[at-l] Afternoon with Earl

[shoffman@redrose.net (Scott Hoffman)]

On Saturday, my wife and I went to visit Earl at his brother's place
near York, PA. I held my breath as I expected the worst from what I
heard. When I walked in the door, there was Earl, tired, but recovering
nicely despite what he's been through. We sat and talked and the time
passed quickly. The conversation ranged the gamut from hiking to his
adventures in the South Pacific as a soldier in the war and back again.
As the conversation continued, his energy seemed to recharge his spirits
as we talked about his love of hiking and the AT. Two and a half hours
later it was clear that all of us were worn out from the fast paced and
free flowing exchange of ideas. It was time to leave and we could sense
that Earl's energy was draining, but the mention of the many people on
the list and especially Miss Janet piqued his power back up to its
normal levels. Keep those cards and letters going, and maybe a prayer or
two for this first thru-hiker.

Mother Natures Son