Yellow Brick Road
            “Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road,” sing the Munchkins as they instruct Dorothy and her dog Toto to follow the road that spirals colorfully outward from Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz.
            Are they really convinced that they’ll find the great Wizard of Oz, or is the instinct to simply move forward on this unfamiliar road in hopes it will lead them to better circumstances than they’re in now?
            Trying new things and exploring new places can be scary, but it also keeps our minds and bodies sharp as we adjust to something different from what we’re used to.
            Wrapping ourselves in things that are familiar and comforting can bring a sense of peace, rest, and healing. When we have energy and strength, though, we benefit from exploring new places and activities.
            Every time I try a new trail, I feel my brain cells being energized, just by processing something new. Because my top choice for trying something new is nature trails, I always discover fresh beauty and inspiration.
            Find opportunities to walk new paths and see where they take you. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook, introduces a hike that starts near Tennessee Valley on the sometimes spooky, moss-blanketed Rhubarb Trail, then takes a northward rising turn on the Miwok Trail for uplifting views in all directions.
            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 52: Rhubarb to Miwok Trail Overlook

Name That Blossom
            “The plum blossoms are pretty well gone,” I said, looking inquisitively at a blossoming tree.
            “And they don’t look like plum blossoms,” my husband added.
            “Cherry blossoms are coming out in other parts of the park,” I said, with a tone of skepticism about whether these were a match.
            “These don’t look quite like cherry blossoms,” he said, confirming my doubt.
            I looked at the pale, delicate petals for another minute. An image from childhood memories struck me.
            “These look like the apple blossoms on the trees where I grew up,” I said. “Apple blossom” sounds so comforting and down-to-earth.
            “Crabapple trees!” my husband said with satisfaction, looking up from his phone where he confirmed the hallmark blossoming trees in San Francisco’s Shakespeare Garden.
            This is not the first time we’ve had this conversation about these very trees. It’s not that we’re losing our memory. We’re just lazy. Maybe it’s that we’re blessed with an overabundance of riches with flowering trees where we live.
            I do like knowing the names of trees and flowers, but it’s not all-important. Enjoying the plants and trees around me in the moment is enough. I can always look up names later.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park, takes readers to a charming section of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park featuring plants that appear in the works of William Shakespeare.
            Don’t worry if you can’t immediately pin down the name of a bird, flower or tree you see that fascinates you. Enjoy the moment and research it later. 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 183: Shakespeare Garden-Golden Gate Park

Hitting the Trifecta
            Every so often I hit a round number in my Hike Notes posts, and do a special feature with an extra large photo gallery. This time I decided to celebrate with Hike Notes #230 as it coincides with reaching eight years of creating HikingAutism.com.
            I started HikingAutism.com in March 2018 for a number of reasons. One reason was to share knowledge about inspiring nature locations and insights I accumulated over the years. 
            A second reason was to process grief over the loss of our magical “autism whisperer” who helped my profoundly autistic son Sean and our family pull ourselves from the edge of despair by getting out on nature trails.
            A third reason was to help others work past the isolation that accompanies navigating life with exceptional challenges.
            That is my holy trinity for starting HikingAutism. I still feel motivated and uplifted each week when I click to post new content.
            As for the other lucky three number, the trifecta, that’s what it felt like on my most recent hike on the Steep Ravine Trail on Mt. Tam in Marin. The photo montage for this week’s Insights image features photos from Steep Ravine Trail. 
            On previous hikes doing the Dipsea-Steep Ravine loop from Pantoll, there was not enough light to reach through the dense forest to get good photos on the Steep Ravine section. There was also never a fully running waterfall by the ladder next to the falls that is a highlight of this hike. On top of that, weekends get very crowded on that trail, and I rarely have a chance to get away from home and office on weekdays to avoid the crowds.
            This holiday season I hit the Steep Ravine trifecta for a good photo shoot. My older son was home from London and he and I headed out on one of the only non-rainy weekdays left during his visit. Not only was it sunny enough for sufficient light to trickle down into the forest to get photos, but the waterfall was running at full force. Our weekday excursion meant the trail was not crowded. 
            This was the trio of factors I needed to get a decent set of photos for the Steep Ravine Trail. I was so happy to have good light, great waterfalls, and no crowds on the trails, and to be walking with a favorite companion. Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll seemed like a great Hike Notes to celebrate a HikingAutism.com milestone with.
            Thanks to all the readers over the years. I’ll continue sharing free hike and insights information going forward. The HikingAutism site has led to a publishing deal for Autism Outdoors: A Guide to Spending Time in Nature, and I’ll share more as the book is closer to hitting the bookshelves.
            Thanks again to readers for walking along the trail together, 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
New this week:
Hike Notes 230: Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll

Sleep Is a Currency
            I was lying in bed this week, awake well before my alarm as is often the case. I was practicing my habit of recent years, which is to stay in bed resting until I get to around eight hours of rest, even if I’m not sleeping. 
            I was struck with one of those catchy thoughts that always seem to come during half-asleep moments, forcing me to try to commit the thought to memory and hope I’ll remember it when I get up, or to write it in an e-mail to myself from under the blankets using my cellphone.
            “Sleep is a currency we pay for good health,” a voice in my head declared with conviction. It seemd like an odd phrase to pop in my head with such certainty, but it made sense.
            For decades, I thought I couldn’t afford to take a full night’s sleep. The pressure to stay up late to meet work deadlines after getting my sons to bed, and then waking up early to get a bit more work done before getting them up for school was too great. I spent weekends working as well, also without sleeping more than five or six hours most of the time. This went on for decades.
            In recent years, as I see people hitting one health bump after another, I realize I can’t afford not to get a full night’s sleep. Sleep time is when our bodies heal and rebuild, whether it’s from daily activity wear and tear, or to recover from injury, surgery, or medical treatments. Sufficient, good quality sleep can also help us avoid some health problems in the first place.
            We must pay the sleep piper in exchange for sleep’s beneficial healing properties.
            I don’t know if it’s just coincidence that this thought hit me as daylight savings time was looming. Studies in recent years indicate that messing with our natural circadian clocks, which follow the rise and fall of the sun, is not conducive to good health.
            Despite repeated discussions of leaving clocks the same year-round, most regions are still changing our clocks twice a year, to the detriment of our sleep patterns.
            The “spring forward” time change in spring is especially frustrating as it feels like we are losing an hour. Thankfully that downside is countered by the joyous arrival of spring flowers such as daffodils and tulips.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is Queen Wilhelmina Garden, a small area in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park featuring a traditional windmill and artfully cultivated flower gardens, with tulips featured each February to March.
            Give yourself a little extra patience in the week after the clocks change, and counterbalance the sleep disruption by watching for spring flowers! 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 129: Queen Wilhelmina Garden

Step by Step
            As I work on the manuscript for my upcoming book Autism Outdoors, I’m finding that key information I want to convey is about working step by step to address challenges. Working in incremental steps is helpful for managing a wide variety of problems. It is especially effective in helping a person work through complex layers of sensory dysregulation.
            One of the most effective supports we found in helping our profoundly autistic son—who has spent much of his life vigilantly protecting himself against incoming sensory input—has been spending time outdoors in nature. For a person overwhelmed by every manner of sensory input, being anywhere, indoors or out, can feel threatening rather than enjoyable.
            Sean learned through repeated experience being outdoors that hearing the sound of the wind, sensing the vibration of crashing waves, and feeling a breeze on his cheek do not have to be scary or unpleasant. Over time, he learned that the ever-changing sights and sounds of nature can bring comfort.
            Step by step, including on many sets of scenic stairs in mountain forests and on coastal bluffs, we have moved forward in an effort to make life not only tolerable but enjoyable, despite his sensory processing system that is susceptible to overresponding.
            Take the time to work through challenges step by step. Allow yourself the patience and grace to know you may fall back a step or two sometimes. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Marshall’s Beach from Immigrant Point, introduces a walk that involves more than one set of winding stairs, from a high hill to a bluff plateau, and then down the bluff again to the beach, all with grand views in sight.
            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 18: Marshall’s Beach from Immigrant Point