Publisher's Synopsis
In the summer of 1970, Judith Hopkins and Stewart Moss leave the United States, disillusioned by a nation embroiled in the Vietnam War and still reeling from the senseless shootings at Kent State and the bombing of Cambodia. Although the young couple savor their simple, peaceful life in Scotland, they become enamored with a dream of traveling over land and sea to settle in New Zealand. With little money, they embark on a grand adventure, hitchhiking around the world with nothing but two backpacks, a tent, and a stubborn determination to reach their destination.
Experiencing connections with all kinds of intriguing people, they are frequently offered a bed in the most unlikely of places, or they camp with other like-minded travelers along the trail heading east to India and Nepal. Some of their stops are in exotic cities like Marrakesh, Istanbul, Aleppo, Isfahan, and Mazar-i-Sharif, where drugs and all manner of dangers are a part of the scene. Their path takes many unexpected turns, and their best-laid plans are foiled in Afghanistan. Destitute, they have no choice but to take refuge in a mission community established to help hippies in trouble in Kabul. From this moment on, Judith and Stewart venture on unexpected pilgrimages that open up new horizons for each of them through the summer of 1976. This honest, compelling story tells of an outward and physical journey leading to an inward and spiritual grace that changes both of their lives in surprising ways. Although it is a deeply personal tale taken from Judith's journals, it is also a record of a fascinating period of time in the 1970s when hundreds of westerners, mostly in their twenties, took great risks and sometimes steps of faith on the road to find out.
