When his teaching contract is not renewed, a now purposeless, university art instructor sets out on a solo backpacking trip west, across the U.S. Two slick, wealthy antiquities dealers sweeten his trip with an intriguing offer. It's 1971 and this novice hiker begins a painful series of learning experiences. From a rock concert in the woods, to an invitation to a lynching, to hitching with some strange characters, he plods on to an unknown future. Camping in the wilderness offers its own variety of challenges...and lessons. Hitching with strangers serves up a colorful assortment of stories. After a failed "Big Deal" in Mexico, he races back to the U.S. Hiking across Texas and the southwest, he almost dies from heat, exhaustion, and rugged terrain. Yet, he plods on and has a totally unexpected spiritual awakening. Saved from perishing in the desert on the back of a chopper driven by a Hell's Angel, he arrives in LA. After 51/2 months on the road and 4,500 miles covered, he sees the Pacific Ocean. This sight brings tears of joy, and closure to 'the crossing'. The California Years begin with a hitch from LA to Berkeley. He lives in communes, travels California, teaches at Stanford, but doesn't quite put his hiking days behind him. After 4 years in California, his true purpose begins to emerge. His pull west 41/2-years ago has now become a pull east. It's time for him to return to New York, not sadder, but wiser. It's time to meet his soulmate, solidify his lessons learned, especially from his spiritual awakening, and begin the next chapter in his life.