A Gift from the Rain

A Gift from the Rain
            Northern Californians were surprised by an alarming tsunami alert recently. My phone range a short while later. My autistic son’s program facility is in the tsunami zone, and his director called. They had to evacuate to higher ground, and Sean was refusing to leave. 
            “Hold hands and go together, Seanie! You have to go!” He got moving, and more fortunately, the tsunami never came.
            This weekend we were jolted awake by an early morning tornado emergency alert. That’s something we don’t expect here in earthquake country. It was hard to sleep as we listened to the wind and noticed the power temporarily go out, but we dodged a major hit again. 
            There was already a severe weather warning in place for an incoming “atmospheric river.” I had to cancel a group hike for the local autism community. Much as I hate to miss the opportunity for these uplifting hikes due to stormy weather, the clouds do have a silver lining.
            For many of the years I’ve been taking my autistic son out hiking, we have had drought conditions. In the last couple of years, heavier rain brought to life waterfalls in the region. Hiking to a waterfall site has always been a magical highlight for me, and every year I hope to get to one of the great waterfall sites in Marin County when the water is really flowing.
            For the moment, I’ll put my rainboots on to clear out the storm drain, but soon I’ll be choosing which waterfall to visit. In the meantime, I’ll think back on one of my favorite hikes, Cataract Trail to Cataract Falls, a trail that includes many of my favorite Mt. Tam hike features in a relatively short distance.
            Stay safe in the storms, and get ready for the next chance to hit the trail!
            This week the featured hike from the archives is Cataract Trail to Cataract Falls, a hike featuring the iconic best traits of Marin hiking.
 
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This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 100: Cataract Trail to Cataract Falls