Making His Way
            It’s graduation season. This year we have friends whose children are graduating from preschool, from elementary school, and middle school. It feels like not so long ago that my sons were graduating from high school, and our older son from college.
            Early life is a series of passages onto the next higher level of education, and often from there to work life, hopefully with some raises and promotions mixed in over the years.
            For my younger son, profoundly affected by autism, college was not an option. Once he aged out of the school system, his options were limited, yet he still moves forward in his own way.
            There was a time when Sean was so overwhelmed by sensory and neurological input that just getting him out from under his blanket and out of his room was a major success. Teen years can be especially daunting for autistic kids, and we spent those years helping Sean get back out in the world after extreme challenges isolated him.
            Seeing images of Sean hiking on a trail in a beautiful place always reminds me of how far we have come since the years of being trapped at home. Though he does not go to college or practice a profession, participating in activities in his program for people with disabilities is still a huge achievement for Sean considering how difficult it was for him to engage with the world.
            May we all be thankful for the victories we have in life, however different they may look for different people. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is: Phyllis Ellman Trail to Ring Mountain, a lovely, grassy inclined trail that leads up to the unique terrain of Ring Mountain in Tiburon.
 
            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 63: Phyllis Ellman Trail to Ring Mountain

Not So Secret Treasures
            As a kid, there were some good swimming holes along the creeks near our house. Not that we kept them secret, but we didn’t go out of our way to tell everyone about them, either. Surfers are notoriously protective of special surfing spots.
               I avoid writing Hike Notes about certain special spots, even though they would make for a great post. Some places are best left discovered at a quieter pace.
            Tennessee Point Labyrinth was a place I posted about and wondered later if I should have stayed quiet. I noticed spikes in views on that page on my site, and wondered if I’d drawn too much attention. Truth is, my site doesn’t have the reach to cause the consistently higher visitor numbers there. Viral Instagram posts are the more likely culprit.
            The not-so-secret treasure that is the coastal trail walk to Tennessee Point Labyrinth is already known, so I am sharing a photo from a recent hike there showing wildflowers with a lovely coast view facing south. 
            Here’s to treasuring special places without giving away secrets. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Tennessee Point Labyrinth, takes readers on a stunning coastal view hike featuring a stone labyrinth on a high cliff above the Pacific with fascinating geological structures and white cliffs in view.
            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 119: Tennessee Point Labyrinth

Fences
            What is it about a fence in a field, or along a forest path, that pulls on one’s heartstrings?
            There is something universally comforting and welcoming about a worn wooden fence. When I see an old wood fence on one of my frequent Northern California hikes, I’m often reminded of weatherworn fences from my childhood in rural Upstate New York. They can also emanate a pastoral European ambience. Like the one in this photo, fences can also have a distinctly California feel.
            Though the basic concept of a fence is to block something, many of the fences we see on our hikes seem to just be a guide line along the trail, not keeping anyone or anything out from one side or the other.
            Do you like fences? What is it about them that is appealing? Keep getting out on the trail and enjoy the magic of a good fence when you see one!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Edgewood Park Old Stage Road-Sylvan Trail Hike, takes readers on a loop hike in Redwood City that passes through oak forest, grasslands, and an area featuring patches of serpentine rock.
            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 219: Edgewood Park Old Stage Road-Sylvan Trail Hike
 

Serendipitous Connections
            Since starting the HikingAutism website in March of 2018, I’ve met many inspiring people who are interested in autism, disabilities, hiking or nature. Once in a while someone with a similar combined interest in autism and nature appears.
            This week I heard from a fellow mom of an autistic son who has started a project called Outdoors for Autism which is starting as a poster campaign to support and empower youth with autism. The creator, Anne, has taken quotes from autism-inspired sources and paired them with poster-worthy images. She used a quote from a recent HikingAutism Insights post, “Tranquility,” in one of her posters.
            It’s always an honor and a joy to meet other people trying to make the world a better place.
            Check out the Outdoors for Autism gallery here: Outdoors for Autism
            You can see the original photo I took for the Insights post this quote came from here: “Tranquility”
            The featured photo for the Insights post you’re reading now is from another place that brings a sense of tranquility to me, the calm waters of Bon Tempe Lake in the Marin Watershed. This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is: Bon Tempe Lake Loop, a 3.7-mile loop hike around a lake that changes character with every turn of the trail.
            May we all appreciate the unexpected, positive connections that happen in our lives. 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 10: Bon Tempe Lake Loop