Mosaic Magic
            There are several dazzling stairways in San Francisco ornamented with mosaic tiles that create the illusion of a cohesive image from small, individual structural units. Being a city of hills, San Francisco has plenty of interesting stairway walks, but the mosaic design ones are especially captivating.
            One of our favorites of these, a walk starting from the Lincoln Park Steps, located near a gorgeous public golf course on the western end of the city, offers not only the mosaic creativity of the stairs, but also a montage of scenery that makes for a loop walk highlighting a diverse range of vistas.
            There is the initial stunning view of the stairs themselves, followed by a path along the golf course that features the iconic shapes of Monterey Cyprus trees. The Golden Gate Bridge comes into view on the road leading up to the Legion of Honor, with the bridge being reframed in view after stunning view, the framing combinations evolving with each step. Lastly, the Legion of Honor itself offers a variety of eye-catching images, including boldly silhouetted statues toward the front of the museum grounds.
            I love short walks that offer a wide variety of images in a short distance. Are there short-distance-varied-scenery walks near you? Enjoy your local scenery and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives takes readers around the Lincoln Park Steps-Legion of Honor Loop, leads readers up a colorful mosaic stairway, and leads past gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, a lovely golf course, and the stately Legion of Honor.
            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 167: Lincoln Park Steps-Legion of Honor Loop

Heroes Real and Imagined
            Heroic characters in books and movies can sweep us off our feet. We are lifted by the illusion that there are people that strong, that good, that honorable. What if there were people like that in real life?
            There can be. In his early teen years, my younger son—profoundly autistic, overwhelmed by every imaginable sensory input, and frustrated by difficulty in communicating with language—struggled to navigate a single hour of the day, much less days and weeks. Everything was so overwhelming that he closed himself off from the world.
            That remained true until a brilliant young special education teacher magically appeared and changed our son’s and our lives for the better at a seismic level. There was something about this “autism whisperer” that unlocked my son’s courage and the will to try.
            My son went from being trapped under a blanket in his room to walking on the stunning nature trails of San Francisco and Marin County. He still struggled with sensory input, often stopping and holding his hands over his ears and eyes, but he kept moving forward, bit by bit, until he became an able hiker who can hike miles on the rugged trails of Mt. Tam. This transformation started with the help of his beloved teacher.
            Our real-life teacher-hero is highlighted in “Heroes: Living, Dead, and Imagined,” my new piece featured in The Renaissance Garden Guy web site. Check under the Guest Writers section to see other stories I’ve contributed. (The site has popup ads but no paywall.)
            Are there real people in your life who parallel your fictional heroes? Let them know you appreciate them, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Kirby Cove, leads readers down a short but steep trail just on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge to an entrancing beach cove.
            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 11: Kirby Cove

Tunnel Crew
            I love tree tunnels, and love finding and exploring new ones with my regular hiking crew, my family.
            Surrounded by a green halo ahead, the other end of the tunnel is a mystery until you walk through it. We’ve walked through magical golden tree tunnels of autumn leaves that exhilarate us, and dark Hansel-and-Gretel, deep-forest tunnels that leave us feeling spooked.
            Both the bright and somewhat darker experiences are easier to walk through with a familiar set of people you trust, a kind of walking comfort zone.
            Life tosses dark, unknown paths before us, sometimes in the form of unanswered questions such as where and how we can live, whether our health will hold up, or if we have enough money to cover expenses. These bring anxiety and trepidation about walking forward.
            Passing through these figurative dark tunnel times is when we need our trusted crew the most, whether it be family, friends, or coworkers.
            Who walks with you through dark times and light? Thank your crew for being there when you need them, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, San Bruno Mountain – Saddle Trail, leads readers on trails with open sky views as well as some tree tunnel spaces.
            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 20: San Bruno Mountain – Saddle Trail

Love Affair with a Bridge
            Whether as orange-red triangles peeking out from layers of fog, or the full double-tower span gleaming orange against a deep blue sky as it spans from San Francisco to the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge stirs my heart.
            I never get tired of driving across it from the San Francisco side, or approaching it from the tunnels on the Marin side, a drive that creates its own magical postcard each time the bridge comes into view through the round frame of the tunnel.
            Is it possible to love a structure? It is. I’ve never lost that magical feeling about the Golden Gate Bridge in the decades that I’ve lived here. I love it under every weather and visibility condition—mysterious and enticing when barely visible behind dense fog, and blasting the senses when it towers vibrantly in the sun.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Golden Gate Overlook to Warming Hut, takes readers from a spot where visitors can enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge from a variety of viewpoints. The varied scenery and trail segments merited a larger than usual photo gallery.
            Do you have local scenic spots that you never get tired of? Enjoy those special places, 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 232: Golden Gate Overlook to Warming Hut

Meandering Together, Apart
            Whether along a dirt path, a snowy field, a pine-covered forest floor, a grassy meadow, or along the water’s edge, I have loved walking outdoors since I was a young child. I loved walking alone, with my beagle, with my brothers, dad or friends.
            When I got married and had my own family, I wanted to share that same love of walking under the open sky or the canopy of a forest with my two sons and husband. We have walked thousands of miles together over the years.
            Looking back at photos of us hiking, I realize how easy it is to fall into a rhythm as we walk together, and how nice it would be if we could all always be together for our walks, but with one son far away in London, that’s not possible.
            Modern technology means that we can text and have video chats easily. I’ll text my son to say we’re heading out for a weekend walk, and he asks me to send a photo of where we went. It’s a way of connecting over the distance and remembering the unspoken camaraderie of just being out walking as a unit.
            Do you have favorite walking partners? Do you like walking alone? Enjoy your walks, whoever you’re with, and keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives takes readers around the Bald Hill from Deer Park, introduces one of countless hike options from Deer Park in Fairfax. The climb up Bald Hill is worth it for the scenery along the way and the views from the top.
            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 for products that embody the "Just Get to the Trailhead™" spirit! 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 65: Bald Hill from Deer Park