The terrain of life is mountainous. Mountains have peaks and valleys, ups and downs, ascents and descents, highs and lows, much like daily living. We all face challenges that feel more like uphill battles, encountering difficult obstacles. The terrain of real faith is mountainous. We experience spiritual highpoints and emotional low points in our faith journey. It used to be common to refer to humans as souls. We need a few trusted souls to journey with us. The soul of a person is eternal, needing to be nourished and developed in this unpredictable terrain called life. Various pathways connect the outer life and the inner life: gardening, desert isolation, ocean travel, among others. The author chose to Retreat Upward: A Mountain Pathway for the Soul.