Across the Water

Across the Water
            Standing on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge, I look north across the Golden Gate—the water beneath the bridge that connects the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay—and think longingly of what Marin hike I might do next.
            There are plenty of great walks filled with natural wonders—plant, animal and mineral—on the San Francisco side. Yet familiarity dulls our vision of the treasures at our feet.
            The thought of battling traffic to cross the Golden Gate Bridge becomes a mental obstacle, but in truth crossing the bridge to the Marin side usually takes only a few minutes.
            Standing at any of countless Marin side vista spots, I look back across the water and see the San Francisco skyline and the contours of its western edge.
            “Look, Sean,” I say to my autistic son, pointing toward Ocean Beach in the distance. “Our house is over there.”
            “House!” he says.
            We enjoy a Marin hike, long or short, and drink up the views whether we’re at beach level or high in the mountains. And every time we drive back along the curves and through the tunnel that frames a postcard view of the Golden Gate Bridge, I look forward to being on our side of the water again.
            Going a short distance that offers a different vantage point can give us a fresh appreciation of our everyday stomping grounds. If you can’t go out, try looking out a different window to see the world from a different angle. May we all make opportunities to freshen our perspectives!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Fort Baker, a historic site in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, offering iconic views back to the San Francisco skyline from a cozy cove by a fishing pier, marina, and historic military sites.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 126): Fort Baker
 
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