EDGECOMB, Maine — Stott Carleton typically takes his late-afternoon walks alone—save for his black lab, Skip.
Since 2019, the Edgecomb native has traversed the Davey Bridge, spanning the Sheepscot River between Edgecomb and Wiscasset, hundreds of times. The Vietnam veteran carries an American flag on a pole, and a leash for Skip.
Carleton began making his trips to honor a dear friend with whom he said he shipped out to Vietnam and was preparing to travel home.
"I was coming home to a new son, and he was coming home [to] a bride-to-be, and he got killed our last day," Carleton recalled. "So, I started walking for him and I guess I still am."
One trip, he estimates, is about a half mile. Friday—the day before Veteran's Day—would make 410 miles, by his count.
But he would not walk it alone.
A group of about 20 people greeted Carleton in a parking lot on the Edgecomb side of the bridge.
Helen Bryant described herself as the ringleader.
"He would never want attention on himself, but we want to show that we appreciate all that Stott does," she said.
Allie MacKay, another friend, described Carleton as, "an amazing man that is so humble and so lovely."
The crowd made sure to gather on this day because it would be Carleton's last of the year. He always chose Veteran's Day as the end of his walking season.
So, they set off, with their beloved neighbor and Skip at the front. Driver after driver honked when they drove by. Some likely just wanted to acknowledge the man, the flag, and the group carrying their own flags and signs.
Others, Carleton recognized—even at 40 miles per hour—and he called out to them by name as they whizzed past.
The group reached the end and, after hugging someone and kissing his wife, Carleton stepped back onto the bridge and headed for the other side.
"I don’t even remember my foot striking the sidewalk at once," he said.
According to plan, his feet wouldn’t touch this sidewalk again until St. Patrick’s Day.
You could bet the towns, and the traffic, would be ready to greet him again.