Wildlife Magnets
            A hiking buddy/autism helper who my son and I hiked countless trail miles with had amazing luck spotting wildlife.
            “There’s a whale!” he’d say from a coastal path. “Look, a pod of dolphins!” My lens-dependent eyes struggled to spot seals and sea lions he said were right offshore. I envied his 20/20 vision.
            Over our years of outings, we saw raccoons, deer, rabbits, river otters, snakes, lizards, salamanders, skinks, California quail, coyotes, and even a bobcat once. We have yet to see a mountain lion reveal itself, which is as it should be.
            We saw red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, Coopers hawks, turkey vultures, and a wide variety of waterfowl and songbirds, but our hiking buddy was often the first one to spot them, and when out on our own, our family often came up dry for wildlife viewing.
            Sometimes it feels like there are people who have magical luck seeing animals on the trail.
            I recently had the privilege of playing trail guide for Australian autism researcher Travis Saunders (read about his Churchill Fellowship research project here) and his family. They are on an international journey studying how walking in nature helps people on the autism spectrum. I described our local animals, thinking we weren’t likely to see many.
            On their first full day in the San Francisco Bay Area, the family saw a coyote right out on a city street. On a hike at Lands End, we had a red-tailed hawk swoop low right in front of us. On our last outing together in the Marin Headlands, we had two gray foxes scoot across the road in front of us. Then we saw a family of four sea otters playing in Rodeo Lagoon as we walked by.
            My family and I don’t always find wildlife easily, so I’m glad to hike with people who naturally stumble onto animals along the trail. If you’re a person who effortlessly spots wildlife without even trying, consider yourself lucky!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Heather Cutoff Trail, take readers to an area where I captured a closeup of a bobcat ambling lazily along the roadside without a worry in the world, and where an intense switchback trail awaits hikers.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 177: Heather Cutoff Trail

Light Shines Through
            In deep, dense forest, light struggles to filter through even on the sunniest day. The blended aroma of moist soil, tree bark, and moss is most intoxicating in the darkest places.
            My childhood summer vacations in the Adirondacks were often spent walking under a forest canopy wearing a rain parka over a thick sweatshirt. It was a miraculous treasure when the sun broke through to the forest floor.
            Here in California, Muir Woods is one of the most popular places to see a redwood forest. I have visited many times, often in late afternoon, when fading daylight was falling at an angle. That light is beautiful to the eye, but clear images are harder to capture with a camera in scarce light.
            I recently visited Muir Woods earlier in the day, when the summer sun was shining straight down. There was enough light for my camera to focus, and once in a while a glorious burst of sun came down on the trail through a gap in the trees.
            Enjoy dark moody trails for their unique atmosphere, and celebrate unexpected bright spots when you stumble upon them. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Muir Woods National Monument, takes readers to Marin County to one of the most popular places to see redwoods.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 206: Muir Woods National Monument

Places Ingrained
            Pine trees line the curve of a lake. White sparkles shimmer over deep blue water. Fallen branches ornament the narrow shore.
            The lines of the treetops converge at a downward angle where the lake bends in the distance, countered by a low mountain top rising from the gap.
            It is a perfect, quiet lake, like those in the old postcards of the Adirondack Mountains I treasured as a kid. But this is not a postcard, and it is not the Adirondacks.
            I have lived in California and been exploring trails and nature sites in Marin County for more years than I spent growing up in rural Upstate New York, but when I look at the lakes of the Marin Watershed, love for the natural surroundings of my youth wells up. I am transported back to my childhoods camping in the lakes and old mountains of the Adirondacks. 
            Living in the past? No. Allowing powerful sensory memories to unleash the strengths I developed while immersed in the natural beauty of my childhood? Yes.
            Let yourself reminisce about the times and places that made you the person you are today. The quiet embers of early lessons and insights may glow strongly again. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge, take readers to one of the lovely lakes of the Marin Watershed.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 112: Kent Lake from Shafter Bridge

View from the Other Side
            Standing under the shade of a cypress tree, I look out to see a flock of brown pelicans flying in front of blue sky and puffy white clouds. The blue water below is marked by white diagonal lines, sailboats leaning in competition.
            Looming in the back is the Golden Gate Bridge, beyond that, the skyline of San Francisco. I hear only the sound of the breeze through the branches of the cypress grove, and the occasional bird song. The densely packed city feels like a thousand miles away.
            Living in a city can be exciting in both good ways and bad. Exploring historical sites, experiencing cultural events, and getting to know various neighborhood shops and restaurants can keep a person busy for years. But urban problems can pop up in the cities we love, and they do: Noise, homelessness, crime, parking and traffic problems.
            It’s important to step away from city life and immerse ourselves in nature. The Marin Headlands—where I stand looking back at the city across the water—is just a short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
            Getting a bit of distance from our usual space and looking back from across the way helps put our lives and the world in perspective. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Bicentennial Campground-Marin Headlands, a spot where people can have an overnight camping experience or just a picnic area visit, with stunning views.
            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, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
New this week:
Hike Notes 205: Bicentennial Campground-Marin Headlands