Steps
            What is it about steps—leading up or down—that bring an enticing aesthetic and sense of mystery?
            Stairways—whether the design is simple or complex, indoors or out—can be entrancing.
            But lifting a foot to the next step on a darkened stairway that we aren’t familiar with can also be a bit spooky.
            Not knowing exactly where we’re going, not being familiar with the rise of the steps, stepping someplace off our beaten track—all of these can be unnerving.
            And yet in our daily life, we keep walking forward on unknown steps. There is something new and different each day that requires a combination of bravery and faith that things will turn out okay. The alternative is not to move forward at all.
            We can take our time climbing stairs if we’re feeling overwhelmed. Go to the next rise, stop and acclimate, brace for the next one. 
            Whatever our challenges in life, may we all tap into the courage to keep walking up the next step, even as it draws us into an unknown future. Because in fact, there is no other kind.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Baltimore Canyon-Dawn Falls, takes visitors through woodsy, soft dirt paths through redwoods and then up a sharp, twisty grade to Dawn Falls, where worn stone steps beckon hikers to venture even further.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives. Check out World Walks for walks shared by readers.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 131: Baltimore Canyon-Dawn Falls

Parallel Paths
            There are countless families throughout the world dealing with disabilities who walk similarly unpredictable paths with ups, downs, twists and turns like the one my family walks in light of our younger son’s challenges with autism.
           On the uplifting side, there are people all around the globe who appreciate nature for recharging mental and physical batteries by walking amongst the trees, listening to burbling brooks or crashing waves, or just standing by the front door to sense a breeze or the sound of birds.
            Connecting with others to share thoughts and experiences highlights how interwoven the fabrics of our lives are, even without meeting face to face. I am grateful for the many wonderful people I’ve crossed paths with in my life, but also like the thought of others passing through life on paths that run parallel but never intersect.
            Sometimes I see photos of distant places and am reminded of familiar places from my favorite stomping grounds. One of the walks shared in the new World Walks section of HikingAutism is from Ireland, but reminded me very much of a part of Point Reyes here in Northern California.
            Check out Marjorie Turner Hollman’s shared walk located in Ireland, The Burren Way, and see if it doesn’t remind you of somewhere you’ve walked in your life. It brought to my mind the image for this post, which appeared in an early set of Hike notes, Chimney Rock-Point Reyes. Speaking of parallel paths, Marjorie is an avid walker based on the east coast who shares information to help people with physical restrictions make the most of their opportunities to enjoy walking in nature. See more about her work and her helpful book Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are.
            World Walks is a page where HikingAutism readers can share favorite family-friendly walks. Go to the World Walks section to see walks contributed by other readers and also how to submit a walk of your own. Readers would love to see one of your walks!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Chimney Rock-Point Reyes, a far point in Point Reyes that I love seeing in the distance from San Francisco on days when the visibility is especially clear.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 39): Chimney Rock-Point Reyes

Beauty Amidst the Ruins
            Good things appear in unexpected places.
            On a recent Sunday, too tired to drive the hour to the waterfall site I was hoping to take the family, I spotted on a map a patch of trails that had escaped my notice until now.
            We’ve covered many trails in the Marin Headlands, but a little clump of historic military batteries, complete with parking lot and upscale “outhouse,” had been sitting right there under our noses. We’d driven past the parking lot entrance a hundred times, never realizing there was a parking area camouflaged around a turn.
            Old military batteries around the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are not aesthetically pleasing as structures in and of themselves. Crumbling concrete, rusty metal, and years’ worth of graffiti are hallmarks of the many historic battery sites dotted around the San Francisco Bay Area.
            Yet they appear in breathtaking nature settings. As we walked, we saw small remnants of military infrastructure dotting the trails on the way to the main buildings. I stopped for a shot of neon pink ice plant flowers with the rolling hills of the Marin Headlands in the background. These lovely flowers had woven their way into a concrete block and chain structure, which themselves had melded into the natural surroundings.
            Even an old rusty chain—installed as part of a military industrial past—has a particular beauty.
            Our lives have moments that transcend rusty, jagged edges, too. The realization that a child’s development is way off track may be countered by joy seeing the innocent spirit of a person living with profound challenges. The devastating loss of a loved one might remind us of our powerful capacity to love others.
            May we all take a moment to notice the hidden flowers in the ruins as we plod our way along. The flowering weed struggling its way through a crack in a city sidewalk can be as uplifting as any other blossom. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands, lead readers on a short, easy walk around three of the historic batteries of the Marin Headlands, with gorgeous views in all directions, including distant views of the Farallon Islands and Point Reyes, and close up views of colorful wildflowers.
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives. Check out World Walks for walks shared by readers.
            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. Follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism
New this week:
Hike Notes 130: Batteries Loop Trail-Marin Headlands

Other Places
            If you are a person with physical, neurological, developmental or other extraordinary challenges, traveling may feel close to impossible. If you are a caregiver of someone who needs daily or hourly supervision and care, you may also feel travel is out of reach.
            When my sons were little we managed to fly to visit relatives around the U.S., in Japan and England, but as travel difficulties increased for my severely autistic son, our range of movement narrowed. Nowadays, a day trip to a location fifty miles away is a big event for our family, and those outings become our “travel memories.”
            We don’t stop trying to expand our horizons, but we also make the most of the stunning views and opportunities to explore nature and beautiful urban landscapes right here where we live.
            I joyfully offer Northern California hikes on HikingAutism because they are places I love and want to share, but also because I’m largely restricted to this geographical area.
            Looking at photos of distant places is a wonderful treat. I hope others can imagine being on the trails they see in my photo galleries even if they can’t visit directly.
            I can’t physically get to where readers live easily, but I would love to know some of your favorite walks from around the country and the globe. What if readers could share easy walk descriptions for others to enjoy? Now you can!
            World Walks is a new section of Hiking Autism where HikingAutism readers can share favorite family-friendly walks. For “armchair travelers,” this is a wonderful opportunity to see places others love to walk.
            Go to the World Walks section to see shared walks and also how to submit a walk of your own.
            To kick things off, I asked a couple of HikingAutism friends to contribute favorite walks. Many thanks to Marjorie Turner Hollman for sharing a couple of her favorite overseas walks, one in Ireland and the other in Canada. Check out Marjorie’s walking site Easy Walks in Massachusetts, and her Easy Walks book series. Thanks also for two favorite Washington State walks shared by autism advocate Betsy Greiner Hicks, founder of Autism Odyssey and a generous spirit who helps others understand autism better through her experiences with son Joey, an active walker and biker. Thank you for the kickoff support, Marjorie and Betsy!
            I look forward to seeing favorite walks from readers over coming weeks!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Japanese Tea Garden Stroll, a local site that makes us feel like we’re visiting a distant land. Cherry blossoms were peaking when we walked by this week.
            The long list of Hikes can be found on the Quick View Hike List and on the main Hikes page. All past Insights posts can also be viewed in the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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! Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Please feel free to share, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 56): Japanese Tea Garden Stroll