The Slippery Slope
“Careful, Sean!” I say as I watch my severely autistic son—who has difficulty with many basic life skills—navigate a wet, rocky path at a fast clip. In truth, Sean has rarely had a misstep on a hiking trail. I—and even our nimble-footed hiking buddy—have slipped on a steep sandy spot and landed on our bottoms momentarily more than once. I remember the look of surprise on Sean’s face the one time he lost his footing enough to hit the ground. The moment passed and he was on his way again. Sean freezes up due to sensory overload, but once the “on” switch clicks, he’s like a mountain goat chugging up steep trails. His walking is highlighted by repeated calls of, “Bench!” which means he expects a snack break somewhere ahead. Life itself is a slippery slope of sorts. I’ve avoided major pitfalls even during my riskiest life adventures. It’s when we’re not watching out, when we aren’t thinking something can go wrong, that we lose our footing and take the biggest falls. Despite the most astounding challenges we pick ourselves up, take a breath, and set one foot ahead of the other to continue our journey. May we all keep chugging up life’s hills, one step at a time! This week’s Hike Notes, Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek, takes readers on a scenic Mt. Tam hikes that includes both hillside ocean views and damp, rocky trails along a creek. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777 New this week: Hike Notes 186: Laurel Dell and Cataract Creek
0 Comments
Nature’s Cooling System
Fires, earthquakes, atmospheric rivers, drought, extreme heat. These are some of the natural disasters Californians think about. People in other regions worry about hurricanes, tornadoes, avalanches, monsoons, or typhoons. Amid challenges like the recent heat waves around the world, we are lucky to find counterbalances within nature itself. As a kid in Upstate New York, hot, humid days made parts of the summer miserable. My brothers and I knew that a walk down our big hill, past the apple trees, and through a barbed wire fence would lead us to Beaver Creek, where we could put our bare feet in icy cold water under shady trees, a great respite from the heat. Now I live a short walk from Ocean Beach, a broad sandy expanse facing the Pacific that offers water cold enough to numb one’s ankles even in the heat of summer. The 100-degree Fahrenheit inland temperatures bounce back from the ocean, bringing us cool foggy mornings when we still need to wear a jacket. We remind ourselves to be grateful for the coolness that our foggy neighborhood offers. As worrisome as changes in nature and our environment can be, it helps to stop, take a deep breath, and be thankful for the things that still work as they should. Find ways to stay cool, physically and mentally, and keep looking ahead. This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Ocean Beach-North End, a wide open beach at San Francisco’s western edge featuring icy water and cooling fog most days. This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives: (Original Hike Notes 22): Ocean Beach-North End Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777 May the Force
You don’t have to stumble onto a Yoda statue to feel that some sort of positive force is with you. We can sense a nameless, uplifting force from love that emanates from people we care about, or from the mutual support we find within a community. Some people “feel the force” by attending religious gatherings. For some of us, being out in nature is our own personal church, where we understand that infinite, inexplicable forces surround us. Remember that the powers of goodness, hope and strength reverberate all around if we allow ourselves to tap into them. May we all find ways to connect with helpful, inspiring forces surrounding us. Keep putting one foot forward! This week’s Hike Notes, Yoda Fountain Stroll-The Presidio, introduces a lovely city walk on the manicured grounds of the Letterman Digital Arts Center/Lucasfilm area of the Presidio, highlighted by a fountain overseen by Yoda himself. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777 New this week: Hike Notes 185: Yoda Fountain Stroll-The Presidio Playing with Water
Set toddlers in a tub with some toys and they’ll splash and play as if the properties of liquid are their own original discovery. Water has the entrancing quality of being simultaneously invigorating and calming. Highlights of my childhood memories—spent inland away from the ocean—include wading through the icy ripples of our back creek, canoeing on pristine lakes lined by pine trees, and swimming in friends’ pools. My sons grew up by the Pacific Ocean, absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of broad ocean beaches with powerful waves from infancy. You don’t need a major body of water to enjoy the inexplicable magic of water, though. My boys played for hours with a backyard kiddie pool, moving water from one container to another, or spraying the hose. May we all find time in our summer to enjoy the mesmerizing joy of water, whether by watering flowers, walking barefoot along a shore, swimming, surfing, or gliding over a shimmering surface by sail or paddle. Keep finding simple joys! This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Rockaway Beach to Pacifica State Beach, a relatively short walk that connects two scenic beaches popular with surfers. This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives: (Original Hike Notes 77): Rockaway Beach to Pacifica State Beach Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777 The Shimmer Beyond the Shadows
Walking along a wide, sunlit beach, my heart feels bright and open. As I hike along a deep forest path, trees blocking the sun, my heart stirs with a sense of mystery. I don’t recall ever feeling spooked on a beach, but I’ve definitely felt a tingle on the back of my neck when walking in dark woods. Do those of us who walk in nature to refresh our bodies and minds process thoughts differently in the sunlit open spaces from when we walk on shadowy trails? I don’t know. I’ll observe where my mind shifts on upcoming hikes. One of the great pleasures of forest walks is seeing a break in the trees up ahead. Our step quickens to see what’s in the bright glow before us. There is value both in shady places and in places of illumination, whether on a hiking trail or a passage of life. May our life journeys, dark stretches and light, offer revelations that keep us moving forward! This week’s Hike Notes, Mallard Lake-Golden Gate Park, is one of three charming tiny lakes clustered in the same area of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area 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. 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! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777 New this week: Hike Notes 184: Mallard Lake-Golden Gate Park |
Lisa LouisSharing insights and hiking highlights (Hikes, Hike Search by Area) from the special needs caregiver front in San Francisco. Archives
February 2025
Categories |