On the Flip Side
            My son and I especially love hiking in Marin County, and there are many more trails I yearn to explore. When the pandemic hit, though, weekends became crowded with newly discovered nature lovers tired of being cooped up indoors. The thought of fighting for trailhead parking was discouraging.
            On the other hand, having more people tap into nature as a source of health and happiness is encouraging.
            Recently, I was revving myself up to drive to Mt. Tam with my family to do a special hike there, despite possible trailhead jams.
            Weather and other circumstances changed our plans. Instead of hiking in a redwood forest or along one of the watershed lakes on Mt. Tam, we ended up doing a city walk instead.
            On the one hand, not going to Mt. Tam felt disappointing. On the flip side, we explored a newly designed park with grand views of Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay, and the Ghirardelli tower and sign. We had a fun new experience and didn’t have to drive far.
            Looking at situations from both sides can turn negative situations into something positive. May we all try to see the bright side, whether we hit a minor bump or a major challenge. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Francisco Park-City Walk, introduces readers to a park redesigned from a historic reservoir from San Francisco’s Gold Rush days.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 159: Francisco Park-City Walk

When Plans Change
            As a kid, I’d be immobilized by frustration when something didn’t go according to the carefully crafted plan in my head. It was a powerful, overwhelming feeling that caused me to miss the enjoyment of whatever reality was before me.
            I suspect there’s a genetic element to that, because one of the hallmark traits of my younger son, severely challenged by autism, is that same inflexibility in the face of unforeseen change.
            Life has a way of knocking that out of a person. We learn to become flexible to survive. The inevitability of changes in the weather, a car or computer breaking down, or other people changing jointly-made plans makes adjusting to the unexpected a necessity. Though that can be extremely difficult for many on the autism spectrum, fortunately, my son has become much more able to adapt over the years, as have I.
            I’d planned to explore a new trail on Mt. Tam for Mother’s Day. Weather and timing issues changed the day’s hike plan to a steep ridge trail into Muir Woods. Yet more monkey wrenches fell into our plans, and we ended up exploring a new city park with great views instead.
            Learning to pivot with changing circumstances makes the difference between a whole day being ruined by frustration and finding enjoyment in whatever our day turns out to be.
            As a kid, walking outdoors was the one thing guaranteed to help me work my way out of a bad mood due to unanticipated change. I’m grateful that my son also enjoys the calming comfort of walking in nature.
            May we all find joy in the path that befalls us, even when it’s not the one we intended.
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods, one of the ridge trails that descends to the redwood trails of Muir Woods, a handy backup for those not able to make reservations to park at the Muir Woods lot.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 17): Fern Creek Trail-Muir Woods
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Hidden Magic
            Sometimes when we’re consciously searching for something—whether in our emotional space or in a supermarket—we come up empty handed.
            At other times, something unexpected and magical jumps up and bites us on the nose: feeling love at first sight across a crowded space, finding a home that feels just right, hiking around a curve and having our breath taken away by the perfect composition of sky, hills and horizon.
            Little bits of enchantment make the difference between just another day and a joyful day of meaning. A forgotten card from a beloved aunt, the smile of a shy child, a flower growing through a sidewalk crack.
            I recently spotted yet another wooden fairy door built into the base of a tree on a back trail along a lake in Golden Gate Park. Near the little door there was also a tiny picnic bench marked, “Parks & Rec, Squirrels & Fairies Picnic Area.” I did not see squirrels or fairies chatting over a snack at the miniature table, but maybe I’ll catch them next time.
            The appearance of a single charming surprise can bring smiles for a whole day. May we all keep eyes and hearts open enough to sense the treasures around us.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Elk Glen Lake-Golden Gate Park, leads walkers around one of three small lakes on the southern edge of Golden Gate Park.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 158: Elk Glen Lake-Golden Gate Park

Blowing In the Wind
            Zipping my jacket to the top, wrapping my scarf tighter, and shoving my hands into warm pockets, I ready myself for the blustery winds that have taken over our neighborhood the last few days. A whoosh of air against my face transports me to my childhood excitement of knowing a storm was coming when leaves fluttered in a particular way, even if the sun was still shining.
            My son on the autism spectrum used to be overwhelmed by every imaginable sensory input, even the sound and feeling of a strong breeze, so we choose trails with wind protection when necessary. We might start a hike under calm skies in an open space only to have the wind whip up midway. On one hike that changed from calm to relentlessly gusty, I felt the exhilaration of my son who ran ahead while pummeled by powerful wind, as if he was somehow part of it, or could run ahead of it back to the trailhead.
            My son running in the wind was great progress from the days when sensory overload would have frozen him in place. Going with the flow of the winds blowing at the moment taught him something about his own abilities. 
            May we all have the courage to let the winds take us somewhere new. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Eldridge Grade-Windy Ridge, a hike that starts with shady narrow forest trails, and finishes with stunning mountain views along Windy Ridge.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 116): Eldridge Grade-Windy Ridge
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Getting There
            Kirby Cove. Point Reyes. Yosemite. For years, I felt these might remain unchecked highlights on my destination wish-list. Why? Simply because I hadn’t visited them before. Unfamiliarity can morph into mental and logistical blocks.
            Getting to those places—the closest less than half an hour from my house, and the farthest four hours away—really wasn’t that hard. A map, gas in the car, and the determination to get there were the key necessities, and I was so happy I overcame my internal resistance to finally visit.
            Recently, another family with an autistic son offered to lead a hike in the East Bay, my nearby “can’t get there” nemesis. Though my habitual groan of, “I don’t want to get stuck in traffic trying to get across the Bay Bridge” had emerged, we set our alarms early and found ourselves easily breezing across the bridge and arriving at the trailhead with time to spare.
            Not only was the drive easier than expected, but we walked a trail with beautiful views, and noticed side trails we want to explore on our next visit.
            Pushing ourselves slightly out of our comfort zones can open up a world of opportunity. When you get up to get out, remember to try someplace new once in a while. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Inspiration Point-Nimitz Way Hike, brings readers to an easy in-and-out hike along the paved Nimitz Trail with scenic reservoir and bay views.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. 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.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 157: Inspiration Point-Nimitz Way Hike

Transported
            Sights, sounds, tastes, touch, and smells—these and less-well defined senses are wired in our brains in ways that are not yet thoroughly understood.
            Each of us has our own “sensory transport bridges” built from our life experiences.
            The smell and taste of pumpkin pie instantly immerse me in the feeling of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners as a child.
            The honking of Canada geese I hear through my attic office skylight snaps me back to the awe and comfort that welled every fall as Canada geese migrated past my Adirondack foothills childhood home. The distinctive call of redwing blackbirds stirs the excitement and hopefulness I felt in spring when snow melted and birds came back.
            My most powerful “Beam me up, Scottie” trigger hits when my skin senses freezing temperatures. I’ve lived in a place with moderate temperatures for decades, so the keen-edged bite of cold air entering my lungs and touching my face delivers me to the subzero winter childhoods I loved, crossing frozen creeks and snowshoeing on thigh-deep snow with my brothers and beagles.
            Our visual sense has the extra superpower of carrying us to places we’ve not yet been. I see images from a bazaar in Morocco, a forest in Norway, or a beach in the Galapagos, and I feel like I’m there, though I haven’t visited yet.
            Whenever I visit Stow Lake in San Francisco, the bright orange flowers contrasting brightly against the waterfall stairs greenery make me think of Hawaii, which came into focus in a new World Walks hike, the Lanikai Pill Box Hike.
            This second World Walks contribution from a nature lover and photographer friend in the beautiful Palouse region of the northwestern US introduces readers to a trail in Hawaii with stunning views. Seeing his photos and reading his description made me feel like I’d been on the Lanikai Pill Box Hike. I hope one day to actually try it!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake Pagoda. A San Francisco icon in Golden Gate Park, Stow Lake offers a sense of nostalgia along with a healthy dose of nature right in the heart of a city.
            Do you have a favorite walk? Share with readers in World Walks! Two or three sentences and photos allow other readers to share your special hike. See the World Walks link for how to submit your walk to share. It’s easy!
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 60): Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake Pagoda
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Just Show Up
            My severely autistic son was once so overwhelmed by light, sounds, smells, taste, touch and other forces that we couldn’t see and Sean couldn’t express that he became almost housebound. His fortress was our home, his armor a thick blanket wrapped around him with only a tiny breathing space left open.
            A gifted young teacher was determined to help. Our goal: Use hiking to help Sean get back out in the world, walking in places that his neurosensory challenges blocked him from. 
            On our first outing, the teacher, Sean and I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands. We parked at a trailhead Sean knew well from the past.
            It took us an hour and a half to convince him to get out of the car.
            We spent another hour moving him toward the Marin Headlands Visitor Center that he loved when he was younger. Step, hug, freeze, step, hug, freeze.
            Right at the entrance, he dropped to the ground and refused to budge. The sensory rebellion that had escalated over his early teen years was in full force.
            We did not go into the visitor center.
            We did not take our planned hillside hike to Rodeo Beach.
            But we got to the trailhead.
            Sean’s teacher later e-mailed me to say what a big success Sean had that day, having the courage to get out of the car and keep trying until he got to the visitor center door. Every ounce of frustration we felt was equal to a gallon of fight-or-flight stress hormones for Sean.
            Praise for Sean’s bravery and accomplishment in incremental goals helped lessen my tears as a mom who felt so often that I was failing my basic task of helping my child become an independent, functioning person.
            Next outing, it only took Sean half an hour to get out of the car, and he walked on a trail for two hours. The patience required to help him was far outweighed by his courage in overcoming sensory bombardment.
            As our beloved teacher said repeatedly to Sean, “You can do it. Try again.” Sean sensed his teacher’s belief in him, allowing him to believe in himself.
            Sean has hiked thousands of miles since that time years ago.
            Just get to the trailhead. Show up, keep trying, and keep putting one foot forward.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Chickadee Nature Trail-Huddart Park, introduces one of the easy trails at Huddart Park, with a trailhead right at the main entrance parking lot.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 156: Chickadee Nature Trail-Huddart Park

Serendipitous Pleasures
            Rain or shine, our son, profoundly affected by autism, walks a trail somewhere every Saturday, Sunday, and any day when his special needs program is on break. During the long stretch his facility was closed during the pandemic, he walked well over a thousand miles.
            You’d think we’d run out of places to walk, but there are plenty of favorites even within a city like San Francisco. Sometimes I drive along roads where there are trails he likes and wait for him to call out a place name. “Fort Point!” has been his favorite recently.
            Last Saturday, I backed out of the driveway without a specific destination in mind. I suddenly remembered seeing a post with photos of the tulips in Golden Gate Park. I thought we’d waited too long to see the annual display, but was inspired to check whether a few straggling blossoms remained.
            The windmill garden site near Ocean Beach was filled with camera-wielding visitors, but it was also overflowing with yellow, red, and white tulips and bright orange poppies arranged in patterns. Bordering the garden was a magical purple flowering bush that always entrances me though I don’t know its name.
            Sometimes heading out the door without a firm plan and seeing where your instincts take you can make for the best outings. Get up, get out, and enjoy an adventure, even if it’s an old favorite!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Queen Wilhelmina Garden, a highlight in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park featuring a working windmill, and stunning flower displays that change throughout the year.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 129): Queen Wilhelmina Garden
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Nature’s Artful Distraction
            My TV, computer, phone, and radio scream, “War! Pandemic! Political instability!” Sometimes all those devices are blasting harsh realities simultaneously. Compelled to bear witness to the dark happenings of the world, I know I need to counterbalance with peaceful breaks.
            As I drive my family along the coast for our Sunday outing, the color of the ocean evolves from gray, to blue, to a deep green, and—at a moment when the sun and atmosphere do a magical dance together—to a monochromatic, high-contrast pattern of sparkles and whitecaps against the dark underside of the waves. The sky morphs from the foggy gray of our Ocean Beach neighborhood to a vibrant, electric blue that remains for the duration of our hike, other than a feathery jet trail painted by the wind.
            The rhythm of feet hitting the trail drums away thoughts of violence and tragedy absorbed from my screens. The wind blows images of war and disease away even further. 
            Weather-sculpted trees come into view, standing in contrast against a background of bright blue ocean and pale sandy path. The iconic columnar forms stop me in my tracks. My eyes drink up the tree-shadow pattern.
            At least for a few brief moments, everything but visual beauty disappears. And when I go back home to my screens and the news, I’m standing on more stable, solid ground, ready to keep facing forward.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Poplar Beach-Wavecrest Walk, leads readers down to the pounding waves along Poplar Beach, and along the flat and easy Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail into the Wavecrest Open Space area.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 155: Poplar Beach-Wavecrest Walk

Finding a Brighter Perspective
            War and pandemic make the world look grim on a grand scale, but personal challenges also make life feel bleak—loneliness, illness, trouble in relationships or work. When our world view has taken a dark turn, physically shifting to a new viewing spot can refresh our perspective.
            Walk up a hill or to an open space where you can see the horizon. Watch the sky reflected in a sidewalk puddle, a pond, or the ocean. Open your window and listen to the birds, feel the breeze, see the light changing.
            Changing our vantage point can trigger a sense of encouragement that felt elusive a moment before. Get up, get out, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook, a hike that starts on a narrow, shady path and then rises up to broad views from a hill.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 52): Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes and photo galleries via the main Hikes page or the Hike Search by Area (was Quick View Hike List) page. Click World Walks to see or share favorite walks from readers! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism