In this book, writer-poet Luci Shaw has given us a lifetime of exquisite reflections on nature, love, death, suffering, loss, faith, doubt, creativity, curiosity, lifelong learningall of it drawn from the breadth of her own experience, harvested in penetrating and lyrical insights. Still active in her eighties, Luci now turns her attention to the season of edging toward the borders. Her spirit of adventure, her brave transparency, and her openness to all that life offers (as well as inflicts) makes her a captivating and hope-inspiring mentor.For most of us, growing older is a reality we put off as long as possibleuntil we realize with a shock that it is happening to us. We immediately look around to see how others on the path just ahead of us are dealing with it. So here is the intrepid Luci Shaw, taking readers on a virtual hike with her, with steps more deliberate and slow but also with surprising vistas that fill us with gratitude.In this book Luci serves as a fearless and eloquent scout. As she traverses new territory, she records her experiences lovingly, honestly, sorrowfully, joyfullyhere's what it's like, and here's what to be ready for. These field notes will inform your own journey, no matter what your age.

Luci Shaw is an acclaimed poet, writer and literary mentor. She graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, magna cum laude and is currently a writer-in-residence and lecturer at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. She is the author of numerous books such as God in the Dark and Breath for the Bones. She is also coauthor of three books with Madeleine L'Engle, including Friends for the Journey.

Acknowledgments
A Word to My Readers
1 The View from Now
2 Looking Ahead
3 Feasting on Distances
4 Fit for the Climb?
5 Dangers Ahead?
6 Finding Sure Footing
7 Bivouacking
8 Above the Tree Line
9 Learning to Breathe
10 The View from the Slope
11 Lightening the Load
12 Liftoff!
13 Mountain Pilgrimage
14 Incidents and Accidents
15 Course Corrections
16 Companions on the Way
17 The Grass Under our Feet
18 Experiencing Altitude
Notes