The People We Walk With
As we walk through life, we share the trail with family, friends, and sometimes strangers who make a mark on our lives. Twists of fate can bring unexpected interactions that affect us profoundly. A dark, challenging period of our family life trying to help our severely autistic son took a miraculous positive turn with the appearance of a gifted special ed teacher in our world. The story of how this insightful young man pulled our family out of despair, ultimately leading to the creation of HikingAutism.com, is told in my interview with Kevin Lowe of the Grit, Grace and Inspiration podcast. Kevin, who suddenly lost his sight at age 17, taps into his own personal strength to inspire others. Check out the moving story of how HikingAutism.com got started in podcast episode #169, “The Heartfelt Story Behind a Mother’s Dream to Take Her Autistic Son Hiking.” Interviews about our family’s autism journey usually focus on the dramatic period when our “autism whisperer” drew Sean out from his protective shell. The wonderful helpers who carried our family forward after we lost our beloved teacher aren’t credited enough. Here is a chance to say thank you to all of the teachers, therapists, friends, family and autism support people who have helped our family over the years. Caring people are a major force in helping families like ours survive a challenging situation. For us, the ability to get outdoors and enjoy the countless beautiful sights nature has to offer is another saving grace. Many of the hikes that appear in HikingAutism.com are on trails that one of our long-standing helpers introduced us to, including this week’s Hike Notes at Pillar Point Bluff. Thanks to our autism-support hiking buddy who always has another great location to share. This week’s Hike Notes, Pillar Point Bluff, leads readers on a cliff-top walk along the bluffs above the Pacific in Moss Beach, California, near the Mavericks big surf area of Half Moon Bay. 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 on Facebook at HikingAutism, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism New this week: Hike Notes 178: Pillar Point Bluff
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Fleeting Beauty
Spring, the time of year when one dazzling set of blooms after another take over the spotlight: magnolias, plum blossoms, daffodils, tulips. These are delights I enjoy in my current life in California. When living in Japan during my twenties, I learned that one flower dominated all: cherry blossoms. I arrived in Japan not knowing the language. Instead of going to a language school for foreigners, I worked with a private tutor. Rather than using a textbook geared for English speakers, she guided me through a series of workbooks used for Japanese schoolchildren, starting from preschool level. I was surprised at how many times my language lessons focused on the Japanese tradition of hanami, literally “flower viewing.” Hana means “flower” in general, but I came to understand that the tradition called hanami was devoted to cherry blossoms. Why did children’s textbooks emphasize a topic like cherry blossom viewing so much? April arrived, and I understood. In Kyoto where I lived, ancient trees cultivated for centuries displayed breathtaking varieties of cherry blossoms, from delicate, almost-white petals to bright pink pom-pom shaped blossoms. Grandest of all were cherry trees with willow tree-like branches cascading in a river of pink. The sea of pink was enough to make a person dizzy. As soon as the blossoms arrived, the wind might take them down. No wonder poets and samurai embraced the concept of cherry blossoms for their poignant, brief existence. Though we don’t have the ancient trees of Japan in California, cherry blossoms can be seen starting as early as late February and sometimes well into April. Step outside and absorb the colors and fragrances of the season. Keep putting one foot forward! This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Japanese Tea Garden Stroll, a popular spot in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, especially as we enter cherry blossom season. This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives: (Original Hike Notes 56): Japanese Tea Garden Stroll 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 Treacherous Trails
Weeks of rain, thunder, hail and even snowstorms have kept Californians battening down the hatches and holding onto our umbrellas. Weather related dangers include deaths due to falling trees. Water-saturated roots are causing some grand old trees to topple completely. Huge branches crash down unexpectedly. Ongoing rain means that the soil on many trails is eroding. Steep areas are subject to mud and rockslides, and cliffs can crumble without warning. And yes, there is also flooding. We choose our trails carefully as we wait for Mother Nature to calm down enough for earth and roots to stabilize. It’s a perfect time to look at future hike locations, or to vicariously enjoy seeing where others have walked. Looking through the new set of World Walks contributions sent by friends sharing walks from Florida, my eye was drawn to a photo of an information sign about conquistadors and their historic expedition through Florida in search of gold and glory. Something about the image brought pirates to mind. Check out Bolen Bluff Trail, second in a series of Florida World Walks, this one near Gaineseville, Florida. (Click the World Walks link to see how to submit your own favorite walk!) The thought of pirates reminded me of one of my favorite Marin County coastal hikes. Being a pirate fan, once I heard there was a place called Pirates Cove, I had to go if only to say I’d been there. It turned out to be a scenic little cove reached by a walk along what feels like the edge of the world, with a steep, rocky descent to the beach itself. A fitting place for its name! Recent rough weather makes reading about trails such as Bolen Bluff Trail shared from a sunnier climate a pleasure. Imagining ourselves in a positive space is a powerful tool that can bring both calm and joy. Keep putting one foot forward! This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Muir Beach to Pirates Cove, a coastal hike that offers great views but takes some tricky footwork down a steep rocky path to get to the cove-enclosed beach. This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives: (Original Hike Notes 4): Muir Beach to Pirates Cove 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 Even In the Rain
California has been pummeled with rain (and snow!) recently. Normally temperate San Francisco feels a lot more wintery these days. “Rain or shine” is our motto in getting our severely autistic son out for fresh air and exercise. Even an atmospheric river doesn’t keep us in for the whole day. On a recent rainy day, I remembered it was our tulip season. A short umbrella stroll around the tulip garden by the windmill near our house sounded perfect. We were greeted with a type of tulip I’d never seen before: Petals that were white at the base and a vibrant pink on top. The dark, wet day seemed to make the colors stand out even more. Tulips and windmills make me think of the Netherlands, and by coincidental timing, friends from the Netherlands sent new World Walks contributions from their hikes in Florida. My recent visit to Florida to see my aging mom didn’t include walks in scenic places, so it was a huge treat to see the nature walk photos my friends shared. First in a series of their Florida World Walks is the Little Talbot Island Hike, including a captivating image of sculptural white driftwood on a white sand beach. Being a special needs parent means my opportunities to travel are restricted, and seeing hikes others enjoy is a wonderful mental escape. May we all vicariously enjoy the joys others share! Click the World Walks link to see how to submit your own favorite walk! This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Queen Wilhelmina Garden, the site of well-maintained garden displays at the western end of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, featuring a windmill and especially known for its tulips. 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. 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 |
Lisa LouisSharing insights and hiking highlights (Hikes, Hike Search by Area) from the special needs caregiver front in San Francisco. Archives
February 2025
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