TSP AT ANP 2014 HIKER HERO COUNTDOWN FOR RENEE MCCAFFERTY -- On a special day in early October, four teams of 20 hikers have been chosen to climb Cadillac peak in Acadia National Park as part of The Summit Project. With every step, our hikers will carry a stone and a story that uniquely represents our state’s fallen heroes. Our amazing hikers come from all over Maine, the US and all walks of life. Meet our TSP at ANP 2014 hikers — My name is Renee McCafferty, and I live in Belgrade, Maine. I’m a Registered Nurse and I work in Critical Care at the Alfond Center for Health in Augusta. My husband served over 8 years in the Army stationed at Fort Drum, NY. After he was medically retired we moved back to Maine this Spring to help run/own his family’s business. We were both born and raised in Fairfield and graduated from the same high school (Lawrence). After leaving this state and having children, we realized how lucky we were to have been raised here. We wanted to have my children grow up with the same wonderful memories of the Maine outdoors, strength of family and the overall way of life here that we had that gave us the foundation that has propelled us through this life. When I’m not a nurse, mother or wife I can be found outside hiking, boating/swimming, snowmobiling, fishing, 4-wheeling or kayaking. I’m also an avid sports fan (Go Boston!) and I also play basketball in womans leagues most recently while at Fort Drum. Don’t get me wrong, I love rest and relax too but Maine seems to draw you out to see all of its natural beauty. I have climbed Cadillac Mountain 5 times I believe. My husband is unable to climb due to injuries sustained from multiple deployments; but this is still something he is helping me accomplish even though he’s physically unable to participate. I volunteered to be part of The Summit Project living memorial because a childhood friend (Shawn Bickford) had shared his journey as both a hiker and Veteran and being from a close community it was never an option not to want to do this. After he shared this additional hike with us on Facebook, myself and a group of mutual friends felt compelled to join him this time around to spread awareness and show our appreciation. I was an Army Wife for over 8 years and during that time at a rapid deploying post, I’ve endured loss from a vantage point not many of my friends home in Maine can relate to. I’ve been that friend on the other end of the phone hearing the knock we all dread and I’ve waited at the other end of the phone with bated breath. I hope that by participating in The Summit Project I can help to prevent these soldiers from being forgotten alongside very dear friends, some of whom are veterans that made it home but left a piece of them there. I hope through sweat and grime we can forge an even closer bond memorializing this fallen heroes. I plan on hiking SPC Christopher Wilson’s memorial stone. Through this process I’ve learned that he served in the 10th MTN Division alongside my husband in the same BCT and was assigned to 1-32 who my husband’s unit worked to support during that deployment. They may have crossed paths at some point during their time at Fort Drum and during that deployment from 06’-07’. As I hike up themountain and my pack gets heavy, I will think about his daughter Jayden that he left behind so she can always know he was never forgotten. One way I hope to keep his memory alive is to cheer on our mutually favorite Boston sports teams even when it looks bleak (Red Sox ouch!). When the hike gets rough, I will remind myself that he was an IIB that rucked more than I can ever imagine as part of the Task Force Spartan crew he served with. While I may get tired and sweaty, it pales in comparison to his daily struggle thousands of miles from home, in a foreign country with extreme temp. shifts ranging from 120+ degree in the day time to well below 35 degrees at night (and we thought Fort Drum had crazy weather). I will hold on to the fact that his Gold Star Mom and his family in and around Chicopee, MA misses him every day and that what I’m enduring can never match the visceral pain they’ve felt with the loss of their son, brother, nephew and father. When I get hungry and tired I will grab some of his beloved Haribo Gummy Bears that the 24hr Shopette at Main Gate always had stocked. What I hope to accomplish from this hike is to ensure SPC Wilson is engrained in our hearts and thoughts for his sacrifice and that of his families, forever eternally.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 12:00:00 +0000