Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Hikers with Disabilities Mark Trail with Memorable Moments

Just a wonderful read from David Whiting, a columnist with The Orange County Register.

Hiking 800 feet above the azure sea off South Laguna, Louis Wallace turns around at the sound of his name and stops.
"Hey Louis, wait up," leader Anthony Palmeri shouts.
"You're a strong hiker," I yell ahead while standing next to Palmeri, a 25-year-old Mission Viejo resident and graduate of the University of California, Irvine.
Wallace grins.
"Yes I am," he hollers back, raising clenched fists in the air and striking a pose that would make a body builder proud.
It's an honest and beautiful moment in a hike filled with honest, beautiful moments. It's Saturday morning, and Palmeri has invited me along one of his weekly hikes with three young men he has come to know through his job as a special education aide at Tesoro High School in South Orange County.

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