January 1, 2006

This would be a day not like any other day. The sun was bright, the air  was warm and there were smiles everywhere. What a wonderful way to start the New Year. As we combined boats on our vehicles our smiles were more visible and the  happiness in our hearts grew stronger. Our journey from the Hanging Rock Access  consisted of 15 paddlers, 5 canoes and 15 kayaks. It was wonderful. We laughed  our way down the river. We surfed, told paddling tales, talked about home  projects and about how yummy our cookout would be. Halfway down the river we  took a short break so our open boaters could get some circulation to their feet.  After about 10 minutes it was time to have a bit more fun. It was also time to  egg each other on to do a New Years Day Eskimo Roll. We laughed and played our  way down to Moratock  Park. It was now time for me to  perform my first Eskimo roll of the year. It was a success. It was now time for  Rod to follow up with his roll. Once again it was a success in the frigid water.  As the paddle ended you could see the joy and happiness in everyone's  eyes.

As our paddlers changed clothes and loaded their boats back on their  vehicles the unexpected happened. Here are the brief details. Earl Hamby gasped  and dropped to the ground. Bill found Earl and called for help. Both Kelly and  Bill started performing CPR on Earl. Pam and I got blankets while someone called 911. Sarah relieved Bill to helping Kelly administer CPR. The Sheriff's  Department and the EMT would soon arrive and takeover. Earl was eventually  taken to Danbury General  Hospital. A doctor would shortly tell  Bill and I Earl
had passed on. The doctor said Earl did not suffer and probably  was gone when he hit the ground. I can't remember what every paddler did, but  everyone helped in trying to save Earl's life.

I remember talking with Earl on the river. He told me about the new  shelves he had built at home. We talked about his new helmet and how we couldn't  have asked for a better day to paddle. Earl told me he was having a wonderful  time. He shared these same conversations with everyone on the river. I have  known Earl for 6+ years and he was definitely a friend. Both Bill and Earl would  paddle with me when most people thought I was nuts for wanting to paddle. Seeing  him being taken off the ambulance in to the emergency room tore me apart. Later  Bill would say Earl couldn't have gone in a better way. He was happy and he  didn't suffer. I got to share a special time in Earl's Life. The following  people were there to share the same special time; Bill, Tim, Joni, Rod, Lori, Don, Amy, Dave, Alison, Pete, Phillip, Kelly, Amanda, Moses, Pam, Tom and Sarah.  Earl I know you are in heaven looking down upon us. I want to thank you for  sharing your final moments with us. I love you and will miss you.
Ron Bright

I paddled with him a  lot today and he talked to me about his missionary work in Belize and about how much he adores his granddaughter Lia.   He was making us all laugh at the break, as always.  Just before we paddled  into Moratock, Earl told me, "It's over too soon."  And it is over too  soon, not just the paddle, but his life.  Pearisburg especially will never  be the same again.

Joni Carter