The Essence Remains
            What happens when our loved ones are gone? By “gone,” I mean in the mortal sense. Of no longer being here physically.
            One of my favorite classes in college was about religion and death. What an array of beliefs there are. About guiding the dying on their way out. About those left behind dealing with their grief. About how to handle the physical remains of those who have passed.
            I have no solid answers for anyone. My heart is strengthened, however, by learning how others process the absence of those they shared life with.
            One thing I do know for myself: The essence of a person remains.
            It can be thick in the air when a person is first gone. It can waft back in waves over years, when one least expects it.
            When a person’s essence sweeps up to touch us again, it may not happen on the anniversary date of their loss. Or a birthday, or a holiday.
            The tangible sense of a loved one may appear in quiet, unanticipated moments. Triggered by a smell or sound. Reverberating in a familiar object or patch of scenery that flashes at just the right moment and angle.
            How thankful I am for those unexpected visceral memories, filling me with the sense of a missing companion.
            The life to death transition is sometimes expressed as a bridge, a crossing from one realm to another.
            This week’s Hike Notes are about Point Bonita Lighthouse, which has its own narrow, shaky bridge leading to a wonderful historic lighthouse. This is a stunning area to visit, whether you’re there in the narrow time frame allowing access to the lighthouse, or show up any old time to walk around the surrounding area.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 13: Point Bonita Lighthouse

Maintaining the Bright Spots
            Everyone has good weeks and bad weeks, good days and bad days, good hours and bad hours.
            Having a special needs son, my darker moments often revolve around worries for his future.
            This week, I was getting ready for a fitness class (a major health and sanity saver for me). Just as I needed to leave, I received discouraging feedback about my son’s eligibility for an important program.
            Tears loomed large. I overcame the temptation to have a big frustration cry, and instead headed to my fitness class. Working up a sweat and focusing on my teacher’s instructions made the situation feel less harsh and daunting. Stepping outside my inner world helped me see that the reality was not as bleak as I’d initially thought.
            Fresh air with a trail under our feet always lifts our hearts. Or provides solace. Our family walks are often not far from home, and don’t have to be super challenging. Having easily accessible sites for a dose of lifted spirits has been a life saver for every member of our family.
            This week’s Hike Notes are about Mori Point, a relatively short walk that always glows with something special, whether it be a whale spout offshore or ethereal lighting over Pedro Point.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
Hike Notes 1: Marin Headlands Visitor Center to Rodeo Beach
Hike Notes 2: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Hike Notes 3: Lands End Lookout to Mile Rock Beach
Hike Notes 4: Muir Beach to Pirates Cove
Hike Notes 5: Devil’s Slide
Hike Notes 6: Wave Organ- Crissy Field
Hike Notes 7: Tennessee Valley
Hike Notes 8: Fort Funston Beach Walk
Hike Notes 9: Milagra Ridge
Hike Notes 10: Bon Tempe Lake Loop
Hike Notes 11: Kirby Cove
Hike Notes 12: Mori Point

Mother’s Day Remembrance
            Top three happiest days of my life: Wedding day. Birth of first child. Mother’s Day, May 13, 2012.
            My younger son’s severe sensory and neurological challenges had reached almost insurmountable levels. He could barely get out of the house, and we were trapped with him.
            A gifted young “autism whisperer” appeared at our darkest time. His devoted efforts helped get our son back out to familiar places.
            My impossible Mother’s Day dream six years ago: Take my son someplace new. Hiking. On a steep trail. To a beach below the Golden Gate Bridge.
            That day, my son, our helper and I braved steep cliffs to get to the trailhead and hike down to Kirby Cove. It was my holy grail of unreachable target destinations for years.
            Eyes closed, listening to the waves, I opened them to see my son patting sand around a white rose standing at my feet. A found flower on the beach. An artful nudge from our helper. A gift from my son.
            Getting my son to a new, challenging place was a huge turning point. We felt new hope. With help, life could get better.
            Less than two weeks later, our helper was gone. Stolen from the earth by an undetected heart problem.
            Our helper’s legacy lives on as our son forges ahead. His invisible footprints accompany us.
            For Mother’s Day, I thank all the devoted people who work to make my and other families’ lives easier. Hugs to all the other moms (and mother figures in whatever form) out there trying their best!
            This week’s Hike Notes are about the iconic Kirby Cove, another example of “so near and yet so far.”
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
Hike Notes 1: Marin Headlands Visitor Center to Rodeo Beach
Hike Notes 2: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Hike Notes 3: Lands End Lookout to Mile Rock Beach
Hike Notes 4: Muir Beach to Pirates Cove
Hike Notes 5: Devil’s Slide
Hike Notes 6: Wave Organ- Crissy Field
Hike Notes 7: Tennessee Valley
Hike Notes 8: Fort Funston Beach Walk
Hike Notes 9: Milagra Ridge
Hike Notes 10: Bon Tempe Lake Loop
Hike Notes 11: Kirby Cove

Comfort in the Familiar
            My childhood vacations were spent camping and canoeing at mountain lakes in the Adirondacks. The essence of long walks from my front door in the Adirondack foothills runs through my veins. Eyes closed, I can see, hear, smell, taste and touch those forests, fields and creeks. The inexplicable sixth sense of a place wafts back with unexpected triggers.
            Now I live in Northern California, with access to a wide variety of natural terrain to explore in every direction. Broad Pacific beaches, steep mountains, brushy chaparral.
            The first time I arrived for a hike in the Marin Watershed, a treasure of five small lakes, I was swept with the “back home” feeling of being in the Adirondacks. Lakes. Pine trees. Blue shadows. Sparkling water ripples. The sound of wind through the tree tops. I felt both exhilaration of memory and calming reassurance.
            Being comforted by familiar things is universal. A smell, a color, a landscape, a sound, a beloved face.
            For people on the autism spectrum, this phenomenon can be especially powerful. My autistic son has now walked many miles on the steep trails of Mt. Tam and the stunning coastline of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties. It warms my heart to think that these familiar places are now a comforting part of his internalized world.
            This week’s Hike Notes are about Bon Tempe Lake, a 3.7 mile loop hike around a lake that changes character with every turn of the trail. Many of the views sweep me back to my childhood stomping grounds.
            Herons and cormorants add to the visual treats. The length of the walk is countered by a lack of steep climbs. There are plenty of spots to pause and enjoy yet another unique view of the lake.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos!
Hike Notes 1: Marin Headlands Visitor Center to Rodeo Beach
Hike Notes 2: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Hike Notes 3: Lands End Lookout to Mile Rock Beach
Hike Notes 4: Muir Beach to Pirates Cove
Hike Notes 5: Devil’s Slide
Hike Notes 6: Wave Organ- Crissy Field
Hike Notes 7: Tennessee Valley
Hike Notes 8: Fort Funston Beach Walk
Hike Notes 9: Milagra Ridge
Hike Notes 10: Bon Tempe Lake Loop