What the Rain Brings
            Every year, I see wildflowers on mountain trails, on bluffs above the beach, and in valley meadows. Sometimes they appear subtly, one or two blossoms here and there along a path, mixed in near ferns or poison oak.
            Seeing a lone wild iris on a Mt. Tam trail stops me in my tracks. Purple, pale yellow or white, they are all beautiful.
            Having said that, the “superbloom” phenomenon that has become a hot news topic in recent years also offers a powerful experience.
            The right combination of rain levels and temperature, usually a wet year after several dry years, can cause dense flower growth across vast fields, making it look like entire fields or mountainsides have been painted with bright colors.
            Will this year be a superbloom year? No one can accurately predict a given year’s rainfall and temperature patterns or know exactly how those will affect plant growth.
            We’ll know soon enough. Even if we don’t end up seeing the wide swaths of colorful blossoms we saw last year, wildflowers are already adorning trails with mixtures of pink, orange, white and purple.
            Next time you’re outdoors, whether in a city park or a remote trail, look carefully to see what bits of color pop into view. This is the season when flowers surprise us at every turn. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Mori Point, a place that features glorious ocean views, sometimes whales offshore, and on years when the weather has been just right, a carpet of wildflowers in spring.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 12): Mori Point
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777

Celebrating a Milestone!
            This week marks Hike Notes number 200! I started HikingAutism.com in March 2018. Creating new posts each week has been a stabilizing force for me through the pandemic, family health crises, world news ups and downs, and family losses.
            I would create HikingAutism.com for my own sanity even if no one else ever read a post. I am grateful to say, however, that many readers over the years have told me they felt inspired by an Insights post to get outdoors more or do something else to help themselves or others, that they tried one of the listed Hikes, or even shared a favorite hike for World Walks.
            People dealing with major challenges—such as our family trying to help our severely autistic son live his best life—often feel isolated from the “normal” world. For our family, every activity involves extra difficulties. Going out in public can feel daunting.
            I started HikingAutism.com because I didn’t want others facing a difficult life situation to feel alone. Someone in the world has experienced something similar. Knowing and sharing that gives us strength to keep going.
            HikingAutism.com also allows me to share the joy of spending time in nature, which has been incredibly helpful for our whole family. I offer the photos and hike descriptions in hopes they’ll lift someone’s heart. For those without the mobility to get out on a trail, looking at nature photos can still make the world brighter.
            For this special milestone Hike Notes celebration, I am allowing myself to be self-indulgent.
            Typically, for each set of Hike Notes, I sort through around 200 photos. It is a tough process cutting down to 11: One photo for the title image, one for the accompanying Insights post, and nine for the gallery of photos that appears at the bottom of each Hike Notes page. I always want to share more images, but I’ve stuck to this system for consistency. Sometimes less is more.
            However, in celebration of Hike Notes No. 200, I am including 30 photos in the gallery. Watch for glorious sunsets, seascapes, the silhouette of the Farallone Islands, a variety of animal life, and the rare shot where I slip into the gallery.
            It is a privilege for me to share images and thoughts inspired by looking at beautiful places through a camera lens. Thank you to all the HikingAutism.com readers. I will continue sharing Insights and Hikes as we keep putting one foot forward together!
            The subject of this week’s Hike Notes, Steep Ravine Cabins and Camp Area, is often mentioned as the crown jewel of camping spots in Marin County. Every nature spot has merit, but the Steep Ravine camp area offers many of the best aspects of the Marin coast.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 200: Steep Ravine Cabins and Camp Area

Signs of Spring
            In cold, snowy Upstate New York, my brothers and I would put on our dress clothes for Easter and pile into the station wagon. We dodged shallow, muddy patches of snow to avoid messing up our good shoes. After the hour-long drive north, we’d get out of the car and follow our parents up the worn wooden front steps of my grandmother’s house.
            Grandma’s house was even further north than her childhood home in infamously snowy Tug Hill. I trailed behind when we got out of the car, stopping to look at the lingering piles of snow. Seeing daffodils push up through the Easter snow was my proof that spring had arrived. I knew that tulips would follow shortly.
            Here in San Francisco’s more moderate climate, I watch for daffodils to come up in late February. My instinct for tulips was in April or May as a child, but here in California I have to remind myself to check in March so I don’t miss them.
            Sure enough, it’s mid-March and not only are daffodils in full bloom all around, but the famous tulip garden in our neighborhood is now bursting with color.
            Seasonal weather and varieties of flowers may differ by region, but any burst of floral color is welcome.
            Whether it’s a carefully planted garden, blossoms that have grown through cracks in the sidewalk, or wildflowers on a mountain trail, enjoy the simple pleasure of the flowers you find around you! Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Queen Wilhelmina Garden, a garden by a windmill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, known for its spring 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 on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777

Choosing to Feel Lucky
            I was afraid of insects as a child, but everyone said that ladybugs were a sign of good luck. Ladybugs were the one type of beetle I didn’t mind walking on my hand because I had a positive feeling about them.
            In the spirit of “glass half full” versus “glass half empty,” optimism is a choice we can make.
            There are well-to-do people who look at the ultra-wealthy and say with envy how lucky the richer people are. Conversely, there are people with limited financial means who feel they are the luckiest people in the world for having a roof over their heads, food to eat, and loved ones around them.
            When my parents’ health failed in recent times, I appreciated that they had lived good long lives, and knew how lucky we were that they had loving caregivers with them until the end.
            When loved ones have faced major health challenges, I acknowledged the good fortune of having capable and compassionate care teams bringing them back to health.
            We can choose to see the positive. Gratitude is a powerful healer and a great equalizer.
            May we all find the joy of being thankful for even the humblest of good things in our lives.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Spreckels Lake-Golden Gate Park, introduces readers to a small lake in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park known for birds, turtles, and model yachts.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 199: Spreckels Lake-Golden Gate Park

Hunting for Treasure
            About a year ago I was driving in Marin hoping to see big puffy clouds of pinkish purple heather. I confirmed from an old hike date that I’d seen it blooming in full glory in late February.
            I don’t know the standard blooming period for heather, but going again in late February seemed like a smart bet to see tiny purple blossoms collectively create giant puffs of purple cotton candy.
            As we walked the road toward our trailhead, I looked past some eucalyptus trees and beyond the crest of a distant ridge. A bright patch of purple flowed between the hills. That was the treasure right there. Distant brushstrokes of purple proved that the heather was in bloom.
            As we got closer to our trailhead, the giant swaths of purple I remembered came into view. My quest to re-experience those beautiful clouds of purple blossoms was fulfilled. The hike was good, too, but wouldn’t have felt the same if we hadn’t seen the heather.
            May we all chase our dreams, even something as simple as finding a magical patch of flowers. Keep dreaming, and keep moving!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Heather Cutoff Trail, a trail near Muir Beach Overlook that features a series of switchback turns leading from a coastal ridge down to a meadow and creek area.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 177): Heather Cutoff Trail
 
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777