Determined and adventurous outdoorsman, Zack Starr, vows to defy chronic pain and inspire fellow injured veterans by tackling the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail.  Considered the “Everest of hiking trails,” Zack hiked up the west coast of the United States, despite facing a sixth surgical attempt to repair a service ending shoulder injury.  After five months of awe, majesty, weather extremes, and athletic success, his escalating physical, mental and emotional pain threaten Zack’s finish.  When word reaches him on the trail that the doctor cannot risk offering a final pain relieving shot without destroying what is left of his shoulder, Zack is left nearly hopeless and in excruciating pain.  Pursuing the trail reveals a hidden period in Zack’s past where hopelessness almost took over and he nearly ended his life.

In a beautiful irony, Zack’s thoughts focus on his fellow brothers and sisters in the services who face physical and mental blows daily from injury and illness and the 22 veterans a day that will commit suicide.  Holding on to the faith that completing the journey is no longer a personal challenge, but a necessity for saving lives, he takes it one step at a time and one hour at a time with his eyes on the Canadian terminus.