The Team
Kim Smith (38) - Disability advocacy coordinator with hip dysplasia, fibromyalgia, and bipolar disorder.
Kim doesn't like camping or cold weather, and she's scared of heights. Despite her fears, Kim joins the team as an act of faith—hoping that her belief in God and personal determination will help her overcome a new set of challenges. Kim's fear of heights will be put to the test daily, as she must cross more than a dozen suspension bridges over the course of the trek—some hundreds of feet above the riverbed and many in disrepair. Prayers and personal mantras keep her going, until she realizes she may have reached her limit.
Barry Muth (44) - Community integration specialist with quadriplegia.
While in Saudi Arabia with the U.S. military, Barry was injured in a single vehicle roll-over accident resulting in his quadriplegia. Barry retains some function in his hands, allowing him to participate in hand cycling and other sports, including wheelchair rugby (a.k.a., murderball). Though with limited ability to push himself, Barry remains determined to fight his way up the trail with minimal assistance. Frustrated and feeling the absence of his wife and three children, Barry reaches a breaking point that makes him reconsider his purpose on the trek.
Gene Rodgers (47) - Writer with quadriplegia.
At age 17, injuries sustained following a fall from a cliff resulted in Gene's quadriplegia. A self-described argonaut, or risk-seeking adventurer, Gene does more than most able-bodied people he knows. Gene sails, scuba dives, and sky dives, and has travelled to nearly every continent—all as a person with quadriplegia. While his limited mobility requires that he engage his assistant, Jose, to accompany him on the Challenge Trek, Gene is surprised when his younger brother Robert decides to sign up for the trip as well—ostensibly as Gene's second assistant. Robert's lack of travel savvy and even less camping experience are not encouraging, but his presence proves critical to Gene's survival.
Robert Rodgers (42) - Salesman and musician with anxiety and severe depression.
While Robert's depression has at times left him house-bound, he feels compelled to join his older brother, Gene, on his latest adventure. All too aware of Robert's lack of travel experience and his instability, Gene is wary of allowing his brother to join him, but he eventually gives in to Robert's pleading. Inspired by Gene's enthusiasm on the trail, Robert discovers that he's capable of more than he realized.