Magical Trees
            Have you ever been walking along and suddenly noticed a tree that is so fascinating, it stops you in your tracks? Perhaps you’ve seen a gnarled old oak tree that makes you feel like you are in a Tolkien book, or stood on a hill high above the ocean with a smooth line of land paralleling the horizon except for one grand tree standing iconically in silhouette against the sky.
            Sometimes it’s the close-up view of a tree that draws me in. Patterns of bark on eucalyptus trees, the bright white bark of birch trees, and the reddish-bronze, sinewy surface of madrone bark—all of these make me stop to soak up the visual treasures for a moment.
            How wondrous that something as simple as a tree can stir up strong feelings, and perhaps even buried memories, just by happening upon them as we walk.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, El Polin Spring-Presidio Walk, takes readers to a historic area of San Francisco’s Presidio that has one of my favorite trees, hidden from easy sight.
            Do you have any special trees that you remember from childhood, or like to visit now? Enjoy that magical feeling, and keep putting one foot forward!
            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 115: El Polin Spring-Presidio Walk

Winding Through the Trees
            Do I take the short, steep trail that will have me huffing and puffing, but get me to the grand views I’m seeking faster? Or do I take the meandering path that winds through shady trees ornamented by hanging moss, rising up slowly through a eucalyptus grove and then to chapparal terrain?
            Comparing short-and-steep versus long-moderate-incline trail options with the same worthwhile goal at the end is always interesting. The pros and cons of each trail can make it hard to decide which I prefer as the ascending route and descending route when doing a loop hike. 
            Taking the long, slow route for the ascending leg seems like the easy choice, but that didn’t prove to be the case when climbing back up to the high Mt. Tam ridge parking spot I’d started at for a hike down into Muir Woods. The steep short descent felt easy, but a mile and-a-half into the two-mile winding, shallow-incline return trail (every turn inducing an “aren’t we there yet?” grumble), I decided I’d rather have just gone up in one powerful burst.
            In the case of Pedro Point, which has the South Ridge Trail as a quick, heart-chugging option to ascend to stunning ocean views, I concluded that climbing via the shallower, winding forest route of the Arroyo Trail, enjoying the views at the top, and taking the steep South Ridge Trail back down makes for a satisfying loop.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Pedro Point Arroyo Trail, takes readers along the shaded, tree-covered trail leading up to the grand open views that can be seen from Pedro Point South Ridge Trail and Pedro Point Bluff Trail.
            Sometimes a slower, quieter path is as satisfying for reaching a goal as a flashy, bright one. Keep putting one foot forward!
            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 228: Pedro Point Arroyo Trail

All’s Well
            I treasure the time my older son, who lives and works in London, spends with us at the holidays. He looks forward to longer, sunnier days in California as a contrast to the short dark winter days of England.
            This visit, three quarters of the way through his vacation, most days had been rainy or overcast. Some special hikes and day trips I had planned required better weather, and our time was waning. The four or five big outings I’d hoped for were impossible in the time we had left.
            A photo shoot on Mt. Tam had been burning in my head, my one do-or-die hope for this holiday visit. I’ve hiked the Dipsea-Steep Ravine trail loop several times, and posted about the Dipsea Trail in the past, but was long overdue to write up the Steep Ravine section of the hike. Those trailheads are packed on weekends. The darkness of the deep forest trail meant that my prior hike photos were blurry or dark.
            One week remaining, and the sun finally came out. My husband covered for my usual weekday afternoon caregiving duties for our younger son, giving me a few extra hours of freedom to take my older son on a mountain hike.
            We hit the trail on a weekday morning, free from the weekend warrior crowds. We soaked up Mt. Tam’s magic, with its mixture of ferns and moss, redwoods and oak trees, light and shadow. We made our way down and up stone stairs, wood stairs, and trails made more interesting by jutting roots and the occasional fallen tree. We stopped to look at countless unnamed falls as the water rushed down the ravine. It was the hike I’d hoped for.
            I’ll post the Steep Ravine Hike Notes soon, but this week’s Hike Notes from the archives is the Dipsea Trail from Pantoll, a trail famous for the footrace of the same name, featuring wide open views of the ocean, lovely mysterious forest paths, and what seem like endless wooden stairs down to the bottom of the ravine.
            Darker days all feel brighter in retrospect when the sun shines at the end. Keep putting one foot forward!
            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 122: Dipsea Trail from Pantoll
 

We Can’t Control the Weather
            “We’re for sure going to do the Steep Ravine-Dipsea loop and a day trip to Point Reyes!,” I told myself repeatedly before my older son came home from London for the holidays. I spend the whole year saving special outings for the time he’s here with us during holiday break.
            London weather had been especially cold, dark and wet in recent weeks, and he was looking forward to brighter skies and a bit of sunny outdoor time.
            Nature had other plans. Not only did the cold, dark, wet weather seem to follow him, but we’ve been hit with multiple power outages since before Christmas. The darkness was darker, and the coldness was colder. At least we stayed dry indoors.
            On a rare rain-free day, we jumped in the car and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge, with Marin County and its scenic hiking trails typically just a few minutes away.
            Everyone else on holiday break had the same idea. The traffic toward Marin was so jammed that we exited before the bridge and hiked in San Francisco instead, which fortunately offers countless great options.
            Another day the plan was for just my older son and I to do a deep forest hike and photo shoot on Mt. Tam, but overcast skies and the threat of more rain squelched that plan as well.
            Instead, we did one of my son’s favorites, a hilly walk in Buena Vista Park, followed by a fun amble along Haight Street checking out shops, bookstores, and eateries. It wasn’t my intended grand mountain hike, but it was still a special walk together, umbrellas in hand.
            Nature has a way of overriding plans. Being flexible allows us to make the most of our time, even when things don’t go according to our wishes. Go with the flow, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Buena Vista Park Stroll, leads readers on a hilly hike with dramatic views from the top and pathways lined in part by pieces of granite headstones.
            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 103: Buena Vista Park Stroll