And Yet a World Away
            I once was a world traveler. Living in Japan for five years after college, every vacation break was an opportunity to explore. I visited the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma (now Myanmar), Singapore, Korea, and also squeezed in a visit to Australia. After returning to the US, I found opportunities to travel in Europe.
            Two kids and one autism diagnosis later, my dream of taking my family on trips to other states and countries shrank to nothing. Our ability to go anywhere was inversely proportional to the level of my son Sean’s autism challenges.
            When his sensory overload problems were at their worst, not just plane trips, but even going across town felt impossible. We were trapped at home.
            With years of hard work, the support of gifted helpers, and Sean’s courage to keep trying, we gradually fought our way back into the world. We even manage an overnight cabin stay on rare occasions.
            I like to think that HikingAutism readers vicariously enjoy the hiking sites I share. By the same token, I pretend I’m immersed in the beautiful walks readers share in the new World Walks section.
            A recent World Walks share included a photo of a Canada goose, and another of bare feet in a creek. I was reminded of an iconic hike to Kirby Cove with Sean’s miraculous helper shortly before he passed away unexpectedly (In Memory and Thanks, and Getting Sean Out). A Canada goose decided to hang out by our beach blanket, and that day’s sensory therapy goal was for Sean to walk barefoot on the beach.
            That memory feels like yesterday and yet forever ago. Though my friend Wendy’s World Walks contribution with the Canada goose and bare feet, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, is within California, driving trip struggles make it feel like a world away for my family. So glad the internet allows us to travel virtually.
            Many don’t have the resources or freedom to travel. Enjoy whatever adventures are available to you, even if it is a stroll around your back yard, or an armchair trip via page or screen!
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Kirby Cove, a beach at the bottom of a steep trail, looking out at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 11): Kirby Cove
 
            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.
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism

Trail Buddies
            “Don’t worry,” I assured the least enthusiastic member of our entourage. “This hike isn’t that long, it’s just a little steep at the start,” I said, vaguely remembering a visit a few years earlier.
            The trail marker was encouraging.
            Old Sled Trail, Carson Falls, 1.0 mile
            “One mile! How hard can a mile be?” I chuckled confidently.
            Turns out that “one mile” can feel like three pretty quickly.
            Used to the chilly fog of our San Francisco neighborhood, the dry heat knocked us back. The sound of cicadas, freshly emerged from their long slumber, reminded me of hot summers in my childhood.
            The half mile climb from the trailhead to the fire road not only had steep stretches, but the little-used trail offered slippery gravel underfoot, and poison oak at our sides.
            “Look at that view! Check out all these wildflowers!” I said, shaking off the dirty look I felt on my back in light of my overly optimistic description.
            Scenic views, including the falls—plus the end of the return stretch being downhill—added up to a good adventure for everyone.
            Hitting the trail together involves balancing varying levels of energy and enthusiasm. Staying together, nudging each other forward, reminding others to stop for water, or calling out when you need the rest of the crew to wait up are all part of the experience.
            May your trail buddies be patient, persistent, and stick together when the trail gets rough. Keep putting one foot forward.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Carson Falls, leads readers along a short but moderately strenuous trail in the Mt. Tam Watershed to Carson Falls, home of a rare yellow-legged frog.
            See walks contributed by readers in World Walks, and maybe share a walk of your own!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Browse the long list of hikes under Hikes or using Hike Search by Area. Check out the Insights/Hike Update News archives.
            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 133: Carson Falls

Where the Road Takes Us
            None of us really knows where we’re going in life. We think we’re choosing our road, but routes change. A landslide takes out the scenic section we most wanted to drive. Familiar routes are closed. Construction causes detours.
            Regardless of whether we believe in a “higher power,” most of us acknowledge there are forces beyond our control. The best laid plans are altered, and life is better when we learn to adjust to the unexpected.
            I used to find it unbearable if things didn’t go exactly as I’d planned (read “control freak”). The extreme challenges of autism experienced by our younger son threw much of my sense of control by the wayside. I had to learn to walk the unpredictable path in front of me, and to find a way for myself, my autistic son, and the rest of my family to enjoy wherever the road took us. We are better people for it.
            The autism road takes parents places we never thought we’d be able to handle. Autism advocate and mom Betsy Hicks (see Autism Odyssey) and her son Joey shared a powerful message on that theme in a Mother’s Day post:
https://www.tiktok.com/@betsyonthego/video/6960089287622757638?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Check out Betsy and Joey’s World Walks contribution, Whatcom Falls Park!
            May we all find the peace that comes with embracing unexpected turns in our paths, and the joy that may be found around the next corner.
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Oakwood Valley-Alta Trail, a woodsy covered trail near Tennessee Valley in Marin, with its own unmarked side paths.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. The long list of Hikes can be browsed on the Quick View Hike List (listed by area) and on the main Hikes page. 
            Click World Walks to see favorite family-friendly walks contributed by HikingAutism readers, and how to submit a walk of your own!
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 96): Oakwood Valley-Alta Trail

Wherever You Are
            The melody of a songbird, the caw of a crow. A spider weaving its web in a window corner. Bright green spring leaves emerging, whether in a potted plant or a well-rooted tree. 
            You don’t have to be in the wilderness or countryside to enjoy the calming, uplifting effects of nature.
            Most cities are dotted with patches of green—city parks large and small. Sky, grass and trees attract birds, insects and squirrels. Being still and observing any one of these small gifts from nature brings a bit of peace.
            We can’t all get to glorious nature sites easily. City dwellers might walk to a local park. If, like my 90 year old neighbor, walking long distances is a challenge, a slow stroll with a walker for two blocks each way still offers fresh air, the sky overhead, and seasonally changing bushes and trees along the way. Flowers find a way to break through even the toughest sidewalk cracks.
            For those restricted largely to being indoors, an indoor plant might be a comfort. Any window view with greenery or a patch of sky to occasionally spot a bird flying overhead can transport us to distant places.
            Even individuals living in isolating spaces—due to hospitalization, incarceration, or any number of limiting circumstances—can find an oasis space to visit within the mind. It’s a talent many have developed due to necessity.
            I wish everyone the opportunity to visit open spaces with fresh air and nature around them, whether on a mountaintop, a wide field of waving grass, a beach with crashing waves, a deep forest or jungle, or your neighborhood park or back window with a view, even if it has to be within the confines of your imagination for a time.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Alta Plaza Park-San Francisco Stair Walk, introduces a hilltop neighborhood park that offers grand views of San Francisco.
            Speaking of anywhere and everywhere, check out the World Walks contributed by readers, and see if you’d like to share a walk of your own!
            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.
            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 132: Alta Plaza Park-San Francisco Stair Walk

Whispers in the Wind
            Spring is when my severely autistic son’s miraculous young special ed teacher—the inspiration for HikingAutism.com—worked most intensely with our family before his sudden passing.
            The courage and confidence he unlocked in Sean—then almost housebound by overwhelming neurosensory issues—changed our world. Though years have passed, the intensity of his presence still hovers in the air around us, particularly in April and May.
            The tangible sense of his essence sneaks up on me every year. The wind blows a certain way. A raven acts out of character, as if trying to get our attention. Images of Sean and his magically intuitive teacher are etched in my head. At this time of year when we walk in specific places they were together, I get flashbacks as if they were standing there just yesterday.
            If I sense these powerful memories, triggered by season, light, and particular places, what might my autistic son be feeling, his life so dramatically changed by his teacher who disappeared suddenly?
            Though less frequently over the years, Sean still sometimes says his old teacher’s name. He mumbles words relating to his treasured friend and mentor, and shows rare displays of sadness and loss. Broken hearts and memories are processed differently by different people, but those feelings need to be processed.
            This week my sons and I were walking in a stunning location that feels like our own backyard, and as they walked past a spot where the Golden Gate Bridge is framed in the background by trees, a memory of Sean and his teacher flashed up so strongly I could feel them standing there on that spring day years ago, right in that spot.
            It is a comfort to sense the presence of loved ones we’ve lost, whether a family member, friend, or other important figure. When the whisper of the wind takes me by surprise in this way, I stop to immerse myself in that reminder from nature, and say thanks. (For more about Sean and his beloved teacher, see In Memory and Thanks, and Getting Sean Out.)
            This week’s Hike Notes are from the archives, Lands End Lookout to Mile Rock Beach, a San Francisco walk filled with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, and the Pacific.
            Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. The long list of Hikes can be browsed on the Quick View Hike List (listed by area) and on the main Hikes page. 
            Click World Walks to see favorite family-friendly walks contributed by HikingAutism readers, and how to submit a walk of your own!
            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, and follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism.
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 3): Lands End Lookout to Mile Rock Beach