson said next month a planning meeting will be held as a larger group will make the trek from Monson to the summit of Mt. Katahdin.
    “One of the things that’s cool is we’re going to end on the Fourth of July,” Tim Robinson said about the 2015 walk. “We are doing a lot more this year, each member of the team will be responsible for more fundraising.”
    Robinson said Wilderness Walk for Warriors is glad to be giving back in Piscataquis County with the meals distributed on Dec. 20. He said a need is being filled in one of the state’s poorest counties, which is also where the journey through the 100-Mile Wilderness took place.
    “We have been all over the state,” Chris Robinson, who lives in Houlton, said about efforts to inform the public about the Wilderness Walk for Warrior’s mission of “to not only honor and remember Maine’s fallen service members but to help and assist active service members and veterans who are in need.” He said the goal is raise $20,000 in pledges as a group, with 100 percent of these monies going to individuals or families — any costs incurred by the group will be paid by the members.
    At the start of the presentation in the filled Post home, Robinson began by saying the Wilderness Walk for Warriors, “It’s a group of military people, yes, plus civilians. It’s a combination of veterans and active duty and the everyday people.” Mentioning he is one of the “everyday people,” Robinson added, “It’s veterans and non-veterans working together for benefit of active duty servicemen, veterans and their families.”
    “I have never given of myself to my county, so what can I do?,” Robinson said he asked himself. Saying he enjoys hiking and the outdoors, Robinson realized he could tie these interests together with helping and honoring those who have served, with planning for the walk starting last January.
    The participants each began the nine-day hike with stones — engraved with the name and dates of birth and death and branch of the military the individual served in and weighing between nine and 16 pounds —in their backpacks along with all of the supplies needed for the entire journey. “That stone never left our packs, except to take pictures, 114 miles till we reached the top of Mt. Katahdin,” Robinson said.
    He said at the mountain summit a celebration was held “of the hike and also very importantly for the stones, they are Maine soldiers killed in action. Each of us was honored to carry that stone of that deceased service member.”
    Pledges were made, such as on a per-mile basis or at a flat rate, for the Wilderness Walk for Warriors. Robinson said he corresponded with a resident of New York state through the program’s Facebook page, who he has never met but still he received a $600 check from his man “because he read what we were doing — we have many, many stories like that.
    “We gathered all the funds up and it allows us to do things like this. This is exactly what we do, we raise funds for part of the year and in the winter it seems we redistribute those funds.”
    “Those dimes and those quarters and those dollars, if you have enough friends it adds up,” Robinson said about all of the contributions made to the Wilderness Walk for Warriors. He told those in attendance about the wheelchair purchased for the Gold Star mother. “Those are the types of things we are honored and privileged to do,” Robinson said.
    Tim Robinson spoke after his brother, saying how he served in the Navy during Operation Desert Storm as well as several deployments more recently with the National Guard. “I had the privilege of coming home,” Robinson said.
    He said he is asked how people can help and “we say put on an event and we’ll show up and run our gums and hopefully you will make some money. We continue to try to do something, we continue to ask for support — look us up on Facebook. I want moral support and I want support for the right seasons, for God and country.”
    “The more we can do to help out those veterans, the better it can be for all of us,” Robinson concluded.
    In addition to the Milo Post, American Legions from Brownville, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville, Monson and Sangerville had members present to distribute some of the 75 holiday dinners provided by the Wilderness Walk for Warriors.
    “It’s just a great thing to give back to veterans in this area, whether you’re a member of the Legion or not,” said Post 41 Commander Dan Nutter. “I wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and I hope this helps in some way.”
    For more information, please find “Wilderness Walk for Warriors” on Facebook or call Chris Robinson at 227-8457 or Tim Robinson at 356-1998. Donations can be sent to 101 Forest Hills Drive Levant ME 04456.