LEWISTON — Mike Lecompte, a retired firefighter from Auburn, will be the guest speaker at the Lewiston-Auburn Senior College Food for Thought luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9. 

The public is invited to attend.

After working for 26 at the Auburn Fire Department and retiring as a
Lieutenant/EMT, Lecompte was looking for a transition to retirement. He decided walking would be beneficial and thought long walks would be good.

The walk took him nearly 2,200 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

“I began my journey on the Appalachian Trail on April 7, 2014 and finished a
through-hike on Aug. 29, 2014.  It was an adventure that gave me an
opportunity to see some amazing sights and meet some wonderful people, all
while challenging me like I have never been challenged before,” he said.

“About 2,500 people started the Appalachian Trail in 2014, but only 653 people completed the journey. I had the pleasure of hiking with people from Germany, Austria and Tasmania, along with people from all over the United States,” he said.

His presentation will include the planning involved with long-distance
hiking and he’ll show the gear he carried for the five-month hike. Lecompte will also share a slideshow presentation of sights along the Appalachian Trail.

A graduate of Lewiston High School and the University of Maine in Orono, Mike
also completed training with the United States Air Force Pararescue.

He enjoys running, skiing, swimming, cycling and hiking. He and his wife, Ronda, a teacher at Auburn Middle School, live in Lewiston and have two adult children.

The talk will be held in the Function Room, No. 170 at USM-LAC. The cost is $7 in advance, $8 at the door.

Reservations must be made by noon on Wednesday, Oct. 7, by calling 207-753-6510.