A Change of Scenery
            A friend who took on too many extra work assignments for too many months realized as we were chatting that she needs a break. Not just a full weekend off, but maybe a little trip out of town to change up her environment and routine.
            I remember being able to do that years ago. As a single person living in Kyoto, Japan, I was able to use work breaks to travel around Asia. When first married and living in San Francisco with no kids, my husband and I had the freedom to visit family in Europe, England, Japan, or the east coast. We took several-day road trips to visit friends in far northern California and Oregon.
            When our two sons were very little, we hauled fold-up baby strollers onto airplanes to visit family. With each year, our younger son’s constellation of differences that added up to an autism diagnosis made it increasingly difficult to get out of the house, much less travel any distance by car or plane.
            For several years—between ages ten and fourteen, when hormones and other changes make life even more challenging for autistic youths than it is for typically developing kids—we were virtually trapped at home. My son’s inability to tolerate almost any sensory input or change of routine made getting away for an overnight stay anywhere seem like an impossible dream.
            With the support of a dedicated helper, as well as courage and persistence on the part of our son and the rest of the family, we managed to do a few overnight stays at scenic places within reasonable driving distance. It was never easy, but we were all better for having expanded our horizons.
            Sometimes we need to rev ourselves up and overcome obstacles, even if the obstacle is mostly inertia, to experience a change from our usual environment. If possible, try even just a day trip to freshen your perspective, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Pacific Valley Bluff Trail, shows a trail at Big Sur where we managed to take a family road trip. The trail starts with an inconspicuous gate opening onto a cow field, with waving wheat bordering a path leading up to bluffs overlooking a stunning stretch of the California coast.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 29: Pacific Valley Bluff Trail

After the Crowds Leave
            A friend who lives in Cape Cod—a hugely popular destination for summer visitors—recently posted about visiting a local beach just after the summer crowds had gone. The photo showed an empty beach which he was enjoying all to himself. It looked so peaceful.
            I was reminded of many dramatic stretches of the California Coast. It seems everyone is going to a beach along scenic Route 1 during summer break, especially in areas like Half Moon Bay which is easily accessible to the large population of the San Francisco Bay Area.
            Due to traffic and parking frustrations, we plan our beach visits to this busy area during the off season. It’s easier to truly appreciate the natural beauty of a place when not fighting crowds.
            Do you live near a place that gets congested during summer break, or perhaps a popular winter activity area? Enjoy the benefits of off-season quiet time, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Half Moon Bay State Beach-Francis Beach, takes readers to the main hub of a stunning multi-beach stretch along the Half Moon Bay shoreline.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 182: Half Moon Bay State Beach-Francis Beach

Love Without Words
            Hugs with my severely autistic son sometimes look awkward. He often responds to a hug request with a brusque shoulder bump rather than a full on, heartfelt hug.
            What a surprise it was when a week ago, unrequested by me, my son faced me, looked me in the eye, and put both arms around me with a comforting squeeze. He hugged me for a long time, patting me on the back as one does when trying to make someone feel better. He pulled his head back to look me in the eye with a smile several times, going back in for more of his warm embrace of encouragement.
            I had not been crying. I had not asked for a hug. I had not talked about needing comfort. I had recently been anxious about a family health situation, and though I wasn’t talking about it to him, he must have sensed that I was worried above and beyond my everyday stress level.
            My heart was stirred by what felt like words of comfort emanating from his embrace. As mother to a son who does not communicate easily and often pushes gestures of affection away, this was one of the greatest treasures I’ve received from him.
            A week later, he did it again. The magical sense that he was talking to me without words was just as powerful the second time. 
            I cannot complain when his sensory system triggers him to dodge my attempts at affection. The fact that he could drop his sensory guard to so remarkably show his love without words counterbalances all his dismissals of affection over the years.
            Do you have someone in your life who communicates more effectively in silence than in words? Embrace those powerful silent communications, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Stapleveldt Trail-Mt. Tam, leads readers along a trail highlighted by moss, ferns, redwoods, wooden fences and wooden footbridges.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 236: Stapleveldt Trail-Mt. Tam

Urban Nature
            I love San Francisco. As a country girl—raised among the forests, creeks and farmland of the Adirondack Foothills—whose consistent saving grace was time spent in nature, even I might not have expected me to choose a city for living the majority of my adult life and raising my children. But I did.
            Why? As I write about frequently in HikingAutism, I am so grateful that in addition to living in a city that offers major arts and culture benefits, my family and I have easy access to stunning nature sites in every direction. 
            I can walk to the Pacific Ocean from my house. I live less than a block from expansive Golden Gate Park that is home not only to a historic herd of bison but also to free-running coyote, skunks, raccoons, and an amazing array of birds, highlighted by red-tailed hawks, great blue heron, and hummingbirds.
            A short drive north takes me across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County with its countless mountain and beach trails. A short drive south offers a wide variety of hikes in San Mateo County and points south, and a drive to the East Bay presents more bayside and hill areas to explore.
            I sense the accessibility of natural wonders in San Francisco so strongly that I simply assumed it must be near the top of a list of cities with nature easily at hand.
            To my surprise, there are numerous cities with an even higher nature accessibility index. That theme is featured in an article from Kühl, The Nature Deficit Index: How American Cities Are Losing Access to the Outdoors (Ivan Slovic), which highlights issues relating to city dwellers’ access to nature. You can find a link to Kühl’s other hiking features on the HikingAutism Links page.
            Regardless of where your place of residence ranks on a nature accessibility index, there are ways to incorporate the positive forces of nature in your life. It may take a bit of planning if you want to go to open nature spaces. It is also possible to enjoy flowers, plants and wildlife in small city parks and gardens. We can also just step to our front door or back window and look at the sky, watching and listening for birds to pass by.
            Take the time to see what treasures of nature are on hand around you, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Sand Ladder to Baker Beach, leads readers down the long, sandy stairway in San Francisco’s Presidio to popular Baker Beach, with dramatic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 135: Sand Ladder to Baker Beach

Summer Essence
            A golden glow hovers over a hilly field of tall green grass and yellow flowers. The sea below is a mixture of blues, greens and grays as waves crash against dark rocks. The fragrances of fading flowers and seaweed blend in the breeze, and the warmth of the sun mixes with the sticky feeling of sea air on bare arms.
            I walk a winding hilly path to tide pools, revealing unexpected treasures. The sparkle of water on the rocks takes my breath away. A tear, triggered by the beauty of the moment, rolls down my cheek. 
            All these sensory treasures add up to the epitome of a summer day.
            Stop for a moment to breathe and soak up the signals from the world around you, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Slide Ranch and Tide Pool Walk, introduces readers to a special place that features goats, ducks, and chickens as well as a lovely trail leading to tide pools and stunning ocean views.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 160: Slide Ranch and Tide Pool Walk

Waves and Shadows
            Waves crash in big bursts against a rock one moment, then roll in shallow layers over the sand another. Shadows flicker with leaves blowing in the breeze, or gradually lengthen as the day grows long.
            Waves and shadows change constantly, as do many aspects of life. Do we stop to notice the changes, acknowledging the world as it changes around us, and ourselves as we evolve within the world?
            Being still for a moment to notice changes around or within us can be a revelation, if we just take time to stop and observe. Take a quiet moment and  keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Gray Whale Cove State Beach, leads readers down a long stairway to a stunning beach just south of Pacifica’s Devils Slide Tom Lantos Tunnels.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 175: Gray Whale Cove State Beach

No Place Like Home
            Years ago, my beloved aunt and uncle came to stay with us in San Francisco, bringing their nine-year-old grandson, my cousin’s son. They were visiting from Tug Hill, a notoriously snowy, rural part of Upstate New York, a place that developed the character of my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles. Dairy farms and cornfields are the counterpart to the many lakes and forests in this part of the Adirondack foothills.
            It was this boy’s first visit far from rural Upstate New York. Walking along the ocean, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, and visiting places like Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf were exciting and possibly a bit overwhelming.
            One day when my husband watched our two young sons and my aunt and uncle took a break from the whirlwind with books on the sofa, I took my cousin’s son for a walk to burn some of his extra energy.
            A mile and a half loop walk starting right from our front door included one of several small lakes in Golden Gate Park. It often played host to coots, mallards, geese, egrets, and sometimes a great blue heron. Raccoons were often in view during the day, while fox and coyote usually stayed hidden until night.
            Our young visitor had been acting up a bit, talking back to his grandma, my aunt. He was probably out of sorts from being in a new place with new people far away from home.
            As we walked around the small lake, which often made me think of my Adirondack stomping grounds, I could see his face and body relax. He looked happy and engaged, like he was comfortable in his own skin again.
            Juggling work, my own two kids, and entertaining him and my aunt and uncle for a week, I was lucky to have found the wherewithal for this solo walk with him.
            “Can we come here again?” he asked earnestly as we headed away from the lake and back along city streets to home. 
            “Sure,” I said, moved by the fact that he was so enamored of this spot.
            The days got busier, and their visit zipped by without a chance to take him back to the little lake. Not being able to take him back has always haunted me with guilt.
            I hope he has good memories of that trip so many years ago. That tiny lake near my house still brings flashes of Adirondack memories when I visit with my family for an easy neighborhood walk.
            Do you have a favorite nearby location that reminds you of another time and place in your life? Tap into the nostalgia, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, North Lake-Golden Gate Park, leads readers around one of the small lakes along Chain of Lakes Drive in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 235: North Lake-Golden Gate Park

Floral Ballet
            Pale pink figures float in the air, dancing together in the breeze. Bright reddish-pink arms rise elegantly above purple petal tutus. Variations of these dancer-like blossoms, some bright red, some pale purple mixed with pink, dot one bush to the next.
            Fuchsias stir the imagination. Seeing a wide variety of shapes and colors near each other in the Fuchsia Dell in Golden Gate Park invariably makes me think of tiny ballerinas suspended in the air.
            Fuchsias are high on my list of blossoms that dazzle the eye. Do you have a favorite flower? Enjoy the visual treasures on offer from nature, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Fuchsia Dell-Golden Gate Park, takes readers to one of the many special feature spots in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 134: Fuchsia Dell-Golden Gate Park

Urban Pastorale
            Feathery white clouds float above a layer of blue. Cypress trees rise high above their surroundings. Willow tree branches drape in layers over the path ahead. Tree pollen is reflected in yellow on a mirror-surface of water.
            This charming small lake reflecting trees and clouds brings back happy memories from a childhood spent in the Adirondack Foothills.
            And yet we are walking in a city park in San Francisco. Even small areas of nature wield a remarkable power to bring us out of our daily worries, allowing us to take in our surroundings and just be in the moment.
            Make the most of the natural treasures where you live, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Elk Glen Lake – Golden Gate Park, takes readers to one of several charming, tiny lakes in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 158: Elk Glen Lake – Golden Gate Park

Early Bloomers
            “Look, the dahlias are blooming!” my husband said, pointing to the Dahlia Garden in the distance from where we were taking our easy Sunday stroll in Golden Gate Park. 
            “Aren’t they known for blooming in August?” I thought to myself out loud.
            Sure enough, posters along the Dahlia Garden fence announced the Dahlia Society’s annual show in mid-August, this year celebrating their 100-year anniversary, by chance.
            And sure enough, though barely into July, there were already many fascinating dahlia varieties to look at. I am always astounded by the variety of shapes and colors that share the name dahlia.
            I found the usual suspects that remind me of sea anemones, but on this visit I also saw a white variety of dahlia that reminded me of the feathered bubble hats that were fashionable in the 1960s. An image of Elizabeth Taylor wearing one floated into my mind. It was an odd thought that I mumbled to myself, only to have the woman next to me say she was thinking the same thing.
            Are there flowers that you look at as being almost more intriguing than beautiful? Dahlias are both. Enjoy whatever blossoms you stumble upon, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Dahlia Garden - Golden Gate Park, brings readers to one of the many special areas of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park featuring stunning flower displays.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 208: Dahlia Garden - Golden Gate Park