What Motivated Curry?

I would appreciate input from others who knew Curry regarding what they think motivated him: First to join the Peace Corps; Then to go back and ultimately complete the work of creating Parque Nacionál Huascarán. I visited his brother, Neil Slaymaker, at the Oregon Veterans Home on May 2, 2009. He had little insight on this, although, apparently the fact that their father, Maurice who ran a feed and seed store, was closely connected with the agricultural community in Rainier Oregon had something to do with his interest in plants and botany. Also - I have found out from Darlene Witham Pearce at the Rainier Methodist Church where Curry's mother was active that she was a very committed gardener. That says something about plants - but what about mountaineering, travel, and living so far from home? Did he have an early interest in such things? Neil says that he climbed Mt. St. Helens once - probably when he was in high school or shortly after. But that appears to be the only mountaineering he did until after I met him in Peru in 1973 and sold him my ice axe and crampons. Apparently Michael Rourke taught him most of what he knew about climbing - but I believe that Michael was also relatively new to mountaineering when he died.

Any other information on what motivated Curry to do the incredible things he did would also be welcome. Neil said he thought Curry hitch-hiked to Peru once from the states. Does anyone else know? I don't remember that he said anything about that when I knew him - It seems he would have said something - as that's how I got there and not even then in the hayday of hitchhiking was it very common to go that far on the thumb.